Chemistry and Chemical Biology

The Cornell Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology has a long history of discovery, innovation and scholarship. We are fortunate to count Nobel Prize winners, National Academy Members, MacArthur Fellows and Guggenheim Fellows among our faculty. Teaching thousands of undergraduate and advanced students each year, education is a central focus of our endeavors. Our graduate students and postdoctoral fellows perform cutting-edge research that is supported by many national granting agencies and foundations. We are committed to the advancement and inclusion of all students and aim to foster a diverse environment for science and learning.

CCB News

Round formation (a cell), luminescent against a dark background

Natural sensors help in mapping out cells’ own biology

Cornell chemistry and chemical biology researchers have found a new and potentially more accurate way to see what proteins are doing inside living cells — using the cells’ own components as built-in sensors.

A&S honors 13 faculty with endowed professorships

The professorships are made possible because of gifts from alumni, parents and friends.

SPROUT Awards cultivate early-stage engineering research

From designing a reversible male contraceptive to detecting life on distant ocean worlds, the latest Cornell Engineering SPROUT Awards are cultivating breakthroughs across medicine, space exploration, robotics and environmental sensing.

Professors address climate change from multiple disciplines

The panel, during Reunion 2025, was called "Beyond the Apocalypse: New Narratives and Innovations for Climate Action."

Beth Ryan with big glasses, a smile and a lab coat standing in front of a white board with equations and a lab frame with hoses and things hanging on it

Graduate Student Invited to Prestigious Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting

The Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings bring together Nobel Prize recipients and approx. 600 exceptional young scientists from around the world for a week of “interdisciplinary exchange” aimed at fostering scientific collaboration across generations and national boundaries.