Mission Statement

The Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences (D-CHAB) has more than 55 professors investigating molecular aspects of life, health, the environment, energy production, and materials. Starting from profound fundamental research in its own field of expertise, it builds interdisciplinary bridges to the other natural sciences, engineering, and application-oriented departments of ETH Zurich. This central bridging function is derived from the diversity of the department. It develops new approaches to the synthesis of new substances, materials, catalysts, and biologically active systems, to understand their physico-chemical properties, their application in health care, and to design optimized, ecologically sound and industrially applicable manufacturing processes. This breadth of research is reflected in an equally broad teaching portfolio, which includes courses of study in chemistry, chemical engineering, pharmaceutical sciences and interdisciplinary natural sciences. By providing a large proportion of highly educated graduates in the field, the D-CHAB makes a decisive contribution to the success of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry and to the safety of products and the environment in Switzerland.