Chemistry
The Guelph-Waterloo Centre for Graduate Work in Chemistry and Biochemistry (GWC2) combines the Department of Chemistry at the University of Guelph and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Waterloo into a comprehensive school of graduate chemistry and biochemistry. The members of the Centre conduct research in virtually all areas of modern chemistry and biochemistry, and PhD advisors with active research groups are available on both campuses.
The Centre is administered by the Director and GWC2 Program Administrative Coordinator in consultation with the Curriculum Committee and the GWC2 Coordinating Committee. The GWC2 Coordinating Committee consists of the Director, the two departmental Chairs, the two departmental Graduate Program Coordinators, two elected Centre members from each campus, and one elected representative of the graduate student body from each campus. The regulations applying to graduate study in the Centre meet the requirements of the graduate councils and the Senates of the two universities.
The fields of research in which theses can be written normally fall within the categories of:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Biological Chemistry or Biochemistry
- Inorganic Chemistry
- Nanoscience
- Organic Chemistry
- Physical Chemistry
- Polymer Chemistry
- Theoretical Chemistry
The category chosen will normally be referred to as the candidate's major. However, if a suitable topic is chosen, a candidate may pursue research which involves more than one of the categories listed above. Certain course requirements must be fulfilled both for the MSc and for the PhD. These courses are chosen in consultation with the candidate's advisory committee and the graduate officers of the Centre.
Administrative Staff
Director GWC2
Richard Manderville (SSC 3243, University of Guelph, (519) 824-4120, Ext. 53963)
GWC2 Program Administrative Coordinator
Kim Rawson (University of Guelph, (519) 824-4120, Ext. 53848 or (519) 888-4567, Ext. 48111)
gwc@uoguelph.ca
Departmental Graduate Program Coordinator
Marcel Schlaf (MACN 339, Ext. 53002)
mschalf@uoguelph.ca
Chair of the Department at Guelph
Kathryn Preuss (SCC 2515, Ext. 53061)
kpreuss@uoguelph.ca
Departmental Graduate Program Assistant
Lisa O’Dwyer (SCC 2513, Ext. 53044)
chemgrad@uoguelph.ca
Graduate Faculty
This list may include Regular Graduate Faculty, Associated Graduate Faculty and/or Graduate Faculty from other universities.
France-Isabelle Auzanneau
Maitrise, DEA, PhD Paris XI-Orsay - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Monica Barra
B.Sc., PhD National Cordoba (Argentina) - Associate Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Jonathan Baugh
B.Sc. UT Chattanooga, PhD UNC Chapel Hill - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Aicheng Chen
Diploma Shaoyang, M.Sc. Xiamen (China), PhD Guelph - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Leanne Chen
B.Sc. Queen's, PhD Stanford - Assistant Professor
Graduate Faculty
J. Michael Chong
B.Sc., PhD British Columbia - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
David Cory
BA, PhD Case Western Reserve - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Thorsten Dieckmann
Dipl., Dr. rer. nat. Braunschweig - Associate Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Jean Duhamel
B.Eng., M.Sc., PhD ENSIC (France) - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Eric Fillion
B.Sc. Sherbrooke, M.Sc. Montreal, PhD Toronto - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Wojciech Gabryelski
B.Sc., M.Sc. Technical Gdansk (Poland), PhD Alberta - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Khashayar Ghandi
B.Sc. Shiraz (Iran), M.Sc. Tehran (Iran), PhD Simon Fraser University - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Tadeusz Gorecki
M.Sc., PhD Technical Gdansk (Poland) - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
John F. Honek
B.Sc., PhD McGill - Professor
Graduate Faculty Other University
Scott Hopkins
B.Sc., PhD New Brunswick - Associate Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Abdelaziz Houmam
Maitrise Casablanca I, DEA, PhD Paris 7 - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Rui Huang
B.Sc. Peking, PhD Michigan - Assistant Professor
Graduate Faculty
Lori Jones
B.Sc. New Brunswick, PhD Guelph - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Subha Kalyaanamoorthy
M.Sc. Annamalai, PhD La Trobe - Assistant Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Vassili Karanassios
B.Sc. Thessaloniki, PhD Alberta - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Holger Kleinke
B.Sc., M.Sc. Westfalische-Universitat Munster, PhD Johannes-Gutenberg Mainz - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Anna Klinkova
