The Department of Chemistry began with the establishment of Sultan Qaboos University. Four departments were initially established in the college of science and the Department of Chemistry had been the major hallmark of the college since its inception.

Infrastructure, Location and Facilities

The Department occupies the second floor of the College of Science building, consists of six laboratories for undergraduate teaching, several research labs, and one glass-blowing workshop. These laboratories are equipped with wide-ranging facilities including specialized instruments such as 60MHz NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer), IR (Infra-Red Spectrometer), HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatograph), GC/MS (Gas Chromatographs / Mass Spectrometer), flame photometers and UV/Vis (Ultra Violet / Visible) spectrophotometers and a laser optics lab. Over the years most of these instruments were replaced by state-of-the-art instruments including 400 MHz NMR, GC/MS, CHN analyzer, AAs, CE, CV Voltammetric Analyzer, Bipotentiostat, Rotating Disk Electrode, Low Current Module, etc. 

HoD & Faculties

The development of the Department of Chemistry has been remarkable. During the earlier years, the department had seven faculty members, five technical staff and one coordinator all of them were expatriates. The number of faculty grew from seven to twenty-nine including thirteen Omanis. The number of technical staff increased from five to seventeen technicians. The number of undergraduate students increased from eight to 75 students per cohort, and the number of MSc candidates grew from five to ten per cohort. 

Chronological listing of the departmental Head

Chemistry department landmarks  

Vision

• providing a comprehensive and significant curriculum at undergraduate and postgraduate level  
• producing career oriented and knowledgeable graduates for academic, industrial and government services.
• committed to conducting research on fundamental and applied problems.
• promoting the development of innovative interdisciplinary research programs.
• independent thought, collegial exchange of ideas, and high ethical standards.
• use of modern educational technology in lecture and laboratory courses.
• development of strategic partnerships with other departments, academic institutions, and the chemical industry.
• carry out world-class research and scholarly work with relevance to contemporary problems facing society and industry.

Mission

The department of chemistry's mission is to achieve excellence in the area of chemical science, research, and community service by promoting the principles of scientific analysis and creative thinking, and supporting the scientific development of Oman. The department provides rigorous preparation for citizens whose career paths require expertise in chemistry. The department is dedicated to rigorous standards for content knowledge, communication skills, research quality, and professional behavior. The mission is to educate the students on research to meet global environmental issues through chemical education. Department is committed to consolidate funding for research and development of infrastructure facilities.

HoD Message 

It gives me a great pleasure to welcome you to the website of the Department of Chemistry at Sultan Qaboos University. Our academic, technical and administrative staff as well as our students are glad that you are taking time to visit our website to be acquainted with our programs and activities. The Department of Chemistry strives to maintain its standing as a center of excellence for training in chemistry in the region. To implement quality measures and to improve its services, the Canadian Society of Chemistry (CSC) accredited the chemistry undergraduate program for Chemistry in 2014. The department is preparing itself for the second round of accreditation by the CSC in 2019, along with the Applied Chemistry degree. On the other hand, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) has accredited our master program in chemistry in 2015. The department's Ph.D. program is progressing very well with a more than a dozen of candidates already graduated since the inception of the program in 2008. The department is well established in terms of major instruments and human resources with 29 highly qualified faculty members having expertise and experience over a broad range of subject areas. Our faculty conduct vibrant research projects in areas of economic importance to Oman. Throughout the last two decades, they have successfully acquired generous internal and external research funds from national and international sources. Many of our faculty already have strong local and international research collaborations. A strong technical team consisting of 18 highly skilled and dedicated technicians and research associates provides excellent support to the department in teaching and research. Over the past decade, the department has succeeded in acquiring several modern instruments, such as single X-ray diffractometer, femtosecond laser system and NMR (400 MHz) equipment. These facilities are now heavily support teaching and research. Furthermore, the department has access to instruments and high performance computational facilities run by the College of Science and other several scientific research centers found in the university campus.

FakhrEldin O. Suliman, Professor (HoD)

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