Caltech Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

How Bacteria Survive a World Full of Killer Bacteriophages. Our own Sujit Datta explains... https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/sujit-datta-bacteriophage-escape-chemotaxis

Three Caltech Professors Named Fellows of the American Physical Society https://cce.caltech.edu/news-and-events/news/three-caltech-professors-named-fellows-of-the-american-physical-society

Nobel laureates Frances Arnold ’79 and Mary Brunkow *91 to receive top alumni awards https://www.princeton.edu/news/2026/10/08/nobel-laureates-frances-arnold-79-and-mary-brunkow-91-receive-top-alumni-awards

New Caltech research aims at making TB treatment more affordable. https://www.cce.caltech.edu/news-and-events/news/utilizing-enzymes-to-help-treat-tuberculosis

Sujit Datta and team lead revolutionary research into fascinating new discoveries in bacterial behavior at Caltech! https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/growing-bacteria-line-up-single-file-then-buckle-in-liquid-crystals

Chemists from Caltech and KAIST cooperate to enable joint research projects in chemistry, nurturing the next generation of scientists. https://cce.caltech.edu/news-and-events/news/caltech-and-kaist-establish-program-to-co-mentor-tomorrows-chemists-and-drive-future-discoveries

We’re delighted to welcome Daniel Suess to the CCE faculty! Dan will join Caltech in 2027, bringing an exciting research program in inorganic and bio chemistry. We look forward to the new ideas, collaborations & connections Dan will bring to CCE and the Caltech community. Welcome Dan to Caltech! 🎉

https://applications.caltech.edu/job/chemistry The Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the assistant professor level in all areas of chemistry, biochemistry, or chemical engineering.

"It is now possible to predict the properties of some complicated materials purely through computation without referring to experiment," https://www.cce.caltech.edu/news-and-events/news/chemical-physicists-quantitatively-model-electron-interactions-in-real-quantum-materials

Hosea Nelson has been selected to lead a team that will receive $17 million from the NSF to create a "programmable cloud laboratory," an automated lab that will allow scientists and AI agents to conduct experiments remotely, analyzing and storing data online. https://bit.ly/4h6ZuhU

Caltech chemistry professor Hosea Nelson (PhD '13) has his eyes on a big goal: He wants to know the three-dimensional (3D) structure of all the molecules found in the natural world. www.caltech.edu/about/news/n...

Prof. Agapie & Prof. Orphan will receive project funding from the U.S. Dept. of Energy's Genesis Mission, a national effort to use AI to accelerate scientific discovery. https://cce.caltech.edu/news-and-events/news/two-caltech-projects-selected-for-doe-funding-as-part-of-genesis-mission

The Ismagilov lab and colleagues have developed a low-cost device that trains & assists people with minimal lab experience to perform complex procedures. https://cce.caltech.edu/news-and-events/news/a-training-device-to-build-technical-skills-and-expand-access-to-high-performance-diagnostic-testing

🇺🇸 As the US turns 250, C&EN looks back at 6 moments that shaped the nation's leadership in chemistry. The feature includes reflections from Prof. Arnold, Dervan, Gray, & Pauling on the turning points that transformed the field. https://cen.acs.org/policy/6-pivotal-moments-250-years/104/web/2026/06

Prof. Demirer uses genetic engineering tools to make crops more resilient to environmental threats & enhance plant health. Now, her team has found a solution in an unlikely source: the zebra finch. https://cce.caltech.edu/news-and-events/news/improving-plants-with-a-tool-borrowed-from-birds

The big day has come! 🎓 Today, we celebrate the remarkable achievements of our graduates in the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. We are proud of all that you have achieved and excited for all that lies ahead. Cheers to the Class of 2026! 🎉 #Caltech2026

Jonas C. Peters, Bren Professor of Chemistry and director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute (RSI) at Caltech, has been elected one of 42 new members of the American Philosophical Society (APS) this year. www.caltech.edu/about/news/j...

