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Northwestern Chemistry

Recent News

 

Covalent organic frameworks electrify carbon capture

Researchers from the labs of Omar Farha and Ted Sargent have developed an electrically driven carbon-capture system using quinone-functionalized covalent organic frameworks. The material captures and releases CO₂ through reversible electrochemical reactions, eliminating energy-intensive heating and enabling modular, plug-and-play devices for capturing carbon directly from industrial exhaust streams.

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Paralysis treatment heals lab-grown human spinal cord organoids

Scientists at Northwestern University have developed the most advanced human spinal cord organoid model to study injury and regeneration. In new work from the lab of Samuel Stupp, researchers demonstrated that a regenerative “dancing molecules” therapy promotes neurite growth and reduces scar-like tissue, advancing efforts toward treatments for spinal cord injury.

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Stupp Spinal Cord Organoids
Gianneschi undruggable cancer proteins

Trashing cancer’s ‘undruggable’ proteins

Northwestern researchers have developed protein-like polymers that capture cancer-driving proteins and send them to the cell’s waste-disposal system for destruction. In work led by Nathan Gianneschi, the HYDRAC platform successfully targeted MYC and KRAS—two notoriously “undruggable” proteins—halting tumor growth in early studies and opening new strategies for cancer therapy.

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Announcements & Events

 

Faculty Honors

 
2026 Army Research Office Early Career Program (ECP) Award in Electrochemistry

Dayne Swearer received the 2026 Army Research Office Early Career Program (ECP) Award in Electrochemistry

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Student Awards

 
Amani Alghamdi Ibn Rushd Fellow
Amani Alghamdi named a KAUST 2026 Ibn Rushd Fellow

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Upcoming Events

 

All Events

Community Spotlight

 

The faculty, students, alumni, and staff who comprise our department are dedicated to outstanding research and scholarship.

Fall Newsletter

 

With the start of a new academic year, I am delighted to welcome a new cohort of students to our department and to see the energy and enthusiasm they bring. The past year has been full of adventures, growth, and many successes across research, teaching, and service—from welcoming Jesse Gordon as a new faculty member, to celebrating the promotions of Todd Gingrich and Katie Gesmundo, to recognizing the many national ACS awards received by our faculty. These achievements reflect the dedication, creativity, and collaboration of our community, and they remind me how fortunate I am to serve as chair of such a remarkable department.

Looking ahead, I am confident that the future is bright—filled with opportunities to push the boundaries of discovery, strengthen our programs, and continue building an environment where every member can thrive. I look forward to seeing what we are capable of achieving together in the coming months and years. Let us remain committed to supporting one another, lifting each other up, and celebrating both individual and collective successes along the way. Go ’Cats!

 

Explore the Fall 2025 Newsletter

Our Research

 

Research at the Department of Chemistry is innovative, collaborative and interdisciplinary by nature.

Cutting Edge Science

 

Watch our videos to learn more about the Chemistry at Northwestern.

Learn more about interdisciplinary training in the Department
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