Scientific Research Institutes old

The seven research institutes bring together experts from Yale’s top-ranking programs in the physical, biological, engineering, and medical disciplines, as well as other departments. They are:

Chemical Biology Institute

The Chemical Biology Institute explores how to design and synthesize new molecules, as well as how to take advantage of cells’ natural properties in order to create chemical compounds to treat developmental disorders, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease. Disciplines represented include chemistry, molecular biophysics and biochemistry, and molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. more

Cancer Biology Institute

The work of the Cancer Biology Institute cuts across many University departments and units. Under the direction of Joseph Schlessinger, chair of pharmacology in Yale School of Medicine, scientists at the institute seek to identify potential new drugs and perform early-stage development work on innovative cancer therapies. With the support of private companies like Gilead Sciences Inc., these drugs will ultimately be approved as treatments for patients at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven. The Cancer Biology Institute and the Center for Genome Analysis have partnered to analyze tumors from all patients at Smilow Cancer Hospital, providing doctors with crucial information to help them devise individual courses of treatment and investigators with insights into cancer’s weaknesses. more

Nanobiology Institute

Established and directed by chair of cell biology and professor of chemistry James Rothman, the Nanobiology Institute focuses on the study of cell biology and biophysics, with the goal of designing new uses for living and synthetic materials at the nanoscale. By merging the principles of engineering and biology, its researchers are building nano-machines that can function inside living cells, producing new materials that can assist in tissue engineering, and even creating DNA “robots’’ to carry out programmed tasks. Disciplines represented include cell biology, molecular biophysics and biochemistry, and cellular and molecular physiology. more

Systems Biology Institute

The Systems Biology Institute is based on the principle that understanding the networks of molecular interactions is essential to understanding biology and can serve as a model for advances in engineering design. Led by Andre Levchenko, the institute aims to find new ways to organize and analyze the massive amounts of biological data now available to understand how life orchestrates thousands upon thousands of molecular events at lightning speed. Disciplines represented include physics, computer science, mathematics, engineering, biology, ecology and evolutionary biology, chemistry, cellular and molecular physiology, and molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. more

Microbial Sciences Institute

The Microbial Sciences Institute is an interdisciplinary institute devoted to the study of microbes and their processes, ranging from the exploration of the still largely unknown microbial world to the in-depth characterization of the inner workings of microbes as well as of their impact on other organisms and the environment. Disciplines represented include microbial genetics, ecology, cell biology, and pathogenesis.  more

Energy Sciences Institute

The Energy Sciences Institute is developing new ways to generate and store energy from renewable sources such as the wind and sun. Its work builds upon the groundbreaking research by Yale scientists who are studying alternative energy solutions, including faculty from the Yale Solar Group. The director is Gary Brudvig of the chemistry and molecular biophysics and biochemistry departments. Disciplines represented include chemistry, materials science, chemical & environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, applied physics, and geology and geophysics. more

Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage

The Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, established by a transformational gift from Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin ’78  is dedicated to advance the field of heritage science by improving the science and practice of conservation in a sustainable manner. At the crossroads between science and art, the Institute is home to state-of–the-art conservation, research and imaging laboratories. Led by inaugural Director Stefan Simon it engages in cutting-edge research and teaching in a multidisciplinary setting and closely works with Yale’s collections and academic programs. more