Students benefit from £2m research laboratory
Chemistry undergraduates at Surrey have access to a range of state-of-the-art facilities – including the £2m Joseph Kenyon laboratory.
The showpiece laboratory, which is named after Professor Joseph Kenyon – a pioneer in the field of organic chemistry and the first Head of Surrey’s Department of Chemistry – offers a world class environment for studying and research. Its extensive range of equipment includes Raman spectrophotometers and infrared and ultraviolet spectrophotometers, as well as a new ICP-MS instrument for analysis of environmental samples.
Chemistry students use the Joseph Kenyon laboratory to undertake their final year research project. During this project, each student joins one of the Department’s world-renowned research groups, and regularly publish their results as part of the research group in leading scientific journals. In addition to the Joseph Kenyon laboratory, students also have access to state-of-the-art chromatography equipment – including a new high resolution mass spectrometer – for project and practical use.
There is a strong emphasis on practical work as well as theory throughout Surrey’s chemistry degree programmes. Students spend a day a week in the University’s well-equipped undergraduate laboratories during their first and second years.
Hannah Whitmore, who studied on the MChem Medicinal Chemistry programme, says: “At Surrey there's a strong focus on professional development and future employability, which involves developing technical skills within the field. The Department of Chemistry invests heavily in state-of-the-art instruments, which all undergraduates are taught to use from their very first lab session. The design of the Joseph Kenyon Lab, where final year research projects take place, is based on labs found in world-leading Research and Development companies."
Head of Department Professor Dulcie Mulholland says: “One of the big plusses of studying chemistry at Surrey is our small class sizes, which mean that undergraduates have hands-on experience with the latest high quality equipment. Working alongside experienced researchers in our Joseph Kenyon laboratory during their final year sets our graduates up perfectly for roles in industry or research.”
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