Chemistry and Biotechnology at River Falls. Innovative. Excellence. 

A degree in Chemistry will open many doors - Chemistry is the central science that connects physics, biology, engineering, and medicine. Chemists are at the forefront of exciting research in nanotechnology, medicine, and environmental technologies.

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls Chemistry and Biotechnology Department offers hands-on learning and faculty interaction are important components of our program. Chemistry faculty have breadth of expertise in areas of chemistry such as analytical, biochemistry, computational, education, inorganic, medicinal, organic, pharmacology, physical and polymer chemistry. Students learn in small classes and have the opportunity to work closely with faculty on undergraduate research early in their college careers.

If you're interested in our programs or in our scholarships for talented incoming students, please e-mail department chair Lisa Kroutil.

Careers in Chemistry...

Chemists are in demand in industry, in academia, in government, as well as non-profit and entrepreneurship. Graduates of the UW-River Falls Chemistry program have found careers in a wide variety of fields. The American Chemical Society has a great summary of career opportunities in chemistry:

The employment world for chemical professionals can be divided into four main sectors: industry, academia, government, and entrepreneurship. Each sector has its own culture, values and expectations, though there is still tremendous variation within sectors. Knowing something about this can help you focus your employment search on the sector that best matches your personal values, interests and skills. 

Increasingly, opportunities are arising in areas where the sectors overlap: industrial–academic research partnerships, government contracts for product or process development, technology transfer programs that allow university professors to form startup companies based on their discoveries, or consortia that involve three or four job sectors. Taking advantage of these opportunities requires an ability to work well and communicate in more than one environment.

For more information, see the American Chemical Society College to Career website!