Our Divisions
One goal: great science
At Carnegie Science, we work as one scientific community to advance bold ideas and groundbreaking discoveries.
With a headquarters in Washington, DC, we pursue research breakthroughs along scales from genomes to ecosystems and planets to the cosmos. We collaborate across three interdisciplinary divisions—Biosphere Sciences & Engineering, the Earth & Planets Laboratory, and the Observatories—to transform understanding of life, planets, and the broader universe.
Biosphere Sciences & Engineering
Carnegie's newest scientific division, Biosphere Sciences & Engineering, is devoted to disrupting the traditional, siloed perspective on research in the life sciences and pursuing an integrated approach to solving humanity's greatest challenges.
Learn moreBiosphere Sciences & Engineering Leadership
Aquatic ecologist Stephanie Hampton joined Carnegie as Deputy Director of Carnegie’s newly launched Division of Biosphere Sciences & Engineering at the end of July 2022. Hampton’s research focuses on the dynamic factors that shape aquatic ecosystems, with a focus on Lake Baikal in Siberia and the lakes of the Pacific Northwest. Her work has informed environmental conservation efforts and policymaking.
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Drawing on more than a century of science, our multidisciplinary department discovers exoplanets, creates new materials, illuminates Earth's inner workings, and seeks to better understand the universe that is our home.
Learn moreEarth & Planets Laboratory Leadership
Experimental petrologist Michael Walter became Director of the recently formed Carnegie Earth & Planets Laboratory in 2022, where he was previously Deputy Director. His recent research focuses on the period early in Earth’s history, shortly after the planet accreted from the cloud of gas and dust surrounding our young Sun, when the mantle and the core first separated into distinct layers.
Visit BioAlycia Weinberger is an observational astronomer interested in planet formation, exoplanets, and brown dwarfs. She explores the early history of planets and how they interact with their natal environment, the circumstellar disk. She studies how material is distributed in disks, how disks dissipate, and how the compositions of disks may translate into those of planets. As Associate Division Director she works closely with Director Michael Walter to help set and execute the overall scientific and cultural vision for EPL, manages the postdoctoral fellows program, and oversees the division's colloquium and EPIIC programs.
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From the revelation of the universe’s expansion to the discovery of dark energy, Carnegie Observatories researchers have transformed humankind’s understanding of the cosmos. The groundbreaking work continues today at our world-famous Las Campanas Observatory in Chile.
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Observatories Leadership
John Mulchaey is a Carnegie Science Trustee and the Interim President of the institution, as well as the Crawford H. Greenewalt Chair of the Carnegie Science Observatories, the organization’s division for astronomy and astrophysics research. In this role, he oversees the research and business functions across Carnegie Science three scientific Divisions, composed of research sites on the East and West Coasts and telescope facilities in Chile.
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Path to Pasadena
Understanding that the future of the scientific enterprise is interdisciplinary and collaborative, Carnegie Science has formed a new alliance with Caltech, which will open many opportunities for breakthrough research between our two institutions. This partnership builds on our shared history in astronomy and astrophysics and will enable us to make a decisive investment in the global fight against climate change by consolidating our life and environmental science research into a single location.
Learn MoreNext-generation Telescope
From revealing fundamental physics underpinning the cosmos to advancing our ability to study the atmospheres of distant worlds, the Giant Magellan Telescope, which is under construction at Carnegie's Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, stands poised to provide insights into some of humanity's biggest questions and ring in a renaissance of ground-based astronomy.
Learn MoreClimate and Resilience
Carnegie Science's Climate and Resilience Hub meets the urgency of the moment by bringing together researchers from across all three Carnegie Science divisions with a broad range of technical and scientific expertise that is critical for tackling challenges in climate, resilience, and sustainability.
Learn MoreJWST at Carnegie
Carnegie Science astrophysicists and planetary scientists continue to showcase their creativity and propensity for bold research ideas using JWST. Over three cycles of telescope-time allocation, 13 projects headed up by Carnegie-affiliated astronomers have been selected to use JWST to study objects ranging from exoplanet atmospheres to the earliest generations of stars and galaxies.
Learn MoreOrigins Research
The search for life in the Solar System and beyond has been identified by NASA as its top strategic priority. Carnegie Science is positioned to draw on expertise and equipment from astronomers, planetary scientists, plant biologists, cellular and molecular biologists, astrobiologists, geophysicists, and geochemists to probe this most fundamental question. By revealing the factors that enabled life to arise and thrive on ancient Earth, our scientists can identify exoplanets that are good candidates for hosting life.
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