B.Sc., Saint Petersburg State (Russia), M.Sc., Bowling Green State, PhD, Toronto - Assistant Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Sonny C. Lee
BS Caltech, PhD Harvard - Associate Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Bob Lemieux
BA, Colgate (New York), PhD UI Urbana - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
K. Tong Leung
B.Sc., PhD British Columbia - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Jacek Lipkowski
M.Sc., PhD, D.Sc. Warsaw - Professor Emeritus
Associated Graduate Faculty
Juewen Liu
BS Science and Technology (China), PhD Illinois (Urbana-Champagne) - Assistant Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Vivek Maheshwari
B.Tech. Delhi, M.Sc. Wayne State, PhD Virginia - Assistant Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Richard A. Manderville
B.Sc., PhD Queen's - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Terrance B. McMahon
B.Sc. Alberta, PhD Caltech - University Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Elizabeth M. Meiering
B.Sc. Waterloo, PhD Cambridge - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Mario A. Monteiro
B.Sc., PhD York - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Graham K. Murphy
B.Sc. Victoria (British Columbia), PhD Alberta - Associate Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Jennifer Murphy
BSc, PhD Memorial Newfoundland - Assistant Professor
Graduate Faculty
Linda F. Nazar
B.Sc. British Columbia, PhD Toronto - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Marcel Nooijen
B.Sc., PhD Vrije van Amsterdam - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Derek O'Flaherty
B.Sc., PhD Concordia - Assistant Professor
Graduate Faculty
Janusz Pawliszyn
B.Sc., M.Sc. Gdansk (Poland), PhD Southern Illinois - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
William P. Power
B.Sc., PhD Dalhousie - Associate Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Kathryn E. Preuss
B.Sc. Lethbridge, PhD Waterloo - Professor and Chair
Graduate Faculty
Eric Prouzet
M.Sc., PhD Nantes - Associate Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Pavle Radovanovic
MS Georgetown, PhD Washington - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Pierre-Nicholas Roy
B.Sc. McGill, M.Sc., PhD Montreal - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Derek Schipper
B.Sc. Prince Edward Island, PhD Ottawa - Associate Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Marcel Schlaf
Diplom-Chemiker Bayerische Julius-Maximilian, PhD Toronto - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Adrian L. Schwan
B.Sc. Western Ontario, PhD McMaster - Professor
Graduate Faculty
German Sciaini
B.Sc., PhD University of Buenos Aires - Associate Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Rodney Smith
B.Sc. Manitoba, PhD Memorial - Assistant Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Dmitriy V. Soldatov
M.Sc. Novosibirsk State, PhD Russian Academy - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
William W. L. Tam
B.Sc. Hong Kong, PhD Toronto - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Xiao-Wu (Shirley) Tang
BS Huazhong, PhD MIT - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Scott Taylor
B.Sc. McGill, M.Sc., PhD Toronto - Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Daniel F. Thomas
B.Sc. Alberta, PhD Toronto - Associate Professor
Graduate Faculty
Peter Tremaine
B.Sc. Waterloo, PhD Alberta - Professor
Graduate Faculty
Xiaosong Wang
B.Sc., M.Sc. Zhejiang, PhD East China Science & Technology - Associate Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
Adam Wei Tsen
BS California-Berkeley, PhD Cornell - Assistant Professor, Chemistry, University of Waterloo
Graduate Faculty Other University
MSc Program
Admission Requirements
Note: Admission to the MSc in Chemistry (course-based only) has been suspended. For more information, please contact the Department of Chemistry.
An applicant is encouraged to apply for admission if they have an honours bachelor of science degree, or the equivalent, with a minimum standing of 75% in the last two years (domestic students only) from an accredited university. The co-op MSc option is not available to students who have completed a co-op program as an undergraduate student; these students are, however, eligible for admission to the co-op PhD program. The Co-op option allows MSc students to complete an 8-month placement. Co-op options should be discussed with potential Advisors before application.
Studies can be pursued full-time or part-time.
Applicants whose first language is not English are required to submit evidence of proficiency in the English language or pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
Program Requirements
Students enroll in one of three study options:
- Thesis,
- Co-op, or
- Course work and major research project.
