Analytical Chemistry: Field analysis, environmental analysis, gas chromatography, comprehensive 2D-GC, GC hardware, generation of standard gas mixtures, solid phase microextraction (SPME), passive sampling, thin-layer headspace (TLHS) analysis, molecule specific sensors, zeolite and clay modified electrodes, electroanalytical and ultrahigh vacuum based surface analysis, adsorption at the metal solution interface, plasma based elemental analysis, photoionization/photoelectron spectroscopy. The detection, spectroscopy and quantification of trace molecules and transient species, the development of sample preparation methods for extraction of organic compounds from the aqueous matrix, the development of new analytical separations methodology for rapid and efficient quantification of trace organic substances, the use of molecular and biomolecular recognition for selective analytical sensors and assays.
Biological Chemistry/Biochemistry: Protein structure and function using recombinant protein expression/engineering. Membrane proteins and transport. Toxicology, cancer research, applications of biochemistry in environmental, medicinal, and analytical chemistry.
Inorganic Chemistry: Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis, coordination chemistry, polyol and carbohydrate transition metal complexes, asymmetric catalysis, organometallic chemistry, main group chemistry, electrochemistry, multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, metal mediated polymerization, molecular materials, supramolecular chemistry.
Nanoscience: Nanotechnology is science on the length scale of atoms and molecules where the fundamental properties of materials are determined and can be engineered. By controlling materials at the nanometre scale, one can achieve a greater control over their function and structures so as to discover and explore new physicochemical phenomena e.g. quantum dots, quantum wells, superconductivity of carbon nanotubes. Chemists use the bottom-up approach to nanoscience where designed chemical synthesis creates new molecules. Molecules are assembled to produce new materials; materials are combined to produce novel structures; the resultant structures produce unique function and utility. The contribution of chemists to nanoscience includes synthesis, structural studies, characterization, fabrication of nanodevices and theoretical modelling.
Organic Chemistry: The development of new synthetic methodology, synthesis and characterization of organic polymers, host/guest organic chemistry, molecular recognition, theoretical aspects of reaction mechanisms, molecular modeling, application in biology and medicine.
Physical/Theoretical Chemistry: Laser and Fourier transform spectroscopy of transient molecules, molecular astronomy, wavelet analysis of time series, laser spectroscopy and laser chemistry using short wavelength laser light, laser photoelectron and photoionization spectroscopy, laser probes of flames, surface chemistry and interface/materials science, semiconductors chemical physics, electron spectroscopy and coincidence techniques, radiation chemistry and atmospheric processes, determination and implications of intermolecular forces, molecular collisions, particle-surface interaction, multiproperty determination of intermolecular interactions, transport property field-effects, thermal diffusion in polyatomic gas mixtures, nuclear magnetic relaxation in gases, microwave and IR spectra of Van der Waals molecules. Structure, energetics and dynamics of gaseous ions, quantum theory of molecular electronic structure, many-electron correlation problem and quantum chemical methodology, multinuclear and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, structure determination in different phases, molecular and electronic structural influences on NMR spectra, atmospheric chemistry.
Polymer Chemistry: Polymer characterization, synthesis and characterization of novel branched polymers, functional polymers as reagents and for chromatography, oxide-polymer intercalation compounds, polymerization kinetics, mathematical modeling and computer simulation of polymer production processes, on-line sensor development for polymer and latex characterization, reactor design, optimization and computer control.