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July 2, 2025
Novel Approaches for Protecting the Inner Ear from Hearing Loss
June 25, 2025
New Hybrid Quantum–Classical Computing Approach Used to Study Chemical Systems
June 24, 2025
Making Plastic from Carbon Dioxide, Water, and Electricity
June 13, 2025
Caltech Comes Together to Celebrate 131st Commencement

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July 17, 2025 12:00 pm

EVOxZankou Seminar

Chen 130
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July 17, 2025 4:00 pm

Special Biochemistry Seminar

Noyes 147 (J. Holmes Sturdivant Lecture Hall)
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July 18, 2025 10:00 am

PhD Thesis Seminar

Noyes 153 (J. Holmes Sturdivant Lecture Hall)
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July 18, 2025 4:00 pm

Deeptech Startups + Venture Capital: Founding and Investing in the Technologies of Tomorrow

Noyes 153 (J. Holmes Sturdivant Lecture Hall)
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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. Major initiatives are fostering broad collaborations in energy and environment, molecular medicine, and nanomaterials.

Chemical Engineering

Started as applied chemistry by Arthur Amos Noyes, the department 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.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics

Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics has been established as an interdisciplinary program, at the interface of biology, chemistry, and physics, that seeks to understand the basic molecular mechanisms of life.

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Established by the CCE Community Programs Committee, the James LuValle Award recognizes outstanding service in fostering inclusivity and advancing community within Caltech’s Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. This year, we are proud to honor three exceptional individuals whose dedication has made a lasting impact on our division! 🔸 Emily Chen 🔹 Dennis Ko 🔸 Jordan Thompson Please join us in congratulating our 2025 recipients!
Over the last five years, Professor André Hoelz, Rick Friedman, and other scientists in the field have identified a gene that makes people more susceptible to hearing loss—whether from noise, cisplatin, or age—and started exploring ways to strengthen the inner ear hair cells to protect hearing. This collaboration came after Hoelz learned he had a rare brain tumor that was pressing on his acoustic nerve in 2015. Hoelz teamed up with his surgeon, Friedman, and they have now shown that they can in fact protect inner ear hair cells, and the hearing that relies on them, if an AMPK (5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase)-activating drug is properly delivered prior to cisplatin treatment. With a grant from Curebound, a philanthropic organization based in San Diego that funds cancer research, they are now learning the correct dosage and timing required to protect the hearing of cisplatin-treated cancer patients. Read the full story in the link in our bio.
Professor Sandeep Sharma and colleagues from IBM and the RIKEN Center for Computational Science in Japan have used quantum computing in combination with classical distributed computing to attack a notably challenging problem in quantum chemistry—determining the electronic energy levels of a relatively complex molecule. The work, which appears in the current issue of Science Advances, demonstrates the promise of such a quantum–classical hybrid approach for advancing not only quantum chemistry but also fields such as materials science, nanotechnology, and drug discovery, where insight into the electronic fingerprint of materials can reveal how they will behave. Read the full story in the link in our bio.
What if a machine could suck up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, run it through a series of chemical reactions, and essentially spit out industrially useful plastic? In a new report, Professor Theo Agapie and a team of Caltech chemists have developed a system that uses electricity from sustainable sources to carry out the chemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into molecules, such as ethylene and carbon monoxide, that are useful for making more complex compounds. When this is accomplished using light as the energy source, without plants, such a process is known as artificial photosynthesis. "We have shown that one can use CO2 to make a material that is useful, without using plants as a mediator," says lead author Max Zhelyabovskiy (MS '24), a graduate student in Agapie's lab who was co-mentored on the project by Professor Jonas C. Peters. Read the full story with the link in our bio.