Thesis
Students must successfully complete at least four 0.50 credit graduate courses, including:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM*7840 | Foundations of Chemistry and Biochemistry Research Literature Review | 0.50 |
| CHEM*7940 | Master's Seminar | 0.50 |
| Two Graduate Courses 1 | 1.00 | |
| CHEM*7980 | MSc Thesis | 0.00 |
- 1
A maximum of one 0.50 credit graduate level course may be counted from courses taken outside of the Department of Chemistry.
Students are strongly encouraged to take CHEM*7840 Foundations of Chemistry and Biochemistry Research Literature Review and CHEM*7940 Master's Seminar in their first semester of study. Both courses are to be completed within the first two semesters of the program.
Co-op
The academic requirements are the same as in the regular MSc program. COOP*1100 Introduction to Co-operative Education, a mandatory, non-credit course, is a prerequisite for the first work term and prepares the student for the employment process. This course should be completed in the first semester of study.
The co-operative education requirements are to successfully complete two consecutive 4-month co-op work terms in an approved laboratory. The student’s performance in the workplace is supervised and evaluated by the student’s employer using the Work Performance Evaluation tool. The student’s progress during the work term is also monitored by Co-operative Education & Career Services, including an official site visit during the co-op work term and a review of the student’s official Learning Goals. A Co-op Work Term Report is required for each work term and is graded by an assigned Co-op Faculty Advisor. All evaluation grades will appear on the student’s official transcript.
An altered co-op fee payment schedule will be proposed during the admission offer stage.
After returning to campus, the student will complete their course work and research and prepare the MSc thesis.
Course Work and Major Research Project (MRP)
Students who elect this option must successfully complete eight 0.50 credit graduate courses, including:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM*7840 | Foundations of Chemistry and Biochemistry Research Literature Review | 0.50 |
| CHEM*7940 | Master's Seminar | 0.50 |
| Five graduate courses 2 | 2.50 | |
| CHEM*7970 | MSc Research Paper | 0.50 |
- 2
A maximum of two 0.50 credit graduate level courses may be counted from courses taken outside of the Department of Chemistry.
The MSc Research Paper is an experimental project to be completed during one term (or equivalent) of full-time research in the laboratory of a Centre faculty member. A written report is required, and a seminar based on the content of the report will be presented to your committee.
PhD Program
Admission Requirements
An applicant is eligible for admission to the PhD program at the discretion of the director. In general, an applicant must possess the qualifications listed for the MSc program, together with a Master of Science degree comparable to those awarded by North American universities and suitable references from the institution at which the MSc degree was awarded. However, direct admission to the PhD program is available to applicants with an overall A standing in an Honours BSc degree.
Applicants whose first language is not English are required to submit evidence of proficiency in the English language or pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
Program Requirements
PhD Program
Students in the PhD program must successfully complete three semester-long courses beyond those required for the master of science degree. One of these courses will be CHEM*7950 PhD Seminar. Students must also pass an oral qualifying examination in their major field, and submit and defend an acceptable thesis.
Students admitted directly to the PhD program from a BSc must successfully complete one semester-long course beyond those required for the master of science degree. In addition, students must also complete CHEM*7950 PhD Seminar, pass an oral qualifying examination in their major field, and submit and defend an acceptable thesis.
PhD Co-operative Option
Students registered in the PhD program may proceed to that degree under the co-operative option. Under this option one of the two required one-term courses, in addition to CHEM*7950 PhD Seminar and qualifying, must be completed within the first two academic semesters of study in the Centre. COOP*1100 Introduction to Co-operative Education, a mandatory, non-credit course, is a prerequisite for the first work term and prepares the student for the employment process. This course must be completed the semester prior to the competitive co-op job search semester.
After successful completion of the academic semesters of course work, the co-operative education requirements are to successfully complete three consecutive 4-month co-op work terms in an approved laboratory. The student’s performance in the workplace is supervised and evaluated by the student’s employer using the Work Performance Evaluation tool. The student’s progress during the work term is also monitored by Co-operative Education & Career Services, including an official site visit during the co-op work term and a review of the student’s official Learning Goals. A Co-op Work Term Report is required for each work term and is graded by an assigned Co-op Faculty Advisor. All evaluation grades will appear on the student’s official transcript.
An altered co-op fee payment schedule will be proposed during the admission offer stage.
Following successful completion of the work year, the student will return to the Centre to continue work on a PhD research project and complete the regular PhD.
