Flashback: 2004 – mergers in Manchester

The recent union of UMIST and the Victoria University of Manchester to form the University of Manchester has given rise to one of the largest chemistry departments in the UK, supporting around 60 researchers, over 200 postgraduates, over 600 undergraduates, 6000m² of refurbished lab space and a two-year £13 million building project to include a suite of brand new teaching labs.

The new School of Chemistry is home to several research centres with extensive industry and research council support, including the British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) centre for radiochemistry and the recently opened Organic Materials Innovation Centre. In the 2001 RAE, the last before the two universities joined forces, the Victoria University of Manchester scored five in chemistry, while UMIST scored four.

Chemistry World (November 2004)

Ed. The chemistry department of the University of Manchester is still one of the largest in the UK with around 700 undergraduates, 300 postgraduates, 65 academic staff and 60 support staff. The QS World University Rankings for chemistry in 2014 places Manchester University at no. 40, only exceeded in the UK by Cambridge University (no. 3), Oxford University (no. 6) and Imperial College London (no. 11).