<p>Sir Fraser Stoddart (previously of UCLA) has joined the chemistry department faculty recently. This hiring is obviously an attempt to boost the organics of the department, since this is the weekest of the sub-disciplines by far. Does this hiring pull the organics up to the level of the physical and inorganic chemistry found in the department? </p>
<p>And also, regarding the necessary evil of the times.....will this ultimately raise the chemistry departments rankings?</p>
<p>I don't know. But the ranking of overall department has gone up. It was like 12th or something like that in 2000. Now it's 9th. NU's chemistry faculty have been winning quite a few prestigious awards lately. But to move up, it means NU has to do better relative the those in front. The ones in front of NU may also be making their own moves. We just don't know well enough.</p>
<p>Where are you finding these ranking of individual departments?</p>
<p>Best</a> Graduate Schools - Education - US News and World Report has rankings of individual departments.</p>
<p>soccermom54,</p>
<p>US News lists the top-10 schools for six chemistry subfields (analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic, physical, and theoretical). These rankings are usually relevant just to people applying to grad schools. But for ambitious and very talented undergrads, it's nice to have a chance to do research with some of the leading figures in the field. Anyway, NU are in the top-10 in three of them:
inorganic: 3rd (behind MIT and CalTech)
physical: 7th
theoretical: 3rd (behind Berkeley and CalTech)</p>
<p>Yet another prestigious award for Chad Mirkin (Prof of Chem, director of NU's International Institute for Nanotechnology) along with an additional $3 million in federal funding.</p>