Vision
The Department of Chemistry strives to maintain:
- A high educational standard as a premier research intensive Department in the country.
- Achieve international recognition for innovation and excellence in teaching and research.
- Regularly transfer knowledge and technology to strengthen our community culturally and economically.
Mission
The Department of Chemistry is committed to conducting basic and applied research in chemistry by:
- Focusing on research areas that are relevant to the needs of our society.
- Attracting research grants from external sources to support graduate work.
- Acquiring and maintaining state of the art instrumentation for teaching and research.
- Attracting high graduate students who can engage in research in designated areas.
- Structuring our postgraduate programs around designated research areas.
- Promoting the development of innovative interdisciplinary research programs.
- Promoting collaborative research.
Fostering staff, student, and postdoc exchanges with other institutions around the world. With the emergence of Applied Chemistry Degree Program, we predict new research opportunities in areas such as surface chemistry, catalysis and polymer chemistry, which might complement already established research programs in environmental research, corrosion, natural products, enhanced oil recovery, modeling and computational analysis, and synthetic methods. We also hope to apply our expertise in organic chemistry to synthesize novel molecules with biological activity discovered in collaboration with the natural product chemistry research groups.
MSc
At present the Department has adopted Master’s by course work and thesis among the four degree options available in the University at Master’s level. The Master of Science (M.Sc) programme in Chemistry offered by the Department of Chemistry at the College of Science, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) has has received international recognition securing academic accreditation from the United Kingdom-based Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).
MSc Degree Plan 2021-25
Learning Outcomes
- A graduate with a Master's degree in Chemistry has in-depth and detailed functional knowledge of the fundamental theoretical concepts and experimental methods of chemistry.
- Students should have an advanced level understanding of at least three of the following areas of chemistry - Analytical, Inorganic, Organic, and Physical Chemistry.
- Students who obtain the Master's Degree in Chemistry will have gained advanced knowledge in modern chemistry through a program of graduate-level courses and research participation in a project under the supervision of the professorial faculty member. These outcomes are demonstrated by completion of coursework and by submission of a satisfactory Master's Thesis.
- Students should acquire the basic tools needed to carry out independent chemical research.
- Students should become proficient in their specialized area of chemistry and successfully complete an advanced research project.
- Students should be able to communicate scientific results in writing and in oral presentation.
Ongoing Master Projects
- Physicochemical and Pharmacological Features of Ternary Hydrazone Complexes of Nickel (II) and Copper (II).
- Noble Metals Decorated ZnO Nanoparticles for Potential Application in Solar Cells.
- Structure and Photophysical Properties of Ln(III) Coordination Polymers based on Substituted Terephthalate Ligands.
- Separation of Ca and Mg from brackish water on chelating adsorbent prepared from date palm leaflets.
PhD
A graduate program leading to a PhD Degree with research options in Analytical, Applied, Computational, Inorganic, Organic and Physical Chemistry is offered at SQU. There are also opportunities for interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research skills development from ongoing collaborations between chemistry staff and staff members from various Departments within and outside the University. Through the Deanship of Postgraduate Studies & Research and research grant holders, the Department offers financial support in the form of scholarship or research assistant-ship.
The PhD program offers students stimulating research experience within a community of respected researchers. If you would like to acquire skills that will impact your competencies in meaningful ways as a chemistry professional, we encourage you to consider the PhD program at SQU.
Learning Outcomes
- The candidate is at the forefront of knowledge within a chosen specialist discipline.
- Identify new research opportunities, plan effective strategies for pursuing these opportunities, and conduct research that makes a new contribution to knowledge in their chosen subfield of chemistry.
- Possess the fundamental knowledge needed to understand and critically evaluate current research in their chosen subfield of chemistry.
- Formulate a research hypothesis based on relevant literature and use appropriate research methods to reach conclusions.
- Can carry out research and scholarly development work of high international standard.
- Be proficient in laboratory, theoretical, and/or computational techniques necessary to contribute to knowledge in their chosen subfield of chemistry.
- Presentation of background for research project and of research results in an open forum.
- Describe their research findings clearly in publications and presentations for both professional and lay audiences.
- Teach courses effectively in the field at the college level.
- Be competitive for appropriate positions in industry and academia (e.g., research scientist and post-doctoral fellows).
Ongoing PhD Projects
- Enhancing drug delivery using albumin coated nanoparticles.
- On-chip monolithic solid phase extraction and nano-droplet chemilumnscence detection system.
- Synthesis, structure and photophysical characterization of nathyl substituted pyrazolines fluorogenic labels for pre-column derivatization and optoelectronic applications.
- Tuning characteristics of a series of Iron complexes: Towards development of cooperative ferric spin cross over.
- Development of modified and nonmodified graphite like carbon nitride materials for degradation of pharmaceuticals under solar light.
- New metal-organic hybrid materials for opto-electronic applications.