Introduction         

The Department of Chemistry was established in 1981 at Government College, Mangalore, with an initial intake of just nine students for M.Sc. Chemistry programme along with M.Phi. and Ph.D. programmes from 1983. The department was relocated to the university campus at Mangalagangothri In 1982, and later in 1986 to its current location in the Science Faculty Building.

Academic expansion began with the launch of M.Sc. Applied Chemistry in 1996, followed by the M.Sc. Organic Chemistry in 2007, and more recently, the M.Sc. Analytical Chemistry in 2023. For the academic year 2025-26, the department offers two Master's degree programmes - M.Sc. Chemistry, and M.Sc. Organic Chemistry - with a combined annual intake of around 100 students.

To date, the department has produced over 2525 M.Sc., 45 M.Phil., and 230 Ph.D. graduates, contributing significantly to academia, industry, and research. The department is supported by a committed team comprising five permanent faculty members, adequate number of qualified guest faculty, and three adjunct faculty members who bring with expertise in advanced areas of chemistry. The teaching and research activities are efficiently backed by nine dedicated non-teaching staff members, ensuring smooth day-to-day activities. The Department has made significant contributions to Science and Technology through extensive research activities, the faculty publishing over 3170 research papers in reputed peer-reviewed national and international journals. The faculty have also obtained 19 patents and presented over 2000 research articles at national and international conferences. Mangalore University has achieved an H-index of 89, with significant research contributions from the Department of Chemistry. Faculty members of the Department have received several prestigious fellowships and awards in recognition of their outstanding teaching and research contributions. These include the Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship (Germany), JSPS Research Fellowship (Japan), Commonwealth Research Fellowship (U.K.), Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships from U.S. research foundations and the Korean Federation of Science & Technology, and the Raman Post-Doctoral Fellowship (USA). Notable recognitions also include the 'Dr. Kalpana Chawla Young Women Scientist' State Award from the Government of Karnataka, the 'Best Teacher' Award, Life-time Achievement Award and Outstanding Research Work Award from Mangalore University. The faculty members are actively engaged in research in frontier and interdisciplinary areas of chemistry. The department has received research project grants totalling approximately ₹2 crores from various funding agencies, including UGC, DST, DAE, NPCIL, KSCST, and BRNS. In addition, the department has established Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with several industries and R&D organizations such as the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, Kaiga; Rallis Agrochemical Research Centre, Bengaluru; Strides Arcolab, Mangaluru; Syngenta Biosciences, Goa; Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, Haryana; Nitte Deemed to be University; and Yenepoya Deemed to be University, among others.

The department is supported with UGC- SAP (I Phase - Rs. 37 Lakhs & II Phase - Rs. 75 Lakhs) and DST-FIST (I Phase - Rs. 42 Lakhs) Grants. The department has conducted 4 international conferences, 10 workshops and several lecture series. The department has revised / updated M. Sc. course contents regularly and the existing syllabi was implemented from 2024-25. The students graduating from the department have been recognized for their academic excellence in industries, professional and academic institutions in India and abroad. Several alumni of the department have occupied prestigious positions in industries and academic institutions in India and abroad. Some of the Alumni are successful entrepreneurs. Several premier chemical industries and R & D centres recruit the students of the department through campus selection. Many students have cleared NET/GATE/KSET/SLET/IELTS/other competitive examinations. The department has great potential for expansion, particularly because of large scale investment in greater Mangalore on chemical industries like petrochemical company, pharmaceutical and specialty chemical industries, paint and dye industries etc.