Message from the Head of the Department
Do chemistry you want to do at Department of Chemistry, TMU
Chemistry is one of the fields in natural science and is an important academic field that is closely related to our lives and industry. I hope that those who are interested in chemistry, as well as those who are unsure of their career path or who think they are not good at chemistry, will look at the websites of Department of Chemistry and each laboratory, and feel the attraction and possibilities of chemistry.
By the way, do you know where “chemistry” is used? You may immediately come up with that we use frequently in our daily lives, such as plastics, rubber, adhesives, detergents, perfumes, medicines, insecticides, and fuels. But in fact, chemistry is used in more places than you might imagine. For example, if you focus on the smartphone or tablet that you use every day, there are many materials that play an important role in the device, such as the touch panel that works when you operate it with your finger (transparent conductive film, liquid crystal and so on), the memory that stores information about photos and videos, the angular velocity sensor that detects movement (ferroelectric), the LED used in the light, and the lithium-ion battery that runs the device. In addition, ceramics such as glass, ceramics, and stained glass that have been used since ancient times, structural color inkjet developed based on the “structural coloration” (a structure made of many thin layers) of jewel beetles and shells that changes color depending on the viewing angle, environmentally friendly biodegradable polymers, and three-way catalysts for exhaust gas purification for automobiles, etc., are all chemical products. In this way, chemistry is applied and used in various fields, and plays a major role as a fundamental science that supports all industries. I think chemistry is the only academic field that can be used in such a wide range of fields.
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, consists of three major fields (inorganic/analytical chemistry, organic/biological chemistry, and physical chemistry), and each field is further divided into three to four specialized fields (11 laboratories). I think it is rare to find a department that can conduct cutting-edge research in such a wide range of fields, including materials chemistry such as organic compounds, polymers, solid materials, and device materials, environmental chemistry that solves global environmental problems, theoretical chemistry using calculations, spectrochemistry using light and electrons, and biochemistry that deals with proteins and cells. I hope you will find at least one field or research that interests you.
Next, I briefly explain the education in Department of Chemistry. Chemistry is one of the natural sciences that understands natural phenomena at the atomic and molecular level, and explores the properties and changes in substances, but recently, the target substances are expanding widely due to the combination of different fields. To acquire important basic knowledge in chemistry, undergraduate education has a systematic educational program for learning core fields such as inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, analytical chemistry, and biochemistry from the first to third years of undergraduate studies. Especially, in the third year, students take the time to learn basic experimental techniques and how to use knowledge to do research in each core field through specialized experiments and practices. In the fourth year, students will belong to a laboratory that interests them from 11 laboratories and conduct their graduation research based on the knowledge they have learned so far. Department of Chemistry in the Faculty of Science has 11 diverse and attractive laboratories, so you are sure to find the chemistry you want to do. Enjoy chemistry through your graduation research. If you want to acquire even deeper specialized knowledge, please go on to Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science. Department of Chemistry has researchers who are active around the world in various fields. Promote cutting-edge research and become a world-leading researcher. Tokyo Metropolitan University is also committed to fostering global human resources and has an extensive support grogram for overseas study. If you make good use of these programs, you will be able to experience top-level research in the world, so please make use of them.
