CCE Brochure 2023

ABOUT CCE

The Caltech Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (CCE) has maintained excellence in research and education for over a century with active programs in all areas of modern research at the molecular and cellular levels. In keeping with Caltech’s historic focus on fundamental science, many critical conceptual advances and whole fields of modern science can trace their origins to CCE. At the same time, work done in CCE has had real-world impact with new materials, new medicines, new technologies and more. The small size of Caltech facilitates interdisciplinary research, and CCE plays pivotal roles in exciting interdisciplinary efforts at Caltech. Along with one-on-one group collaborations, there are many interdisciplinary centers at Caltech, including: the Resnick Sustainability Institute, the Chen Institute for Neuroscience, the Rosen Bioengineering Center, the Kavli Nanoscience Institute, the Merkin Institute for Translational Research, the Liquid Sunlight Alliance (LiSA), the Institute of Quantum Information and Matter and more. And, of course, if you want to study the chemistry of Mars or Titan, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a division of Caltech, and collaboration opportunities are extensive.

In addition to prize-winning research, CCE is home to world-class undergraduate and graduate education in all areas of chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical engineering. CCE’s top-ranked programs blend innovative coursework that requires—and teaches—critical thinking with hands-on research and interdisciplinary collaborations that help students build a fundamental understanding of nature’s processes. Postgraduate training in state-of-the-art laboratories alongside the brightest minds in the field rounds out CCE’s continued commitment to educating the next generation of exceptional scientists.

CHEMISTRY

The Chemistry program at Caltech provides depth in the traditional areas of chemistry—organic and inorganic chemistry, chemical physics, theoretical chemistry, and chemical biology. Research areas include chemical synthesis and catalysis, chemical dynamics and reaction mechanisms, bioinorganic, bioorganic, and biophysical chemistry, chemical biology, and materials chemistry. Chemistry has historical strength in theoretical modeling and structure determination at all levels, a tradition that continues to flourish.

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOPHYSICS

The Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics program, at the interface of biology, chemistry, and physics, seeks to understand the basic molecular mechanisms of life. Thus, biochemists and biophysicists study the atomic structure and folding of biopolymers; their interactions with each other and with small molecules; and the roles of particular biopolymers and biopolymer assemblies in cellular physiology. The basic building block of life is the cell and the intellectual focus of modern biochemistry and biophysics is to understand how individual parts interact to give cells their wide spectrum of functions. In particular, biochemistry and molecular biophysics addresses the principles through which the individual components of cells combine in an orderly self-association to produce their form, their function, and their dynamic behavior.

Chemical Engineering at Caltech led the famous Project 37 of the American Petroleum Institute that provided much of the basic knowledge on thermodynamics and phase equilibria in hydrocarbon systems. Subsequent developments have led the department to the forefront of research and teaching. Areas of focus include biomolecular studies/bioengineering, sustainability, process systems, materials, and computation. The chemical engineering faculty at Caltech is one of the most distinguished and innovative in the world, actively leading chemical engineering research into new areas of application and involvement.

Over the century since the Gates Laboratory of Chemistry was built for Arthur Noyes, Caltech’s Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering has grown exponentially. Alumnus and CCE chair for 22 years Linus Pauling revolutionized the field with his insights into the nature of the chemical bond (Nobel Prize in 1954) and essentially invented the field of chemical biology. Arnold Beckman (PhD ‘28) invented the pH meter and other revolutionary instruments that led to new discoveries in biochemistry and medicine, and founded Beckman Instruments, the first electronic instrumentation company. Gordon Moore (PhD ‘54) founded the semiconductor chip-making company Intel and authored Moore’s Law (which predicts that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit doubles every two years). Rudy Marcus (Nobel Prize in 1992) revolutionized the theory of the rates of chemical reactions. Ahmed Zewail (Nobel Prize in 1999) pioneered femtochemistry, allowing real-time observation of reaction transition states. Bob Grubbs (Nobel Prize in 2005) enabled olefin metathesis to become a powerful synthetic tool with broad applications in the chemical industry and the pharmaceutical industry. John Seinfeld (Tyler Prize, 2012) carries on Caltech’s pioneering role in studying air pollution, determining the physics and chemistry of atmospheric aerosols. Frances Arnold (Nobel Prize in 2018) developed directed evolution as a way to invent new, protein-catalyzed reactions that are greener and more efficient than conventional processes.