Collaborative Specializations
Toxicology
The Department of Chemistry participates in the masters/doctoral collaborative specialization in toxicology. Please consult the Toxicology listing for a detailed description of the masters/doctoral collaborative specialization. Students choosing this option must meet the requirements of the toxicology collaborative specialization, as well as those of (GWC)2 for their particular degree program. Three toxicology courses must be completed including TOX*6200 Advanced Topics in Toxicology, and a research project must be conducted with a participating faculty member at the University of Guelph.
Courses
Except where specified, courses may be offered in any semester subject to student demand and the availability of an instructor.
All courses are given an eight character code with the sixth having the following significance: 1 (inorganic), 2 (analytical), 3 (biochemistry), 4 (theoretical), 5 (physical), 6 (organic), and 7 (polymer).
Discussion of specialized topics related to the research interests of members of the Centre. Special topics could include, for example: bioinorganic chemistry; inorganic reaction mechanisms; synthetic methods in inorganic and organometallic chemistry; homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis; chemistry of polynuclear compounds.
Introduction: crystals, basic concepts; space groups: the reciprocal lattice; x-ray diffraction; the phase problem; structure factors; electron density; small molecule structure solution, structure refinement, structure results, journals and databases, paper writing.
Introduction to solid state chemistry, common crystal structures, principles of solid state synthesis, theory and experimental methods for characterizing solids, including thermal analysis techniques, powder x-ray and neutron diffraction methods; special topics to include one or more of the optical, electronic, magnetic, or conductive properties of inorganic materials. A one semester-long undergraduate course (at least third-year level) in inorganic chemistry, preferably with content in structural and/or solid state must be taken prior to registering for this course.
Free electron, Hueckel and extended Hueckel methods for molecules and clusters. Perturbation theory. Applications of group theory in inorganic chemistry; Jahn-Teller effects in molecules and solids. Energy bands in one, two and three dimensions. Three semester-long undergraduate courses in inorganic chemistry and one semester-long undergraduate course in quantum mechanics or group theory must be taken before registering for this course.
Magnetochemistry of transition metal compounds. Electronic spectra of complex ions including applications of molecular orbital and ligand field theories. Stabilization of unusual oxidation states and co-ordination numbers. Bonding, structure and reactivity of certain important classes of metal complexes, e.g., metal hybrides, metal-metal bonded species, biologically significant model systems such as macrocycles.
Reactions, structure and bonding of organometallic compounds of transition and non-transition metals.
Special topics could include, for example: trace analysis using modern instrumental and spectroscopic methods; advanced mass spectrometry (instrumentation and interpretation of spectra); analytical aspects of gas and liquid chromatography.
Instrumental components and optimum application; rudiments of design; electrical, spectral, migrational and other methods.
Atomic emission and absorption spectroscopy; methods of excitation and detection; quantitative applications. Molecular electronic spectroscopy, UV, visible and Raman; instrumental characteristics; applications to quantitative determinations, speciation, measurements of equilibrium, etc. Sources and control of errors and interferences. Determination and description of colour.
Material to be covered is drawn from the following topics: diffusion; isolation of organic material from the matrix; chromatographic techniques - principles of chromatographic separation, gas (GLC, GSC), liquid (LLC, LSC, GPC, IEC), supercritical fluid (SFC) chromatographies; GC-MS, CG-FTIR; electrophoresis, flow field fractionation. An undergraduate level course in instrumental analysis should be taken prior to this course.
A study of electroanalytical techniques and their role in modern analytical chemistry. The underlying principles are developed. Techniques include chronamperometry, chronocoulometry, polarography, voltammetry, chronopotentiometry, coulometric titrations, flow techniques, electrochemical sensors and chemically modified electrodes.
Determination of protein sequence and 3-dimensional structure, protein anatomy; prediction of protein structure; intermolecular interactions and protein-protein association; effects of mutation. Nucleic acid structure and anatomy; DNA and chromatin structure; RNA structure; snRNPs and ribozymes; protein-nucleic acid interactions.
Discussion of specialized topics related to the research interests of members of the Centre: for example, recent offerings have included peptide and protein chemistry, biochemical toxicology, medical aspects of biochemistry, glycolipids and glycoproteins, redox enzymes, biological applications of magnetic resonance, etc.
