University of Maryland dedicates new chemistry building

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The University of Maryland, College Park on Thursday celebrated the dedication of its new state-of-the-art chemistry building, a 105,000-square-foot facility that will serve as a hub for quantum chemistry, molecular nanoscience and sustainability research.

The new Chemistry Building, designed by Ballinger and constructed by the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company with funds from the state of Maryland’s capital budget and the university, catalyzes a new era for chemistry and biochemistry at UMD. The building will support and enhance the work of UMD scientists who are pushing the boundaries of their fields to address the grand challenges of our time, from fighting disease and exploring the future of quantum science to creating a sustainable future.

Key research in the new chemistry building focuses on:

• Antibody-based therapeutics and an HIV vaccine
• New materials to tackle urgent problems in energy and sustainability
• Quantum chemistry and quantum signaling
• Mechanisms used by viruses like SARS-CoV-2 to evade defenses
• New materials and technologies for energy conversion and storage or chemical remediation
• Revealing the structure of viruses that cause Lassa fever and other infectious diseases
• Building novel mass spectrometry instruments to advance cell biology, neuroscience and cancer research
• Detecting ovarian cancer from a blood sample
• Quantum-state controlled chemical reactions under extreme conditions

The $132 million facility includes 34 advanced research labs, two shared research facilities with cutting-edge instrumentation and 13,000 square feet of collaboration space, a chemistry great hall, where the department’s 45-plus faculty members and 600-plus undergraduate and graduate students will interact and engage with experts through lectures, conferences and celebrations, meeting and huddle rooms designed for impromptu discussions and research group meetings and thesis defenses.