CCE grad students Isabel Hernandez-Rodriguez, Maria Blankemeyer & Conner Wells were recognized for their leadership and excellence in advancing inclusion on campus and in the greater community. https://ccid.caltech.edu/events/signature-ccid-events/celebration-of-excellence

Congratulations to Prof. Brian Stoltz on winning the 2025 Tolman Award in Chemistry! The award honors outstanding contributions to chemistry. https://cce.caltech.edu/news-and-events/news/brian-stoltz-wins-2025-tolman-award-in-chemistry

Karthish Manthiram's lab has figured out how to drive a series of chemical reactions that produce the epoxide propylene oxide using a much greener process and the inexpensive, Earth-abundant catalyst, lanthanum cobaltite. www.caltech.edu/about/news/a...

On May 6, the Hertz Foundation announced this year's cohort of 19 Hertz Fellows. Among them are fourth-year undergraduate Sam Foxman and incoming graduate student Nikhil Seshadri. www.caltech.edu/about/news/c...

Congrats to Garnet Chan on being elected to the Royal Society! Founded in 1660, it is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. He is among more than 90 inductees to the society this year.https://cce.caltech.edu/news-and-events/news/chan-and-elowitz-named-to-great-britains-royal-society

Take an inside look of Professor Bil Clemons's office, filled with art, records and more: magazine.caltech.edu/post/bil-cle...

Congratulations to Professor Jonas Peters on being elected to the American Philosophical Society! https://cce.caltech.edu/news-and-events/news/jonas-peters-elected-to-the-american-philosophical-society

Today is the 71st celebration of Caltech's Staff Service & Impact Awards! This year, CCE congratulates 12 staff members who have completed service milestones ranging from 10 to 40 years. Thank you all for your hard work – you've made CCE what it is today!

The Manthiram lab has figured out how to drive a series of chemical reactions that produce the epoxide propylene oxide using a much greener process and the inexpensive, Earth-abundant catalyst, lanthanum cobaltite. https://cce.caltech.edu/news-and-events/news/a-greener-route-to-making-epoxides

The Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Caltech invites applications for a Long-Term Lecturer in Chemical Engineering, with teaching to begin in the 2026–2027 academic year. Interested? View application details here: https://applications.caltech.edu/job/chemeng

The Future Leaders Program of the Chemical Abstracts Service's (CAS) 2026 cohort includes graduate student Anjali Gurajapu from the laboratory of Sarah Reisman. www.caltech.edu/about/news/c...

Congrats to Prof. Greg Fu on receiving ACS's 2026 Award for Creativity in Molecular Design and Synthesis! He is being recognized for his many contributions in both mechanistic & synthetic chemistry. https://cen.acs.org/articles/104/web/2026/04/Gregory-C-Fu-receives-2026.html?sc=260420_sc_eng_li_cen

Shu-ou Shan, Caltech's Altair Professor of Chemistry, has been elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences! 🎉 Shan's research primarily focuses on protein biogenesis, tracing the complex molecular pathways that ultimately lead to the production of proteins in the body.

Shu-ou Shan, Caltech's Altair Professor of Chemistry, has been elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation's oldest honorary societies. She joins 251 other new members this year. www.caltech.edu/about/news/s...

Last week, we had a blast celebrating our grad students during Graduate Student Appreciation Week. The DIY Italian soda bar and Italian cookies were the perfect additions to a sunny afternoon in the Gates Patio. Congrats to our raffle winners: Curtis, Kate, Iuliia, Clara, Sara and Analiese!

DiscoTech brought prospective undergrads to Caltech to explore all of the academic divisions. In the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, they toured labs, connected with faculty, & discovered the exciting work happening in CCE – taking a glimpse into what their futures could hold!

