Department of Chemistry - UC Santa Barbara

What Department of Chemistry - UC Santa Barbara does

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry is an academic unit within the University of California, Santa Barbara, a public research university governed by The Regents of the University of California. Established as part of UCSB (the department's founding date is listed as 1944), the unit houses 48 faculty members including two Nobel Laureates and spans all branches of chemistry: organic, inorganic, materials, chemical biology, physical, theoretical, and computational. It serves three principal constituencies: graduate students pursuing PhDs in Chemistry and Biochemistry, undergraduate students (over 8,080 annually across approximately 358 lab sections), and the broader K-12 community through outreach programs.

The department operates an integrated research infrastructure comprising four core facilities: a Mass Spectrometry facility (MALDI-TOF, TOF, GC/MS), an NMR facility with five solution-state spectrometers (400, 500, 600 MHz, including a cryoprobe-equipped 500 MHz Bruker), an Optical Characterization facility (sub-100 fs transient absorption, time-resolved fluorescence, Raman), and an X-Ray facility (Rigaku Synergy, Bruker Kappa APEX II). Supporting infrastructure includes a Machine Shop, a full-time Glass Shop, an Instructional Labs & Stockroom, and Computer Support Services. The department is deeply integrated with UCSB's interdisciplinary research institutes including the California NanoSystems Institute, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, Quantum Foundry, Institute for Energy Efficiency, and Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies.

The department is not a commercial enterprise. Funding flows from three sources: state appropriations through the UC system, sponsored research grants from federal agencies (NSF, NIH, DOE) and private foundations, and philanthropic contributions via the Friends of Chemistry & Biochemistry program. Graduate students receive financial support through approximately 75 teaching assistantships per quarter plus graduate student researcher positions and fellowships covering tuition, fees, and health insurance. No commercial product pricing, ARR, or revenue figures are disclosed.

Name

Department of Chemistry - UC Santa Barbara

Legal name

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California Santa Barbara

Website

https://chem.ucsb.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at UC Santa Barbara is a public academic unit with 48 faculty (including two Nobel Laureates) delivering PhD and undergraduate chemistry programs, operating four core research facilities (NMR, Mass Spectrometry, Optical Characterization, X-Ray), and serving over 8,080 undergraduates annually through ~358 lab sections.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Academic Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with National Laboratories/Big Science Facilities (EDAHAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI), Chemistry Enrichment Programs (EDAMABAG)

Keywords

• Chemistry education
• Biochemistry research
• Graduate programs
• Analytical instrumentation
• Science outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Graduate Education: The department operates as part of UC Santa Barbara, a public university. Graduate students receive financial support through teaching assistantships, graduate student researcher positions, and fellowships. Support includes tuition, fees, and health insurance.
2. Research Grants and Contracts: Faculty and department receive funding through sponsored research from government agencies (NSF, NIH, DOE) and private foundations.
3. Alumni and Friends Donations: Contributions from alumni and supporters fund teaching programs, research enterprise, scholarships, fellowships, and lecture series.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at UC Santa Barbara delivers graduate and undergraduate academic programs in chemistry and biochemistry, conducts externally funded research across organic, inorganic, materials, physical, theoretical/computational, and biochemistry areas, and operates in-house characterization facilities (Mass Spectrometry, NMR, Optical Characterization, X-Ray) plus technical services such as the Machine Shop, Glass Shop, IT support, and instructional labs. It also runs K-12 science outreach programs and the JUMP partnership with Jackson State University to broaden the pipeline into graduate study.

