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.
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Earth & Planets Laboratory
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.
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Observatories
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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Strategic Science Priorities
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.
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Next-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.
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Climate 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.
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JWST 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.
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Origins 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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Where to Find Us
