A man in lab coat injecting a solution in a chemistry station.

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry News

The curriculum offered by the Department of Chemistry meets the needs of students who intend to pursue advanced training in the sciences, medicine, and other professional and technical fields. With chemistry being known as the "central science," our students establish a strong understanding in the composition, structure, and properties of matter, especially in chemical reaction.

Current Chemistry and Biochemistry News

Fall colors 2025
Campus News |

Some of the biggest news headlines featuring UNLV faculty and students.

birding club members use binoculars to observe birds at UNLV
Campus News |

Chill vibes and a focus on observing and preserving nature have students flocking to UNLV's Birding and Conservation Club.

Bald white man in a brown suit standing next to an oversize periodic elements chart
People |

Sciences Alumnus of the Year Scott Wade parlayed a campus job into a prolific career as an environmental scientist (and novelist … and karate black belt … and community leader).

Susan Yunkes inside the "U" of UNLV letters on campus
People |

From transforming labs to managing events, this admin assistant brings order, heart, and hustle to the College of Sciences.

First day of classes.
Campus News |

The top news stories starring university students and staff.

Messenger RNA
Research |

UNLV research team develops mRNA cocktail to intravenously and directly reach the pancreas, allowing for potentially revolutionary treatment options; lead researcher Chandra Bhattacharya becomes university's first to earn national award. 

Chemistry and Biochemistry In The News

Earth.com

A new study reports nanoparticles that send messenger RNA, genetic instructions that tell cells to make proteins, directly to the pancreas with 99 percent selectivity.

KLAS-TV: 8 News Now

A research team at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas claims its latest discovery could eventually lead to curing pancreatic cancer and diabetes.

Science Mag

A groundbreaking development in mRNA delivery techniques has emerged from researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), promising to transform treatments for diseases related to the pancreas, including both diabetes and pancreatic cancer.

KSNV-TV: News 3

Scientists at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, have developed a groundbreaking method to reuse nuclear waste, a discovery that could potentially revolutionize the nuclear industry.

Las Vegas Sun

UNLV researchers are on the cutting edge of techniques that can reduce the amount of waste left over from the process of creating nuclear fuel and weapons by rendering those toxic waste products both safe and useful.

Las Vegas Sun

UNLV researchers are on the cutting edge of techniques that can reduce the amount of waste left over from the process of creating nuclear fuel and weapons by rendering those toxic waste products both safe and useful.

Chemistry and Biochemistry Experts

A medicinal chemist with expertise in mRNA, gene and drug delivery, and nanomedicine.
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Recent Chemistry and Biochemistry Accomplishments

Renee Olney (Radiochemistry PhD candidate) has been selected for the Training in Radiological and International Security (TRAINS) Fellowship sponsored by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Onley is a first-generation graduate student and one of only five students in the…
Arumugam Jayaraman (Chemistry and Biochemistry), University of Wuerzburg professor Holger Braunschweig in Germany, and University of Sussex professor Alfredo Vargas in the UK published "Olefin π-coordination chemistry at low-oxidation-state boron" in the Nature Portfolio’s Nature Chemistry journal on September 19,…
Łukasz Sznajder (Chemistry and Biochemistry) was featured in the article, “Neuromuscular Disease Research: Going Strong," published in the special 75th anniversary issue of Quest, which is dedicated to the unstoppable community the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) serves every day. MDA is the #1 voluntary health organization in the United…
Chandra Bhattacharya (Chemistry and Biochemistry) has been awarded a $1.88M Early Stage Investigator (ESI) R35 MIRA grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). This prestigious five-year award will support the Bhattacharya lab's research on developing innovative lipid nanoparticle platforms for targeted mRNA delivery -…
A recent study from Chandra Bhattacharya's (Chemistry and Biochemistry) laboratory developed a lipid nanoparticle platform that can deliver mRNA intravenously to the spleen with 99% selectivity. This work was published in Small, titled "Endogenous Corticosteroid Derived Lipid Nanoparticles (Cortico LNPs) Enable Selective mRNA Delivery to…
Radiochemistry Ph.D. candidate Becca Manns (Chemistry) is the recipient of a prestigious Rickover Fellowship from the South Carolina Universities Research and Education Foundation (SCUREF). The appointment, which begins Sept. 1, is offered to students in pursuit of graduate study and research supportive of the mission and goals of…