Linus Pauling

Arnold Beckman

Bob Grubbs

Gordon Moore

Rudy Marcus

Ahmed Zewail

John Seinfeld

Frances Arnold

Arthur Noyes

CCE BY THE NUMBERS

6 Priestly Medals

41 active faculty

6 Nobel Prizes

108 total postdocs

9 National Medals of Science

2 National Medals of Technology & Innovation

3 Wolf Prizes

356 total graduate students

59% Men

23 National Academy of Science Members

5 National Academy of Medicine Members

11% Underrepresented Minorites

7 National Academy of Engineers Members

41% Women

Recent Faculty Recruitments

Karthish Manthiram received his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley. As a graduate student in Professor Paul Alivisatos’ group, Karthish developed transition-metal oxide hosts for redox-tunable plasmons and nanoparticle electrocatalysts for reducing carbon dioxide. During his postdoctoral research in Professor Robert Grubbs’ lab at Caltech, Karthish developed new anionexchange ionomers. Karthish joined the MIT faculty as an Assistant Professor in 2017. In 2021, he moved to Caltech as a Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. The Manthiram Lab is focused on the development of heterogeneous electrocatalysts for the synthesis and functionalization of organic molecules using carbon dioxide, nitrogen, water, and renewable electricity.

Kara Fong will start as an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Caltech in 2025. She is currently a Schmidt Science Fellow and Trinity College Junior Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, where she studies the behavior of electrolyte solutions under nanoscale confinement in the groups of Prof. Angelos Michaelides and Prof. Clare Grey. She earned her PhD in 2022 from the University of California, Berkeley, where she developed theory for ion transport in Li-ion batteries. Kara’s research group will integrate theory and simulation across length scales to study electrochemical systems for sustainable energy storage and water treatment.

ADVANCEMENT

Philanthropic support enables the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering to continue the tradition of excellence in all areas of research and education. Opportunities are available to support new faculty recruitment, graduate and postdoctoral fellowships, instrumentation, diversity and inclusion efforts, and capital projects. Gifts to these areas ensure CCE has the resources to continue to attract exceptional faculty, researchers, and students from around the world, and to equip them to lead innovation research efforts that will transform our society.

For more information on supporting CCE, please contact:

Layla H. Tremalio

Senior Director of Development

for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering | Advancement and Alumni Relations

E: layla.tremalio@caltech.edu | P: 626-395-1530

The CCE Diversity Committee works with the Division’s Diversity Officer to develop new initiatives, steward ongoing programs, coordinate efforts across the Division, and interface with Institute-level activities that enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in CCE.

DIVERSITY IN CHEMISTRY INITIATIVE

The mission of the Diversity in Chemistry Initiative (DICI) is to amplify the voices, actions, and successes of under-represented minorities (URMs) in chemistry at Caltech and beyond. DICI includes all black and brown, LGBTQIA+, and disabled individuals as part of the under-represented community. DICI provides a safe space for URMs to share ideas and issues, hosts seminars and panels, and engages in outreach with the goal to increase inclusion and equity in science.

The goal of the Caltech Women in Chemistry (WiC) Committee is to support the careers of women in chemistry and related sciences. WiC achieves this by participating in graduate recruitment, providing networking opportunities, hosting events with established women scientists, and serving as an advocate for issues related to gender and science.

Philanthropic support for CCE DEI efforts include the Donald Alstadt Workshop for recruitment of underrepresented communities, the Jean L. Preer gift for WAVE students from HBCUs and the Caltech Connection program, and the Carina Initiatives through Caltech’s Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA).

CALTECH SHINES

Caltech Shines is a multi-divisional event celebrating graduate student life at Caltech. This event aims to enrich the student population by introducing Caltech as a community to newly admitted students.

FUTURE IGNITED

The goal of FUTURE Ignited is to support the ambitions of aspiring young scientists who identify as students of color in chemistry, chemical engineering, biochemistry and molecular biophysics, and related areas, who will go on to become part of a diverse generation of scientific leaders.

WOMEN IN CHEMISTRY