Chemical Synthesis and Spectroscopy is your specialization in Molecular Sciences if you want to create new molecules, understand how they are built and behave, and use this knowledge and the skills learned through courses to address important societal problems or fundamental research questions. Chemical synthesis is key to obtaining the molecules needed to develop new pharmaceuticals, materials, catalysts and much more. To be able to design the medical or materials properties we want, we need to understand and characterize the molecular structure and behavior of the molecules by using spectroscopic methods.

Your Master thesis topic in Chemical Synthesis and Spectroscopy can be selected from a range of research activities. You can choose to focus on chemical synthesis, where you will work in a chemical laboratory with other scientists, conducting chemical reactions, purifications and analysis. You will achieve competency in general laboratory practice, chemical reactions, specialized techniques, and analytical chemistry. You can choose to go in depth in NMR-spectroscopy, and have an instrumental analysis focus in your Master-project. Here you will achieve competency in instrumental technology and analysis of structure and properties. The skills you develop are highly coveted by companies and industry, in science teaching and in academic research. Interdisciplinary projects (e.g. together with biochemistry, medicine and/or computational chemistry) are quite common and can be designed for interested students. Furthermore, projects with applied or fundamental research focus are available, depending on your interests.

For a flavor of research topics, some of our current activities involve developing:

• antibiotics capable of defying antimicrobial resistance
• more effective and selective anticancer agents
• photoactive materials for applications in solar cells, photodynamic therapy and catalysis
• spectroscopic methods (NMR) for studying biological membrane models
• pharmaceuticals for applications in medical imaging (PET/MRI)
• green and sustainable chemical methods
• chemical methods for improving medicinal agents
• methods for using CO2 to create other valuable materials
• host-molecules for applications in methane sensor technology

After completion of the programme, the candidate:

Knowledge

• Has an overview of scientific approaches to analyse and understand natural phenomena, using theory and methods of molecular sciences.
• Has thorough knowledge of theory and methods within at least one of the disciplines offered in the Master of Molecular Sciences programme.
• Has advanced insight into international research and development within one of the disciplines offered in the Master of Molecular Sciences programme.
• Has acquired advanced knowledge and understanding sufficient to enable innovation and discovery within her or his dicipline.

Skills

• Can critically read, cite, analyse and understand scientific literature
• Can communicate scientific information clearly and precisely, both written and oral forms.
• Can critically produce, analyse and evaluate the quality of data, products and results generated within the chosen field of molecular sciences.
• Can use sophisticated and advanced methods and instrumentation relevant for the chosen discipline, and interpret the results generated.
• Has become proficient within the chosen discipline of molecular sciences, and has acquired basic tools needed to carry out independent research and to complete an advanced research project under the supervision of a supervisor.
• Plan and carry out chemical syntheses of organic or inorganic molecules
• Analyze synthetic and natural substances with advanced chromatographic, spectroscopic and/or crystallographic methods.

General competence

• Can analyze and judge the reliability of information obtained from different sources and has a sound critical attitude towards knowledge from all sources.
• Can apply the obtained knowledge to solve problems in natural sciences.
• Can accomplish some independent research and communicate the research questions and results in both written and oral forms.
• Can carry out knowledge-based evaluations of general problems in science and communicate this to the public.
• Can accomplish research projects under guidance, e.g. under a PhD-program in molecular sciences, chemistry or related areas.

You can be qualified if you have a Bachelor degree in:

• Chemistry
• Molecular sciences*
• Pharmacy*

*with a minimum of 30 ECTS in chemistry.

Bachelor's degrees within other related areas may be considered on an individual basis.

For complete information regarding admission requirements, see Admission requirements for Master in Molecular Sciences.