Mellon College of Science at Carnegie Mellon

10/20/2026

Solve real-world challenges through the M.S. in Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering. Join the Carnegie Mellon University Departments of Chemical Engineering and Biological Sciences for an information session about the program on Nov. 3. Learn more and register: https://apply-dc-mcs.mcs.cmu.edu/register/?id=7c2aa2b6-1262-4dfc-b05b-00d83618f373

10/19/2026

Carnegie Mellon physicist Colin Morningstar is part of a national team awarded a U.S. Department of Energy Genesis Mission Phase II grant to accelerate discoveries in particle and nuclear physics using artificial intelligence and advanced supercomputing.

The project will develop AI-enabled tools to improve simulations, automate data analysis and generate new insights into the fundamental particles and forces that shape our universe. Morningstar’s research focuses on the strong force, which binds quarks and gluons into protons and neutrons, and provides essential theoretical calculations for major scientific initiatives including the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment and the future Electron-Ion Collider.

The award highlights Carnegie Mellon’s growing leadership at the intersection of physics, AI and high-performance computing. By combining advanced computational methods with fundamental science, CMU researchers are helping lay the groundwork for future discoveries about the nature of matter and the universe itself.

Carnegie Mellon University Physics Professor Colin Morningstar is part of a national research team awarded a Phase II grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Genesis for AI Science program.

10/16/2026

Artificial intelligence is transforming finance, and Carnegie Mellon researchers, alumni and industry leaders are helping drive that change.

From fraud detection and algorithmic trading to portfolio management and regulatory review, AI has become an essential tool for analyzing massive datasets and uncovering insights at unprecedented speed. As financial institutions adopt increasingly sophisticated technologies, the demand for professionals with strong computer science, quantitative and problem-solving skills continues to grow.

Through programs like CMU’s Master of Science in Computational Finance and the expertise of alumni leading technology organizations at firms such as Goldman Sachs, American Express and Two Sigma, Carnegie Mellon is preparing the next generation of innovators to tackle complex challenges at the intersection of finance, computing and artificial intelligence. At the same time, researchers and industry leaders emphasize the importance of transparency, accountability and human oversight as AI becomes more deeply integrated into financial decision-making.

In the finance industry, success or failure, profit or loss can hinge on exceedingly fine margins. A fraction of a percentage point or a fraction of a second can be decisive, and the often zero-sum competition drives market players to exploit every advantage available.

10/15/2026

At Carnegie Mellon, innovation doesn’t stop at publication. During CMU Startup Week, researchers showcased how discoveries made in university labs are becoming companies with the potential to improve health, medicine and the environment.

From expanding access to nanoscale imaging and developing new cancer diagnostics to targeting disease-causing RNA and creating technologies to remove PFAS and other pollutants, Mellon College of Science faculty are translating fundamental research into practical solutions. These efforts are helping bring new tools, therapies and environmental technologies closer to the people and communities that need them most.

The startups featured at Lab to Market highlight the power of combining scientific discovery with entrepreneurship, demonstrating how research can create lasting impact well beyond the laboratory.

During CMU Startup Week, founders, investors and researchers got a firsthand look at technologies making the leap from university labs to the marketplace. Mellon College of Science faculty members and alumni took part in panels sharing their experiences translating years of research into technologie...

10/14/2026

Join Carnegie Mellon University for the Carl & Amy Jones Lecture in Interdisciplinary Science on Oct. 20 at 5 p.m.

This year, Sean Carrol, the Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, will present, "The Many Worlds of Quantum Mechanics." He will share how quantum mechanics challenges how we understand knowledge and the universe.

10/13/2026

Carnegie Mellon researchers are helping pave the way for discoveries from NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, set to transform how we study the universe.

For more than a decade, scientists in CMU’s McWilliams Center for Cosmology and Astrophysics have helped develop the tools, software and scientific programs that will turn Roman’s observations into new knowledge. With a field of view 100 times larger than Hubble’s and the ability to capture sharp infrared images across vast areas of sky, Roman will help researchers map dark matter, investigate dark energy, trace galaxy evolution and discover distant worlds.

From designing algorithms to measure subtle distortions in galaxy images to combining Roman data with observations from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, CMU researchers are helping build the foundation for a new era of astronomy. Their work will enable scientists around the world to use Roman’s data to answer some of the most fundamental questions about the origin, evolution and structure of the universe.

If looking through the Hubble Telescope is peeking through a keyhole, then gazing from the new Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is like throwing open a window.

10/12/2026

A smartphone helped Carnegie Mellon student Nivedita Shyamsundar make a scientific discovery with implications for medicine.

While studying nanoparticles, Shyamsundar used her iPhone to record a reaction that happened too quickly for conventional lab methods to capture. By analyzing the video frame by frame, she developed a tool that helped researchers uncover a previously unrecognized mechanism of nanoparticle formation.

Today, Shyamsundar is applying her expertise to improve nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems for cancer treatments and vaccines. By designing nanoparticles that respond to the unique environment around tumors, she hopes to help make therapies more precise, effective and less harmful to healthy tissue.

Carnegie Mellon senior Nivedita Shyamsundar studies tiny particles that could help medicines and vaccines more effectively travel through the human body and reach their targets. Her work may one day lead to better cancer treatments and stronger vaccines.

10/09/2026

Supplement your scientific expertise with data analytics skills through Carnegie Mellon's M.S. in Data Analytics for Science. Learn more about the program in one of two information sessions on Oct. 28.

Register for the 9 a.m. session: https://apply-dc-mcs.mcs.cmu.edu/register/?id=4c6a91be-3bbb-4674-8b87-91316fa28d4d

Register for the 2 p.m. session: https://apply-dc-mcs.mcs.cmu.edu/register/?id=3ff15392-c5c5-4e33-80f5-8900b30b99b5

10/08/2026

“What I learned from John Pople is that we should aim for the right answers for the right reasons.”

Those words from Martin Head-Gordon captured the spirit of the fifth John A. Pople Lecture in Theoretical & Computational Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University.

A former graduate student of Pople, a Nobel Prize Laureate and former CMU professor, Head-Gordon, now the Kenneth S. Pitzer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at UC Berkeley, shared insights into advances in density functional theory and reflected on the mentorship and scientific rigor that shaped his career.

The lecture series, which was endowed earlier this year, celebrates advances in chemistry and the researchers pushing the field forward.

10/06/2026

Students, faculty and staff came together at last week's MCS Fiesta to celebrate culture, comida and community. Check out highlights from the event.

Gracias VAYA Food Truck, Cilantro & Ajo, Baires Food Truck, Los Gallitos and El Rincon Oaxaqueño.