Paul Bender Chemistry Instrumentation Center

The Paul Bender Chemistry Instrumentation Center was formally established in 1968. As of Nov 1, 2024 it houses 19 state-of-the-art instruments. The PBCIC staff includes six Ph.D. scientists with the combined professional experience of 167 years and four Research Assistants.

The CIC impact

The Chemistry Department is home to a world-class Chemistry Instrumentation Center (CIC), staffed by six award-winning Ph.D. scientists who manage 19 state-of-the-art instruments valued at approximately $11.3 million. The CIC provides far more than access to sophisticated equipment—it offers the expertise, education, and guidance that turn advanced instrumentation into meaningful scientific discovery.

Each year, the center supports more than 70 research groups spanning 20 departments across four UW–Madison colleges, four Universities of Wisconsin schools, local companies, and national laboratories. These groups explore physical relationships at the molecular level across fields including physical, biological, pharmaceutical, environmental, and agricultural sciences and engineering. Whatever their needs, the CIC delivers: high-throughput and high-precision measurements, alongside both routine and custom-designed experiments.

Beyond research, the CIC is deeply engaged in training the next generation of scientists. The center is woven directly into the curriculum at the BS, MS, Ph.D., and postdoctoral levels. All CIC staff teach core graduate-level courses and provide individualized instruction, and students begin using the facility as early as their sophomore year—making it a cornerstone of hands-on scientific education from the very start of their academic careers.

The center’s impact is reflected in its scholarly output as well: CIC scientists have authored and co-authored 840 patents, workshops, short courses, presentations, and publications, several of which have earned journal cover recognition.

The CIC comprises four specialized facilities, each led by expert staff:

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Facility

Directed by Dr. Heike Hofstetter, this facility houses a Bruker EleXsys E500 EPR spectrometer and related equipment, enabling variable-temperature solution, powder, and single-crystal X-band studies.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility

The NMR Laboratory provides access to a comprehensive range of instrumentation, supporting research through walk-up access, automation, and staff-assisted training. The facility’s six spectrometers, ranging from 400 MHz to 600 MHz, offer multinuclear capability and variable-temperature operation from approximately -120°C to +120°C, enabling experiments across a wide range of magnetically active nuclei and temperature conditions. Researchers can carry out both routine and advanced experiments, with expert staff on hand to help design, execute, and interpret complex studies. Directed by Dr. Heike Hofstetter and supported by Dr. Cathy Clewett and Dr. Gabi Carosio, the laboratory also houses a SQUID magnetometer and a Mössbauer spectrometer for complementary magnetic and materials characterization.

Mass Spectrometry Laboratory

Directed by Dr. Martha Vestling and supported by Senior Instrumentation Scientist Dr. Robert Shanks, this facility operates seven instruments: Thermo Q Exactive Plus, Bruker Impact II, Bruker Microflex LRF, Bruker Ultraflex III, Shimadzu GCMS-TQ8040 NX, Q-Exactive Focus, and Waters Acquity LCMS.  This diverse instrumentation allows for characterization across multiple ionization techniques—including electrospray ionization (ESI), matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI), electron impact (EI), and ASAP-MS™— enabling analysis of a wide range of sample types.

Molecular Structure Laboratory

Directed by Dr. Ilia Guzei and supported by Senior Instrumentation Scientist Dr. Robert Shanks, this facility is equipped with two Bruker D8 Venture single-crystal X-ray diffractometers, a Bruker D8 Advance powder X-ray diffractometer, and two modern microscopes. The laboratory routinely handles stable samples as well as air-, moisture-, and temperature-sensitive crystals, and determines the absolute configuration of chiral compounds.