Faculty – MIT Department of Chemistry

At left, the makeup of a vaccine particle, which shows a labeled glycan, peptide, and SSRNA. At right, a dendritic cell with the vaccine elicits T cell activation and immune response

A new way to reprogram immune cells and direct them toward anti-tumor immunity

MIT scientists’ discovery yields a potent immune response, could be used to develop a potential tumor vaccine.

Yogesh Surendranath stands in front of Building 18 on the MIT Campus.

Surendranath named 2024 Blavatnik Award Finalist

The Blavatnik Family Foundation has announced the Finalists for the World’s Largest Unrestricted Prizes to Early Career Scientists.

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Professor Jeremiah Johnson smiles in a hallway.

Johnson Awarded Yosemite-American Cancer Society Grant

The Yosemite-American Cancer Society Award grantees are developing research projects to advance the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.

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Griffin wins 2024 International Zavoisky Award

This prestigious award is given in recognition of outstanding applications or developments of electron paramagnetic resonance in any field of science.

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Johnson wins 2025 Carl S. Marvel Award for Creative Polymer Chemistry

This award recognizes accomplishments and/or innovation of unusual merit in the field of basic or applied polymer science by younger scientists.

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MIT chemists explain why dinosaur collagen may have survived for millions of years

The researchers identified an atomic-level interaction that prevents peptide bonds from being broken down by water.

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Professor Tim Swager smiles in front of a map.

Swager wins 2025 Arthur C. Cope Award from the American Chemical Society

The ACS National Awards encourage the advancement of chemistry in all its branches, support research endeavors, and promote the careers of chemists.

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Photo-collage shows a large molecule over an aerial photo of New Calendonia. On the left are five Psychotria leaves in a vertical line.

MIT chemists synthesize plant-derived molecules that hold potential as pharmaceuticals

Large multi-ring-containing molecules known as oligocyclotryptamines have never been produced in the lab until now.

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Associate Professor Alex Shalek (left) is seen in his E25 lab at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Thu., July 14, 2022. Shalek is the Pfizer-Laubach Career Development Associate Professor at MIT, a Core Member of the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES), an Associate Professor of Chemistry, an Extramural Member of The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, an Institute Member of the Broad Institute, an Associate Member of the Ragon Institute, an Assistant in Immunology at MGH, and an Instructor in Health Sciences and Technology at HMS. According to his MIT bio, Shalek's research "is directed towards the creation and implementation of new approaches to elucidate cellular and molecular features that inform tissue-level function and dysfunction across the spectrum of human health and disease."

Alex Shalek named director of the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science

Professor who uses a cross-disciplinary approach to understand human diseases on a molecular and cellular level succeeds Elazer Edelman.

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Robert Gilliard smiles in an outdoor setting.

Robert Gilliard wins 2024 Cottrell SEED Award

This competitive prize supports members of the Cottrell Scholar community in high-impact research activities.

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Omar Abudayyeh ’12 stands beside a white BMW whose license plate reads CRISPR.

License plates of MIT

Custom plates display expressions of scholarship, creativity, and MIT pride among Institute affiliates.

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A photo of Susan Solomon beside the cover of her new book, entitled SOLVABLE.

Q&A: What past environmental success can teach us about solving the climate crisis

In a new book, Professor Susan Solomon uses previous environmental successes as a source of hope and guidance for mitigating climate change.

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Scientists use computational modeling to guide a difficult chemical synthesis

Using this new approach, researchers could develop drug compounds with unique pharmaceutical properties.

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