MIT Department of Chemistry

JoAnne Stubbe, Novartis Professor of Chemistry, Emerita, was one of eight distinguished individuals to receive an honorary degree at Yale University’s 325th graduation ceremony this spring. The awarding of honorary degrees—a Yale tradition since 1702—recognizes pioneering achievement and exemplary contributions to the common good. “The eight individuals we honor this morning serve as examples to …

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has elected 120 members and 25 international members for 2026, including six MIT faculty members and 10 additional alumni. Among MIT professors, Bengt Holmström, Michale Fee, Gareth McKinley ’91, Keith Nelson, Fan Wang, and Catherine Wolfram ’96 were elected in recognition of their “distinguished and continuing achievements in original […]

On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, the Undergraduate Recognition Banquet was held in the R&D Common Area of the Stata Center. Chemistry faculty, staff, and students gathered to celebrate the Course 5 and Course 5-7 graduating class of 2026, alongside other outstanding members of the undergraduate community.   Over the course of the event, each graduating […]

The Haystack 37m Telescope has been a landmark in radio astronomy and radar studies of the solar system since its first light in 1964. Over the following four decades, it supported NASA’s Apollo landings on the moon, made planetary radar maps of the surface of Venus, contributed to experimental tests of Einstein’s general relativity, supported the development […]

Seven members of the Department of Chemistry community have been honored with the department’s semi-annual Mentorship Spotlight Award. Established in 2020, the award recognizes individuals who demonstrate exceptional commitment to fostering a positive working environment, leading by example, and providing outstanding mentorship to their peers and mentees. Each recipient receives a crystal award a…

Oxygen is a cornerstone of chemistry, largely because it is so good at building the organic molecules that make up our world. Some oxygen-based compounds, called peroxides, are famous for being highly reactive — they act like oxygen delivery trucks, transferring atoms to other molecules. This process is essential for everything from creating new medicines […]

The inaugural class of XtalPi AI for Science Fellows—Peter Miedaner, Anh Nguyen, Jihye Roh, and Nate Somers—concluded their fellowship year with a Virtual Symposium held via Zoom on May 11, 2026. At the event, each fellow presented research focused at the intersection of chemistry, chemical engineering, machine learning, and automation. Following the presentations, Masha Elkin, […]

Sylvia T. Ceyer, the John C. Sheehan Professor of Chemistry, has been selected by the Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC) Awards Committee to receive the 2026 Undergraduate Departmental Advising Excellence Award. Ceyer was honored in recognition of her outstanding dedication to advising upper-level students within the Department of Chemistry. Recipients of this award demonstrate a profound [&#823…

Each year, faculty and researchers across the MIT School of Engineering are recognized with prestigious awards for their contributions to research, technology, society, and education. To celebrate these achievements, the school periodically highlights select honors received by members of its departments, institutes, labs, and centers. The following individuals were recognized in winter 2026: Arup…

While chemistry usually follows the downhill pull of thermodynamics, Alison Wendlandt is creating higher‑energy stereoisomers in the final stages of synthesis Alison Wendlandt describes her work as sitting in the overlap of a Venn diagram. In one circle are stereochemical editing reactions that, for example, flip the handedness of a specific chiral centre. In the other […]

On Monday, May 11, 2026 at 10:00AM ET, the inaugural class of XtalPi AI for Science Fellows will present their research in a virtual symposium. The XtalPi AI for Science Fellowships are the manifestation of a gift from XtalPi, a biotechnology company founded by former MIT postdoctoral researchers, to the MIT Departments of Chemistry and […]

Robert Guy Griffin, the Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry, was recently honored with the Washington University in St. Louis’ Department of Chemistry’s inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award. Nominations for the award were submitted by members of the Washington University community and alumni, and after a meticulous selection process, it was determined that Griffin — who […]

The Xi Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa voted to invite a distinguished cohort from the Class of 2026 to membership in the Society in recognition of their outstanding academic records and commitment to the ideals of a liberal education. This honor is bestowed upon fewer than 10% of the class. Seven members of this esteemed group […]

Alvin Meng, a PhD candidate in the lab of Arthur Amos Noyes Associate Professor Daniel L.M. Suess, has been selected as one of 19 recipients of the 2026 Hertz Fellowship. Awarded through a rigorous selection process honed over eight decades, the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Hertz Fellowship is the nation’s most competitive doctoral fellowship […]

Highlights Researchers developed a single-molecule imaging technology that can track individual proteins in living cells over long periods of time. In the new study, they used the method to follow EGFR family receptors, which are implicated in several cancers, in human cells. They provide an unprecedented view of how the receptors pair and unpair over […]

Rick Kayser has been promoted from Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) Coordinator to Senior EHS Coordinator in the Department of Chemistry. “Rick has massively strengthened our ongoing, long-term commitment to safety,” said Department Head and Class of 1942 Professor Matthew D. Shoulders in an email announcing Kayser’s promotion to the community. “Chemistry’s expansive research areas […]

The Department of Chemistry is pleased to announce that six of its students (a group consisting of current graduate students, an admitted graduate student, and an undergraduate student) have been named recipients of the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. 2026 Chemistry NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Recipients Samuel Charney (Admitted Graduate Student) C…

Oxygen is a cornerstone of chemistry, largely because it is so good at building the organic molecules that make up our world. Some oxygen-based compounds, called peroxides, are famous for being highly reactive—they act like “oxygen delivery trucks,” transferring atoms to other molecules. This process is essential for everything from creating new medicines to industrial […]

Originally from the DC metropolitan area, Jonah Horowitz is currently in his fourth year at MIT, where he is a member of Professor Moungi Bawendi‘s research group. Jonah’s work in the Bawendi Lab considers the properties of heavy-metal-free semiconductor nanocrystals that might be used in next-generation TVs. The team is trying to identify stable and […]

Six MIT affiliates — Denisse Córdova Carrizales SM ’26; Ria Das ’21, MNG ’22; Ronak Desai; Stacy Godfreey-Igwe ’22; Arya Rao; and Ananthan Sadagopan ’24 — have been named 2026 P.D. Soros Fellows. In addition, P.D. Soros Fellow Avinash Vadali will begin a PhD in condensed-matter physics at MIT this fall. The fellowship provides immigrants […]