1. Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
  2. School of Chemistry
  3. Research and innovation
  4. Our reputation

Our reputation

a group of student in the lounge area

The School of Chemistry is a major UK chemistry department conducting research and teaching in chemical science, with more than 70 years of history.

Our Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry undergraduate courses are accredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry and our Natural Sciences undergraduate programmes are accredited by the Society of Natural Sciences. We have over 700 students from over 25 countries studying with us.

The quality of our research, and the funding it attracts, means we’re able to invest in world-class facilities and academic staff who are actively engaged in cutting-edge research, which means you will be taught by internationally renowned, inspirational academics working at the top of their fields.

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Academic excellence

  • The University of Leeds is ranked 82nd in the world, QS World University Rankings 2025
  • University of Leeds students are among the top 5 most targeted by top employers according to The Graduate Market 2024, High Fliers Research.
  • We are a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities
  • 99% of the research submitted across the School of Chemistry are rated as either “world-leading” or “internationally excellent” by the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 

Gender equality

We have been commended for our strong and continued commitment to gender equality in the form of a prestigious Athena SWAN Silver award. 

Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021

Every six years, the UK’s four higher education funding bodies undertake an exercise to measure the quality of research undertaken by UK higher education institutions (HEIs). The funding bodies use the outcomes to inform the allocation of their research funding to HEIs. The Research Excellence Framework was the framework used in 2021.

Unit of assessment: Chemistry

  • 99% of the research submitted across the School of Chemistry are rated as either “world-leading” or “internationally excellent” by the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021