Chemistry is the study of matter, its properties, how and why substances combine or separate to form other substances, and how substances interact with energy
Centrally located in the University of Peradeniya, the Department of Chemistry was established in 1960. Currently, and accommodates over 500 undergraduate and more than XX [contact staff and ask about how many postgrad students working] postgraduate students. The department has 18 doctorates with 9 full professors serving as permanent academic staff, and 20 dedicated temporary academic demonstrator staff. A team of skilled Technical officers, laboratory staff, and administrative staff provides the expertise to keep the department running at it's high level.
The flagship of the Department of Chemistry is the Chemisry Honours Programme (Special Degree), which graduated it's first batch in 1966. With a majority of graduands progressing to higher studies, the Alumni of the Department are over a 1000 strong, and are in high positions of research and academia throughout the world.
As one of the premier research institutes in the country, the Department of Chemistry boasts a highly creative and productive research cadre, with a collective h-index of over 170. The department also has access to a wide range of instruments including NMR, XRD, XRF, SEM, HPLC, GC-MS, AAS, FTIR, and others.