The rare-earth metals used to build our phones, electric vehicles and renewable energy systems are extraordinarily difficult to recover and recycle. Traditional extraction methods are slow and chemically intensive and often yield impure results. Researchers Mercedes Taylor and Michael Baptiste have designed a molecule that solves this problem by self-assembling around rare-earth ions to selectively bind and separate them from complex mixtures. The process is rapid, recyclable and precise, with the potential to build a more sustainable and reliable supply chain to support clean energy infrastructure.

In the lab, chemistry Ph.D. student Mya Gaddy uses light to build synthetic molecules for drug development. She also supports her peers as vice president of UMD’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Graduate Student Organization.

NIH data strategy czar Susan Gregurick (Ph.D. ’95, chemistry) brings her science success story to UMD as keynote speaker for the 2026 CMNS Doctoral Commencement Ceremony.

Isaac Robinson credits great teachers, scholarships and his job at Giant for guiding him “home.” 

It’s the first time this Indian Ocean climate pattern has been connected to the recent years’ unusually high temperatures.

A hands-on UMD course gives undergraduates the opportunity to share the magic of chemistry with third graders in Prince George's County.

Doyle (1942-2026), who served as professor and chair of the University of Maryland’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry from 2003 to 2013, passed away on April 11, 2026.

A new study from UMD chemical physicists could lead to more stable quantum memory, safer fuel storage and an improved ability to measure comet temperatures in outer space.