# Materials ## Browse By Research Area [**Analytical Chemistry**](/analytical-chemistry "Analytical Chemistry") [**Biophysics**](/biophysics "Biophysics") [**Catalysis**](/catalysis "Catalysis") [**Chemical Biology**](/chemical-biology "Chemical Biology") [**Energy**](/energy "Energy") [**Inorganic Chemistry**](/inorganic-chemistry "Inorganic Chemistry") [**Materials**](/materials "Materials") [**Organic Chemistry**](/organic-chemistry "Organic Chemistry") [**Organometallics**](/organometallics "Organometallics") [**Physical Chemistry**](/physical-chemistry "Physical Chemistry") [**Theoretical Chemistry**](/theoretical-chemistry "Theoretical Chemistry") The creation of new types of solids and liquids by rational and targeted design, or by incorporating basic principles of biomineralization, occupies several of the CCB groups. Nanowires, thin films, photonic circuitry, regulatory networks, liquid-repellent surfaces, thermally reversible materials, and soft robots all are under investigation in CCB. ## Materials Faculty [### Boris Kozinsky ](/people/boris-kozinsky) Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Gordon McKay Professor of Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering ![kozinsky_200x300.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum7776/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/chemistry/files/kozinsky_200x300.jpg?itok=h6xpKnm-) [### Cynthia Friend ](/people/cynthia-friend) Theodore William Richards Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Materials Science, Emerita (Not Accepting Graduate Students) Laboratory Manager/Administrator: Leah DeFrancesco Controlling the chemical and physical properties of interfaces is central to many technologies and particularly in addressing global challenges in reducing energy costs and in developing alternative... ![c_friend.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum7776/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/c_friend_1.jpg?itok=njTqCMlB) [### Daniel G. Nocera ](/people/daniel-g-nocera) Patterson Rockwood Professor of Energy (Accepting Graduate Students) Daniel G. Nocera is the Patterson Rockwood Professor of Energy at Harvard University. A descriptive bio of Professor Nocera can be found here. ![nocera2.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum7776/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/chemistry/files/nocera2.jpg?itok=LpCxgzgZ) [### Eric Heller ](/people/eric-heller) Abbott and James Lawrence Professor of Chemistry Professor of Physics (Accepting Graduate Students) Laboratory Manager/Administrator: Pattee McGarry Eric Heller joined the physics faculty at Harvard in 1993, and became a CCB faculty member in 2009. He received his PhD in Chemical Physics from Harvard. His research centers on time dependent and... ![A headshot of Eric Heller](/sites/g/files/omnuum7776/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/chemistry/files/eric_heller.jpg?itok=_ePEnI9v) [### George Whitesides ](/people/george-whitesides) Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Research Professor (Not Accepting Graduate Students) Laboratory Manager/Administrator: Melissa LeGrand George M. Whitesides was born August 3, 1939 in Louisville, KY. He received an A.B. degree from Harvard University in 1960 and a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology (with J.D. Roberts) in... ![whitesides.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum7776/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/whitesides.jpg?itok=NQ2d83C3) [### Hongkun Park ](/people/hongkun-park) Mark Hyman Jr. Professor of Chemistry Professor of Physics (Accepting Graduate Students) Laboratory Manager/Administrator: Rona Gertner Hongkun Park received his B.S. degree in Chemistry from the College of Natural Sciences at Seoul National University, Korea, where he graduated summa cum laude and Valedictorian in 1990. Following a year of... ![Professor Hongkun Park](/sites/g/files/omnuum7776/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/chemistry/files/hongkunpark.jpg?itok=LwWZck_3) [### Jarad Mason ](/people/jarad-mason) Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology (Accepting Graduate Students) Laboratory Manager/Administrator: Pamela Hernandez The Mason Group applies the tools of coordination chemistry, materials science, and nanotechnology to the synthesis of materials that address basic science challenges in energy and sustainable development... ![Mason, Jarad](/sites/g/files/omnuum7776/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/chemistry/files/j_mason.jpg?itok=GPR5soL-) [### Joanna Aizenberg ](/people/joanna-aizenberg) Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials Science Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Laboratory Manager/Administrator: Marina McLaughlin The Aizenberg lab's research is aimed at understanding some of the basic principles of biological architectures and the economy with which biology solves complex problems in the design of multifunctional... ![Professor Aizenberg](/sites/g/files/omnuum7776/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/chemistry/files/aizenberg_web.jpg?itok=9YKXgg1W) [### Roy Gordon ](/people/roy-gordon) Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Emeritus (Not Accepting Graduate Students) Professor Gordon studied chemical physics at Harvard with Professor J. H. Van Vleck. Following a Junior Fellowship at Toronto and Brussels, he returned to Harvard, where he has served as Chairman of the Department of Chemistry and is the Thomas D. Cabot... ![gordon.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum7776/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/gordon_1.jpg?itok=_yTkimOW) [### Suyang Xu ](/people/suyang-xu) John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Natural Sciences (Accepting Graduate Students) Laboratory Manager/Administrator: Hillary Piccerillo After obtaining his bachelor's degree from Peking University in China, Xu joined Professor Zahid Hasan's group at Princeton. In Hasan's group, Xu became an expert on Angle-Resolved Photoemission... ![A headshot of Suyang Xu wearing a black sweater, looking directly at the camera](/sites/g/files/omnuum7776/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/chemistry/files/suyang_xu.jpg?itok=Wz-RMD-z) ## Recent News [### Gregory H. Robinson (U Georgia) delivers Percy Lavon Julian Prize Lecture ](/news/2026/03/gregory-h-robinson-u-georgia-delivers-percy-lavon-julian-prize-lecture) March 02, 2026 On Thursday, February 26, Gregory H. Robinson, the UGA Foundation Professor at the University of Georgia, delivered his Percy Lavon Julian Prize Lecture, "N-Heterocyclic Carbenes and Dithiolene Radicals: A Counterintuitive Main Group Chemistry Trek."... ![Greg Robinson](/sites/g/files/omnuum7776/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-03/Robinson-nocera.jpg?itok=gQi1FdMe) [### New research: Seeking a carbon-capture breakthrough ](/news/2025/09/new-research-seeking-carbon-capture-breakthrough) September 09, 2025 What tricks can organic molecules be taught to help solve our planet’s biggest problems? That’s the question driving Assistant Professor Richard Y. Liu ’15 as he pushes the frontiers of organic chemistry in pursuit of cleaner synthesis, smarter materials... ![Richard Liu](/sites/g/files/omnuum7776/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-09/Richard%20Liu-Desk.jpg?itok=EDv3glQj) [### Alumna Q&A: Is the secret to immortality in our DNA? ](/news/2025/07/alumna-qa-secret-immortality-our-dna) July 10, 2025 It’s your typical biotech love story: A couple of eager Harvard students stumble upon a brilliant scientific breakthrough in anti-aging, drop out of school to pursue their dream, experience a fast and furious rise to fame before … well, we won’t give the... ![Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor](/sites/g/files/omnuum7776/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-07/notesoninfinity.jpg?itok=KBzqN4xj) [ more news arrow\_circle\_right ](/news)