The newest cohort of Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellows have been announced, which includes four CCE postdocs: Emily Boyd, Ethan Quinn, Levi Palmer and Christian Strong. Read the full annoucement: https://www.beckman-foundation.org/latest-news/2026-aob-postdoctoral-fellows/

This past weekend, Professor William A. Goddard III celebrated his 89th birthday 🎉! To commemorate the occasion, a birthday gathering was held at the 2026 Materials and Process Simulation Center Conference – cake and candles included 🎂. Happy Birthday, Professor Goddard!

Congrats to Anjali Gurajapu on being named a 2026 CAS Future Leader! Read more about the program here: https://www.cas.org/press-releases/cas-announces-2026-cas-future-leaders

On March 4, Women in Chemistry and BOND hosted high school students from Lincoln Height's East College Prep. Students and teachers took part in a campus tour and explored research labs of Hsieh-Wilson Lab, Wei Lab and Chen Lab . They also participated in an Undergraduate Panel discussion. #TBT

Congratulations to David Delgadillo and Jacob Rothbaum on being awarded the inaugural Nemko Mentorship Prize! 🎉 https://beckmaninstitute.caltech.edu/funding-opportunities/beckman-institute-mentorship-prize

Last week, Prof. Kim See took the Watson Lecture stage with her talk "Chasing Sustainable Battery Chemistries for the Future", while See group members engaged attendees in all things battery related during the pre-show. Watch the full presentation here: https://bit.ly/47kxul2 📸: Lance Hayashida

Excited to share that some of my PhD research was recently published in Nature Communications! In short, we showed that when a spatially-structured bacterial population is exposed to antibiotics, death sweeps through it as a sharp front whose dynamics are controlled by a “nutrient bottleneck”

Researchers in the Clemons lab have homed in on an small transporter called MurJ that is a vital part of the pathway bacteria use to build their chain-mail-like cell wall. Their worr reveals a novel target for designing new antibiotics. Read the full story: https://bit.ly/40vLk07

NEW RESEARCH ➡️: Scientists in the Datta lab have revealed that microbial nutrients, such as glucose, play a crucial role in antibiotic efficacy. Their findings provide a unique framework for developing novel medications and investigating antibiotic resistance. https://bit.ly/4aKGUJ3

Brian Stoltz, the Victor and Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chemistry and Heritage Medical Research Institute Investigator, has been awarded this year's Shirley M. Malcom Prize for Excellence in Mentoring. www.caltech.edu/about/news/b...

Sarah Reisman, Bren Professor of Chemistry and Norman Davidson Leadership Chair of the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, has been awarded this year's Richard P. Feynman Prize for Excellence in Teaching, Caltech's highest teaching prize. www.caltech.edu/about/news/s...

Please join us in congratulating Professor Brian Stoltz on being awarded the Shirley M. Malcom Prize for Excellence in Mentoring! https://cce.caltech.edu/news-and-events/news/brian-stoltz-receives-malcom-prize-for-excellence-in-mentoring

Kicking off the long weekend with some exciting news! CCE Chair, Sarah Reisman, was awarded this year's Richard P. Feynman Prize for Excellence in Teaching, Caltech's highest teaching prize! Congratulation Professor Reisman!

George Rossman (PhD '71), professor of mineralogy, emeritus, passed away on February 6, 2026. He was 81. Rossman will be remembered for his contributions to education at Caltech, which spanned 55 years and impacted thousands of students. www.caltech.edu/about/news/c...

Can we reimagine the way we power modern life? On Wednesday, February 25, 2026, Kimberly See, professor of chemistry, will discuss her group's research on next-generation battery chemistry that may lead to more efficient and sustainable ways of energizing the world. www.caltech.edu/about/news/w...

We integrated experimental and computational approaches to generate a systems-level view of a key post-translational modification, O-GlcNAc. In vivo studies across tissues reveal shared and tissue-specific functions. Congrats to Matt, John, Yao, and the whole team! #NOTISEme bit.ly/3ZgCOBM

Proof that order can be beautiful: the periodic table. 🧪 Happy National Periodic Table Day! 📸: Periodic table outside undergraduate chemistry labs in the Resnick Sustainability Institute