Mechanisms of regulation of metabolism - enzyme clusters; phosphorylation and protein kinases/phosphatases, repression and induction, protein turnover. Regulation of transcription, translation and mRNA processing. Cell cycle and control of cell division.
Mechanisms of rate enhancement. Enzyme kinetics - steady state; inhibitors; bisubstrate enzymes; fast reaction kinetics. Enzyme reaction mechanisms. Structural and genetic modification of enzymes. Catalytic antibodies. Binding processes. Multiple sites and co-operativity. Allosteric enzymes and metabolic control. Catalysis by RNA.
Membrane proteins and lipids - structure and function; dynamics; techniques for their study; model membrane systems. Membrane transport. The cytoskeleton. Membrane protein biogenesis, sorting and targeting. Signal transduction across membranes. The cell surface in immune responses.
Discussion of specialized topics related to the research interests of the members of the Centre. Special topics could include for example: theory of intermolecular forces; density matrices; configuration interaction; correlation energies of open and closed shell systems; kinetic theory and gas transport properties; theory of the chemical bond.
Review of classical and quantum mechanics; principles of statistical mechanics; applications to systems of interacting molecules; imperfect gases, liquids, solids, surfaces and solutions.
Approximate solutions of the Schrodinger equation and calculations of atomic and molecular properties.
Discussion of specialized topics related to the research interests of the members of the Centre. Special topics could include for example: principles of magnetic resonance in biological systems; collisions, spectroscopy and intermolecular forces, surface chemistry; catalysis; electrolyte theory; non-electrolyte solution theory, thermodynamics of biological systems; thermodynamics.
Empirical analysis. Kinetic theory of gases. Potential energy surfaces. Unimolecular rates. Relaxation and steady state methods. Diffusion rates. Rates between polar molecules. Energy transfer.
Aspects of electronic vibrational and rotational spectroscopy of atoms, molecules, and the solid state. Relevant aspects of quantum mechanics, Dirac notation, and angular momentum will be discussed. Group Theory will be presented and its implications for spectroscopy introduced. Prerequisites: one semester-long undergraduate course in quantum mechanics or the approval of the instructor.
Two or three topics from a range including: bio-organic chemistry; environmental organic chemistry; free radicals; heterocyclic molecules; molecular rearrangements; organometallic chemistry; photochemistry; natural products.
Named organic reactions and other synthetically useful reactions are discussed. The mechanism, stereochemical implications and use in organic synthesis of these reactions will be presented. Examples from the organic literature will be used to illustrate these aspects.
The synthesis of organic compounds is discussed and emphasis is placed on the design of synthetic routes. Examples drawn from the literature are used to illustrate this synthetic planning.
Ultraviolet, infrared, resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, with emphasis on applications to studies of organic molecules.
Linear free energy relationships; substituent effects and reactive intermediates.
Introduction to the physical chemistry of high polymers, principles of polymer synthesis, mechanisms and kinetics of polymerization reactions, copolymerization theory, polymerization in homogeneous and heterogeneous systems, chemical reactions of polymers. Theory and experimental methods for the molecular characterization of polymers.
The physical properties of polymers are considered in depth from a molecular viewpoint. Rubber elasticity, mechanical properties, rheology and solution behaviour are quantitatively treated.
The reactions leading to the production of polymers are considered with emphasis on emulsion and suspension polymerization and polymerization reaction engineering. Polymer degradation, stabilization and modification reactions are also considered in depth.
Discussion of specialized topics of polymer chemistry related to the research interests of the faculty or prominent scientific visitors. Special topics could include, for example: polymer stabilization and degradation; mechanical properties; polymer principles in surface coatings; organic chemistry of synthetic high polymers; estimation of polymer properties; reactions of polymers; polymerization kinetics.
Students will prepare a written literature review on a topic relevant to their research proposal. Incoming MSc thesis students are required to take this course within the first two semesters of their program and are strongly encouraged to take it in their first semester.
A public seminar and defence of a research proposal, required to be given by all MSc thesis students within two terms of entering this program.
An experimental project normally based on the CHEM*7940 research proposal, supervised by the advisor, taking three to four months to complete. This project may be completed at any time during the student's program, but it must follow CHEM*7940. A written report is required, and a seminar based on the content of the report will be presented. The report must be completed as per the project/thesis guidelines of the University campus on which the student is registered. This course normally will follow the course CHEM*7940 Master's Seminar.