The research is organized through four research groups where topics cover a wide spectrum within chemical synthesis and analysis, material chemistry, and the intersection between chemistry, molecular biology and biotechnology. The research varies from basic, theoretical chemistry, to more applied research within, for example, drug development and biotechnology:

• Development of biocatalysts for industrial and medical use
• Development of catalysts for the sustainable conversion of CO₂ into compounds that can replace oil
• Sustainable utilization of residual raw material from the sea
• Development of new medicines (antibiotic resistance, cancer, medical diagnostics)
• Modeling of chemical processes in biological systems
• Modeling of chemical reactions and properties
• Development of new materials for solar energy conversion
• Development and use of bioinformatics tools 

The Department of Chemistry leads or is a partner in the following centers and networks:

• Hylleraas Center for Quantum Molecular Science
• Elixir Norway, node in European infrastructure for bioinformatics
• NordCO₂, Nordic Consortium for CO₂ Conversion
• CO₂PERATE, European network for Carbon Capture
• BioCat, The National Research School in Biocatalysis