Product overview

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at UC Santa Barbara operates primarily as an academic research department rather than a commercial product company. The department's core offerings consist of educational programs (undergraduate and graduate degrees in chemistry and biochemistry), research facilities and services (mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy, optical characterization, X-ray crystallography, machine shop, glass shop), and outreach programs (K-12 science education initiatives and university partnership programs). The department's website serves as an informational portal rather than a product platform. Notable research breakthroughs include the Pyrimidone molecular solar thermal storage system published in Science, which achieves 444 Wh/kg energy density for energy storage applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Graduate Program in Chemistry & Biochemistry

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 8,080 undergraduate students served annually in laboratory courses
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jackson State University (JSU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019JSU-UCSB Mentoring Partnership (JUMP) designed to engage students and faculty at Jackson State University and UCSB through research and educational collaborations. The program aims to encourage JSU undergraduate and Masters students to apply to graduate school at UCSB and other UC campuses and to enhance their success rate. Includes an eight-week summer program.
• Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus institute supporting the theoretical chemistry group's research in electronic structure, quantum dynamics, surface science, and biochemistry.
• Institute for Energy EfficiencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCSB institute focused on energy efficiency research, supporting department research in energy, catalysis, and green chemistry.
• California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCSB institute supporting nanoscience research, collaborating with department on devices, assembly, and nanochemistry research areas.
• Center for BioEngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCSB center bridging chemistry and biochemistry with engineering for biomedical applications.
• Center for Polymers and Organic Solids (CPOS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCSB center supporting polymer and organic materials research, collaborating with materials chemistry faculty.
• Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (ICB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCSB institute supporting biotechnology research collaborations across chemistry, biology, and engineering.
• Quantum Foundry at UC Santa BarbaracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCSB institute for quantum science and technology research, supporting theoretical and computational chemistry collaborations.
• Mitsubishi Chemical Center for Advanced Materials (MC-CAM)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry-supported center advancing materials chemistry research with potential for technology transfer.
• Material Research Laboratory (MRL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCSB laboratory providing shared instrumentation and facilities for materials research across multiple departments.
• Marine Science InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCSB institute supporting marine and environmental chemistry research collaborations.
• Neuroscience Research InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCSB institute supporting research at intersection of neuroscience and biochemistry.
• Institute for Terahertz Science and TechnologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCSB institute supporting spectroscopy and advanced analysis research capabilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MIT Department of Chemistry: Top-tier peer chemistry department at a private research university with similarly broad coverage of organic, inorganic, physical, materials, and chemical biology, and a comparable instrumentation footprint. Direct competitor for faculty hiring, graduate applicants, and federal grant dollars.
• Caltech Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering: Closest small-cohort private peer with strengths in materials, chemical biology, and physical chemistry. Competes head-to-head for Nobel-track faculty hires and the same federal funding agencies.
• Stanford Department of Chemistry: Private peer department with overlapping research areas in materials, catalysis, chemical biology, and physical chemistry. Competes for the same graduate applicant pool and industry-funded collaborations.
• UC Berkeley Department of Chemistry: Public UC-system peer with comparable size and coverage of organic, inorganic, physical, materials, and biochemistry. The most direct intra-system competitor for graduate students, state funding, and faculty.
• UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry: Another large public UC-system chemistry department with parallel research areas and similar instrumentation infrastructure. Competes for the same UC-system resources, faculty, and graduate applicants.
• Harvard Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology: Private peer with strong chemical biology and materials chemistry programs that competes for Nobel-caliber faculty hires and top graduate applicants from the same global pool.
• Princeton Department of Chemistry: Private peer with comparable size (~40 faculty) and similar breadth across organic, inorganic, physical, materials, and theoretical chemistry. Competes for federal grants and PhD applicants.
• Northwestern Department of Chemistry: Private peer with notable strengths in materials, catalysis, and chemical biology and a similarly strong instrumentation footprint. Competes for the same faculty and student talent.
• University of Chicago Department of Chemistry: Private peer with parallel coverage of organic, inorganic, physical, materials, and chemical biology, plus strong ties to Argonne National Laboratory — relevant comparator for UCSB's interdisciplinary institute model.
• Columbia Department of Chemistry: Ivy League peer chemistry department of comparable scope across traditional chemistry subfields, competing for federal funding, faculty hires, and graduate applicants in the Northeast and internationally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UCSB_chemistry
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCl9vh941Ceyf_Gj47WFZ7Ng
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ucsantabarbara
• Instagraminstagram.com/ucsbchemistry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Department of Chemistry - UC Santa Barbara