Faculty – MIT Department of Chemistry

Professor Steve Buchwald smiles in front of a blue background.

Stephen L. Buchwald wins 2026 Willard Gibbs Award

This prestigious honor has been awarded annually for over 100 years by the Chicago Section of the American Chemical Society.

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MIT ranks No. 1 in 12 subject areas in the 2026 QS World University Rankings, the organization announced.

QS World University Rankings rates MIT No. 1 in 12 subjects for 2026

The Institute also ranks second in seven subject areas.

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Side by side headshots of Arup Chakraborty and James Collins.

Arup Chakraborty named 2026 Laureate of the Tel Aviv University International Prize in Biophysics

Chakraborty, alongside IMES Professor James J. Collins, has been honored for his long, distinguished career in physical science.

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An image depicting a relocated alcohol group on an organic molecule.

Researchers Develop Molecular Editing Tool to Relocate Alcohol Groups

This new technique will allow chemists to efficiently fine-tune the chemical structure of an organic molecule.

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Researchers detected statistically significant changes in global atmospheric temperatures in response to three major natural events: the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 (inset on left), the Australian wildfires in 2019-2020 (center), and the eruption of the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga in the South Pacific in 2022 (bottom right).

Study reveals climatic fingerprints of wildfires and volcanic eruptions

In research that could help elucidate humans’ role in global warming, scientists showed how three major natural events impacted global atmospheric temperatures.

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A man smiles in front of a glass periodic table of elements sculpture.

MIT faculty, alumni named 2026 Sloan Research Fellows

Annual award honors early-career researchers for creativity, innovation, and research accomplishments.

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Moungi Bawendi smiles in a conference room.

MIT community members elected to the National Academy of Engineering for 2026

Seven faculty members, along with 12 additional alumni, are honored for significant contributions to engineering research, practice, and education.

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Professor Tim Swager smiles in front of a map.

Timothy M. Swager to receive the 2026 Theodore Richards Medal

This prestigious honor is awarded biennially by the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society.

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Rows and rows of pink and turquoise circles with sketches of variations of p53.

Cancer’s Secret Safety Net

Researchers uncover a hidden mechanism that allows cancer to develop aggressive mutations.

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MIT chemists showed they can use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to decipher the structure of the fuzzy coat that surrounds Tau proteins. The findings may aid efforts to develop drugs that interfere with Tau buildup in the brain.

Chemists determine the structure of the fuzzy coat that surrounds Tau proteins

Learning more about this structure could help scientists find ways to block Tau from forming tangles in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients.

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“What’s remarkable is that intelectin-2 (mltln2) operates in two complementary ways. It helps stabilize the mucus layer, and if that barrier is compromised, it can directly neutralize or restrain bacteria that begin to escape,” says Laura Kiessling. On left, mltln2 stabilizes the mucus layer on healthy tissue. On right, it neutralizes bacteria in an inflamed GI tract.

A protein found in the GI tract can neutralize many bacteria

The protein, known as intelectin-2, also helps to strengthen the mucus barrier lining the digestive tract.

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Bin Zhang Named one of Eighteen MIT faculty honored as “Committed to Caring” for 2025-27

The program recognizes outstanding mentorship of graduate students.

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A new study from MIT reveals how a high-fat diet rewires liver cells and makes them more susceptible to becoming cancerous.

Study: High-fat diets make liver cells more likely to become cancerous

New research suggests liver cells exposed to too much fat revert to an immature state that is more susceptible to cancer-causing mutations.

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