Mellon College of Science

Science is ready for a revolution. The pace of discovery is accelerating, and the problems that face the world are growing more complex. Meeting those challenges begins with individuals who are both forward-looking scientists and innovative collaborators.

Carnegie Mellon University’s Mellon College of Science — home to biological sciences, chemistry, mathematical sciences and physics — is uniquely positioned to reimagine and transform how science is done, accelerating life-changing research.

At MCS, we’re bringing together collaborative, cross-disciplinary teams in areas ripe for breakthrough discoveries: Cosmology, Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence, Computational Finance, Quantum Computing, Neuroscience, Sustainability Science, Materials of the Future, and Life Sciences Breakthroughs.

The people of the Mellon College of Science have a passion for discovery and a hunger to do transformational science for the good of the world.

With your support, we will accelerate and transform discovery in the foundational sciences through the application of new technologies (including machine learning and automation), the work of talented faculty and researchers, and the education of future scientists in all of our departments.

A Message from the Dean

Rebecca Doerge

The Mellon College of Science is leading a revolution in science. This revolution is occurring at the interface of the foundational sciences, automation, computation, artificial intelligence and human ingenuity — all areas where Carnegie Mellon University excels.

Our research at this interface captures the human imagination and impacts lives. We leverage computation to unravel the mysteries of the universe, automation to create solar fuels and artificial intelligence to tease out the brain’s algorithms. We train our students to be 21st century leaders and scientists who believe anything is possible.

With your support, this revolution in science is possible. Your support will empower faculty and students to reshape and influence the future of science. Your support will provide the tools, technology, space and scientific workforce needed to envision the future of science, the CMU way.

We believe that this is the moment in history to be bold and visionary. By reimagining how science is accomplished and looking toward the future, we will pave the way for unprecedented discovery. Please join us on this road to revolution.

Carnegie Mellon Thistle

What will you and the Mellon College of Science

Creating an environment for foundational science and interdisciplinary research.

By collaborating with partners from across campus and using machine learning, engineering and data analytics, our scientists will accelerate both the process and the impact of scientific research. Your support will unleash discovery and accelerate innovation.

Help us make it possible

Pioneering new scientific fields.

By giving acclaimed researchers and educators a community that challenges them and nurtures their talent and creativity, we help make the impossible possible. Your support is an investment in the members of our outstanding faculty that will spark discovery for generations.

Help us make it possible

Educating and equipping future scientists.

Encouraging students to understand both the process and the consequences of scientific discovery allows them to fully grasp the implications of their work — and makes sure they’re ready to take the lead in the lab, in their communities and in the world. Your support will make the undergraduate years a time of bold discovery.

Help us make it possible

Creating new methodologies. Driving breakthroughs.

Help us make it possible.

With your support of an environment for foundational science and interdisciplinary research, we will:

Create discovery hubs to solve complex problems

Construct new spaces for science

Advance and expand our use of automation

Maker Spaces
Establish maker spaces in Mellon Institute and Doherty Hall that
will provide students and faculty access to advanced simulation and fabrication tools, so that they can create custom scientific instruments and design novel experiments while integrating engineering and computer science into their work.
Department & Equipment Funds
Provide our departments with the ability to secure the latest technology and address other areas of critical need, giving students and researchers the resources to explore new questions.

With your investment in talented researchers and educators who pioneer new scientific fields, we will:

Strengthen and deepen our research

Increase seed funding for bigger ideas

Boldly recruit and retain new faculty

Endowed Professorships
Fund faculty to empower their research and teaching, and help us to recruit and retain the best professors and scholars.
Postdoctoral and Doctoral Fellowships
Bolster the efforts of up-and-coming researchers by funding studies and projects that will serve as the basis for their future careers.
Entrepreneurs-In-Residence
Spur innovation at MCS with experts who can help students and faculty realize their ideas and turn breakthroughs into businesses.
Breakthrough Funds
Support promising ideas with critical early-stage funding, encouraging researchers to push boundaries and take risks that could lead to leaps forward in their fields.

With your support of future scientists, we will:

Give undergrads even greater research opportunities

Develop well-rounded scientists

Invest in advising and skills development for students

Undergraduate Research and Enrichment Funds
Enhance and diversify the classroom experience and enable undergraduate students to pursue their own lines of creative inquiry.
Scholarships
Secure an MCS education for tomorrow’s talented scientists, regardless of their financial circumstances, and help build a student body that reflects the world they will influence.
Program Support
Strengthen our diversity initiatives, student advising programs and student training and development programs, which impact the MCS experience for all of our scholars and ensure their success in the classroom, laboratory and beyond.

Discover what you can make possible in our departments

Support for key department-level initiatives will accelerate the training of the next generation of scientific leaders to make significant contributions to their disciplines and society.

Department of Biological Sciences Tell Me More

Department of Biological Sciences

Funding and naming opportunities in Biological Sciences: