Early UT chemistry faculty were some of the best known and most beloved figures on the young campus, and their involvement in University affairs stretched far beyond their laboratories and classrooms. They were also a devoted group of men. Of the eight Chemistry faculty members appointed between 1883 and 1927, only the first two left UT for reasons other than retirement or death. They were dedicated to helping the new university through its difficult early days, and share the credit for meeting the Legislature's mandate, to build "a University of the first class."
The faculty began to expand more rapidly after 1937. Eight additional professors joined the department between 1937 and 1940. The explosion of scientific research in the United States after World War II resulted in even more accelerated growth in all science and engineering departments across the country. Today the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry has over 50 professors on active, retired, or emeritus status.
