Department History

The Department of Chemistry became the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology in 1999.

Home of the Department

Physical Sciences Building (2010-Present): Opened in 2010, the Physical Sciences Building joined the Department of Physics, the School of Applied and Engineering Physics, and the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology under one roof. Features include highly specialized labs and interdisciplinary spaces, state-of-the-art lecture halls and learning labs, as well as dramatic public spaces serving as a social hub for the entire Arts Quad.
Spencer T. Olin Laboratory (1967-Present): Constructed in 1967 to house the growing demand for research on campus and currently houses faculty offices and research labs.
Baker Laboratory (1923-Present): Built in 1921 to replace Morse Hall, the construction of Baker Laboratory was one of the first postwar projects on campus and currently houses classrooms, faculty offices, and research labs.
Morse Hall (1890-1923): Constructed in 1889 to house the Department of Chemistry, the upper two stories and most of the basement of Morse Hall were destroyed by the Fire of 1916. The remains of the building were turned into an Art Gallery and finally torn down in 1954. Eventually this site was occupied by the Johnson Art Museum, built in 1973.
Franklin Hall (1883-1890): Built in 1881 to house Physics and Chemistry laboratories. The idea of placing memorial medallions to commemorate the work of great scientists in Franklin Hall was suggested by President A. D. White, who bought a similar series of medals in Berlin in 1881. Franklin Hall symbolized Cornell's strength in the Sciences and was one of the most advanced laboratories of Electrical Engineering at the time. Franklin Hall is now known as Olive Tjaden Hall, and its spacious well-planned laboratories have now been repurposed to serve as studios for the Department of Art.
Wooden Laboratory (1870-1883): A temporary wooden-frame building served as the Department of Chemistry and Physics for 12 years. It was erected on the site where the north wing of Goldwin Smith Hall now stands.
Morrill Hall (1868-1870): Constructed in 1866, the Chemistry department was located in the basement of Morrill Hall where the lighting was dim, the ceilings low, and the ventilation poor.

Department Chairs

Tristan Lambert, 2023-Present
Brian R. Crane, 2017-2023
David Collum, 2013-2017
Barbara Baird, 2008-2013
Héctor D. Abruña, 2004-2008
Barry K. Carpenter, 2001-2004
Paul L. Houston, 1997-2001
Bruce Ganem, 1993-1997
Jon C. Clardy, 1988-1993
John R. Wiesenfeld, 1984-1988
Roald Hoffmann, 1981-1984
Benjmain Widom, 1978-1981
Michael E. Fisher, 1975-1978
Gordon Hammes, 1969-1975
Robert A. Plane, 1967-1969
Harold A. Scheraga, 1960-1967
Frank A. Long, 1950-1960
Peter J. W. Debye, 1940-1949
Jacob Papish, 1932-1939
Louis M. Dennis, 1903-1931
George C. Caldwell, 1887-1902
Charles A. Schaeffer, 1886-1887
George C. Caldwell, 1869-1886
James M. Crafts, 1867-1869

Notable Distinctions

Nobel Prize Laureates

Roald Hoffmann (with Kenichi Fukui),1981
Paul Flory, 1974
Vincent du Vigneaud, 1955
Peter J. W. Debye, 1936

National Academy of Sciences Members

Héctor D. Abruña, 2018
Geoffrey W. Coates, 2017
Francis DiSalvo, 1991
Fred McLafferty, 1982
Benjamin Widom, 1974
Roald Hoffmann, 1972
Jerrold Meinwald, 1969
Harold Scheraga, 1966
Peter T. Wolczanski, 2024

MacArthur 'Genius Award' Fellows

William Dichtel, 2015
Stephen Lee, 1994

American Academy of Arts and Sciences Members

Barbara A. Baird, 2008
Héctor D. Abruña, 2007
Peng Chen, 2024
Paul Lyon Houston, 2003
Peter T. Wolczanski, 1999
Jack Freed, 1994
Francis DiSalvo, 1992
Fred McLafferty, 1985
Benjamin Widom, 1979
Roald Hoffmann, 1971
Jerrold Meinwald, 1970
Harold Scheraga, 1967

American Philosophical Society Members

Benjamin Widom, 1993
Jerrold Meinwald, 1987
Roald Hoffmann, 1984

National Medal of Science Awardees

Jerrold Meinwald, 2014
Roald Hoffmann, 1983
Peter J. W. Debye, 1965

Oral History Project

A Conversation with...

In Memoriam

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