Chemistry & Biochemistry Research at EWU

Chemistry & Biochemistry
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Turn Curiosity Into Discovery

As a Chemistry or Biochemistry major at EWU, you’ll have the opportunity to enrich your college experience through research.

Starting as an undergraduate, you can collaborate with faculty mentors to investigate challenging questions and gain practical experience using the same tools and techniques found in professional laboratories. Through research, you’ll:

  • Build confidence in the lab.
  • Strengthen problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
  • Gain experience that employers and grad schools look for.
  • Discover what areas of chemistry interest you most.

Some research projects even offer the opportunity to co-author peer-reviewed publications. By graduation, you’ll be prepared to pursue advanced study or step into careers in science, healthcare, forensics, or industry.

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Chemistry & Biochemistry Student Research Experience

Research at EWU is built into your experience, regardless of your degree track.

Capstone Project

Capstone Project

Complete a year-long capstone research project, gaining hands-on experience working with chemicals and modern instrumentation.

Faculty Mentorship

Faculty Mentorship

Work one-on-one with professors who help you design experiments, analyze results, and practice safe lab techniques.

Research Symposium

Research Symposium

Present your findings at the annual EWU Student Creative Works and Research Symposium.

From Lab to Career

“Research taught me how to think and interpret real data, being a teaching assistant taught me how to communicate and articulate complex concepts, and building relationships with my professors showed me how to connect skills to opportunity. These experiences not only shaped my education but opened the door for me to land my first industry job!” — Duncan Briggs ’23

Labs & Facilities

During your studies, you’ll train in modern facilities designed for hands-on learning and discovery.

  • The Interdisciplinary Science Building (ISC) features dedicated lab classrooms built specifically for chemistry and physics.
  • The newly renovated Science Building (SCI) houses advanced research labs, collaboration spaces, and faculty offices—all designed to support student research.

You’ll gain experience using industry-relevant tools like:

  • Scanning electron microscope
  • Gas and liquid chromatography
  • Spectroscopy (UV-Vis, IR, Raman, fluorescence, atomic absorption)
  • Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
  • X-ray diffraction
Students work with a professor on a project in the chemistry lab
Faculty Publications
Student Capstones

Turn Your Chemistry Skills Into Paid Experience

As you build experience in the lab, you may also have the opportunity to earn paid roles that deepen your skills and support other students.

Lab Teaching Assistant

After your first year in the program, you can apply to become a lab teaching assistant. In this role, you’ll support lab instruction by helping set up stations, preparing materials, and working closely with students during lab sessions. It’s a great way to deepen your understanding of chemistry while building teaching and leadership skills.

Chemistry & Biochemistry Tutor

Help fellow students succeed by providing one-on-one or small-group tutoring in chemistry and biochemistry courses. As a tutor, you’ll reinforce your own understanding of key concepts while making a direct impact on student success.

Industry Partner: Washington Crime Lab

EWU’s location creates unique opportunities to extend your research beyond campus.

The Chemistry & Biochemistry department maintains a strong relationship with the Washington State Crime Lab, located just across the street from the Cheney campus.

Students have opportunities to:

  • Collaborate on research projects with crime lab staff.
  • Pursue internships.
  • Attend professional scientific presentations.

These experiences help you build connections and see how chemistry is applied in the real world.

A student collects samples in the lab

Chemistry & Biochemistry Research Stories

Nick Burgis (right) and co-principal investigator Yao Houndonougbo in Burgis’ Science Building laboratory.

Grant to Support Probe of Rare, Deadly Disorder in Infants  

NIH announces $350,000 to help chemistry professors Nick Burgis and Yao Houndonougbo explore ways to...
EWU biochemists with senior student researcher.

Protein Gone Rogue

NIH announces a $350,000 grant to help two EWU biochemistry professors tackle a deadly disorder.

The itpa protein plays a crucial role in several metabolic processes that are essential to...
Team to Research Solar Cell Technology

Team to Research Solar Cell Technology

Two EWU undergraduate students will join professor Jason Stoke for a 10-week research project at...

Faculty Research Areas

Here are some of the exciting projects our faculty on working on.

Dr. Eric Abbey

Research in the Dr. Eric Abbey’s research focuses on the synthesis of new organoborohydrides, which are organic molecules containing the -BH3- group. Borohydrides are widely used as reducing agents in chemistry, and are being investigated as hydrogen fuel carriers for alternative energy applications.

We develop new synthetic methods and investigate the fundamental properties of this fascinating family of compounds.

Meet Dr. Abbey

Dr. Nicholas Burgis

Dr. Burgis’ research interests focus on understanding certain aspects of nucleotide metabolism, toxicology and drug metabolism using biochemical techniques. His lab is currently investigating the biochemistry and cell biology of the human ITPase enzyme. This enzyme is required for life in mammals due to its ability to prevent abnormal or damaged DNA/RNA building blocks from accumulating in cells.

By studying the human ITPase, his lab aims to contribute to the fields of childhood diseases, cardiovascular development, purine metabolism, cancer development, ageing and drug metabolism. Techniques used in this research program include molecular cloning, protein purification, biochemical assays (including enzyme kinetics), HPLC, drug sensitivity assays, and fluorescent microscopy.

Meet Dr. Burgis

Dr. Yao Houndonougbo

Dr. Yao Houndonougbo’s research involves the application of computer modeling and simulations, cheminformatics, as well as bioinformatics to study:

  • Enzyme specificity and substrate selectivity
  • Molecular docking for drug design
  • Selective adsorption and transport of CO2 in Metal–organic framework (MOF) to help address the problem of global climate change.

His research efforts have been supported through funds of the American Heart Association, the Department of Energy (DOE), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Meet Dr. Houndonougbo

Dr. Ashley Lamm

Plastics and polymers are incredibly useful and common in our daily lives but they are incredibly persistent in the environment. Dr. Ashley Lamm is working with students to create polymers that degrade when exposed to environmental conditions.

Meet Dr. Lamm
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EWU Chemistry & Biochemistry

226 Science Building (SCI)
1175 Washington St.
Cheney, WA 99004
E: chemistry@ewu.edu
P: 509.359.2447

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