Division News
In Memoriam
Rudy Marcus
July 21, 1923 – July 16, 2026
Rudolph A. (Rudy) Marcus, Caltech's John G. Kirkwood and Arthur A. Noyes Professor of Chemistry, passed away on July 16, 2026. The prolific chemist, who approached theory with infinite curiosity and the background of an experimentalist, was five days shy of his 103rd birthday.
On July 23, 2026, faculty [or colleagues, if you want to use a broader professional category], friends, and members of the Marcus family gathered for an intimate event at the Athenaeum in remembrance of Rudy Marcus.
A range of speakers were invited to give eulogies that spanned many parts of Rudy's professional and personal life. Speeches by Provost David Tirrell, Harry Gray, and Mitchio Okumura touched on the breadth of Rudy's time in the Division and each included their own personal anecdotes with Rudy. His three sons, Alan, Ken and Ray, and his granddaughter, Sara, spoke of his humility, humanity, and his endless scientific curiosity. Jack Zhang, CEO, CSO, President and Co-Founder of Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and, who, with his wife, Mary Luo, is a founding donor of the Rudolph A. Marcus Center for Theoretical Chemistry, reflected on his relationship with Rudy as their mentor and friend of over forty years.
DiscoTech 2026
From April 12 to April 15, DiscoTech returned to campus to welcome admitted undergraduate students. Across the four day event, students chatted with faculty, current CCE students, toured labs and saw first-hand the research happening across the division.
Staff Appreciation Picnic
On April 23, 2026, CCE staff and faculty gathered at Tournament Park for the division's annual staff appreciation picnic. Staff celebrated recent awards and news while enjoying burgers, pie, and ice cream from local favorite Pie N' Burger.
Named Lectures
Ernest H. Swift Lecture
The Ernest H. Swift Lecture was held on February 23, 2026. Christopher “Kit” Cummins, Henry Dreyfus Professor of Chemistry from MIT gave his talk titled "Sustainable Production of Reduced Phosphorus Compounds." Ruth and Eddie Hughes were longtime members of the Caltech community who contributed greatly to both the scientific and non-scientific life of the CCE Division and the Institute for over 70 years. Following Ruth's passing in 2009, this special lecture series is held in their honor.
Beckman Lecture
The Beckman Lecture was held on May 13, 2026. Milan Mrksich from Northwestern University gave his talk titled MegaMolecules and Applications as Antibody Mimics." The Beckman Lecture series was established by Professor Peter Dervan in 1985 to honor Dr. Arnold Orville Beckman.
W.N. Lacey Lectureship In
Chemical Engineering
The W. N. Lectureship in Chemical Engineering was held on April 27 and 28, 2026. Zhenan Bao, K.K. Lee Professor of Chemical Engineering, and by courtesy, Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University, presented her lectures titled From Electronics Skin to NeuroString" and "Skin-inspired Electronic Polymer Design." This series of distinguished lectureships is named in honor of Dr. William Noble Lacey. The yearly special lectures honoring W. N. Lacey recognize outstanding research and are held during the winter or spring quarters. The objective of the lectureship program is to bring to the campus world-renowned experts currently active in chemical engineering or related disciplines.
McCoy Award Symposium
Each year, the Herbert Newby McCoy Award recognizes the most outstanding achievements in research by CCE graduate students. The two recipients this year were Christian Totoiu and Pierre Walker, presenting their talks titled "Electron Spin-based Quantum Sensing in Biomolecular Systems" and "Anomalous Phase Behavior in Polymer Solutions with Electrostatic Interactions", respectively.
CCE Commencement Celebration
Students, faculty and staff across the division gathered in Schlinger Patio on June 9, 2026 to celebrate the Class of 2026!