University of Chicago faculty produce ideas that matter—and change lives in Chicago and beyond. Through interdisciplinary research, our scholars, scientists, and educators have contributed to some of the world's greatest discoveries, advancements, and bodies of knowledge. Perhaps even more impressive is their dedication to their students: Known as "teachers of teachers," our faculty offer students mentorship and guidance, and undergraduates have access to faculty at every level, ensuring that the knowledge we produce benefits current generations as well as those to come.

This is UChicago
UChicago Breakthrough

UChicago Breakthrough
Dr. Christoph Broelsch and his team performed the first living-donor liver transplant in the United States in November 1989, which turned out to be the first successful living-donor liver transplant in the world.
Meet the patient »

Argonne National Laboratory

The University manages Argonne National Laboratory, one of the oldest and largest of the U.S. Department of Energy. Among many contributions to society, Argonne has partnered with General Motors on improving electronic car performance using Argonne's patented composite cathode material to make advanced lithium-ion batteries.
Read more about Argonne and GM »
Explore the national labs »

Haun Saussy, leading scholar in Chinese and comparative literature

University Professors are selected for internationally recognized eminence in their fields as well as for their potential for high impact across the University. Haun Saussy, leading scholar in Chinese and comparative literature, is the University Professor of Comparative Literature.
See more University Professors »

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

The University is a partner in managing Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, the only U.S. laboratory dedicated to high-energy physics, named for UChicago professor and Nobel laureate Enrico Fermi. With his colleagues, Fermi conducted the first controlled, self-sustaining, nuclear chain reaction on December 2, 1942, initiating the modern nuclear age.
Explore the national labs »

Shulamit Ran

Composer and music professor Shulamit Ran was referred to by the New York Times as "among America's most widely recognized creators." Ran received a Pulitzer Prize for her music composition Symphony.
Read about Shulamit Ran »
See UChicago Pulitzer winners »

Steven D. Levitt

UChicago faculty have entertained and enlightened the world through the written word. Among the many respected and popular authors to have taught on our faculty are Nobel Prize winners Saul Bellow and J. M. Coetzee, and New York Times bestseller Steven D. Levitt.

  • By the
    Numbers

  • 8 Nobel laureates currently on our faculty

    8 Nobel laureates currently on our faculty

    To date, 87 Nobel Prize winners—16 percent of all recipients—have been associated with the University of Chicago as faculty members, students, or researchers, starting with Albert A. Michelson, who won in 1907 for measuring the speed of light.

  • 23 MacArthur "genius" grants

    23 MacArthur "genius" grants

    The MacArthur Fellows Program has awarded grants to 23 current and former faculty for exceptional creativity, promise for important future advances, and potential for the fellowship to facilitate new work.

  • 9 Fields Medalists

    Nine UChicago mathematicians, including 4 current and former faculty, have won the Fields Medal, regarded as the highest honor in the field.

    Ngô Bao Châu

    Ngô Bao Châu received the Fields Medal in 2010 for his proof of the Fundamental Lemma in the theory of automorphic forms through the introduction of new algebro-geometric methods.

  • 220+ Guggenheim fellowships

    More than 220 Guggenheim fellowships have supported research by current and former faculty.

    Judith Zeitlin

    Judith Zeitlin, a scholar of Chinese literature, cultural history and opera, received a Guggenheim, which she will use to complete a book that explores musical culture in China during the late Ming and early Qing periods (roughly 1560-1700).

  • 8 Presidential Medal of Freedom winners

    8 Presidential Medal of Freedom winners

    Janet Rowley

    Janet Rowley, LAB'42, PhB'45, SB'46, MD'48, is one of eight current and former faculty to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which she earned for her pioneering cancer research.

  • 9 National Humanities Medal winners

    Nine current and former faculty have won the National Humanities Medal.

    John Hope Franklin

    The late John Hope Franklin received the National Humanities Medal in 1993. An influential historian in African American studies, his groundbreaking work From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans was first published in 1947 and remains an authoritative work in the field.

  • 15 National Medal of Science winners

    15 National Medal of Science winners

    Robert Clayton

    Chemistry professor Robert Clayton is among 15 current and former faculty winners of the National Medal of Science, which he received for "his leading contributions to cosmic chemistry" and "for being an exemplary role model as a mentor, teacher and advocate for rigorous science."

  • 5 Mellon Foundation Distinguished Achievement Awards since 2001

    5 Mellon Foundation Distinguished Achievement Awards since 2001

    Tom Gunning

    The Mellon Foundation recognized professor Tom Gunning as "a historian and theorist of early cinema who has redefined the historiography of film" and "an influential analyst of film and modern media in their relation to cultural history and theory."

  • More than $400 million in sponsored research awards each year

    More than $400 million in sponsored research awards each year

    A major hub for world-changing research, UChicago earns more than $400 million in sponsored research awards each year. In 2010, these funds went to more than 2,500 investigators.

  • Nearly 45 start-up companies based on UChicago technology

    Nearly 45 start-up companies based on UChicago technology

    One way UChicago research enriches human life is through technology transfer. We currently have more than 1,000 active patent cases and more than 220 active license agreements.

  • 50 journals published by the University of Chicago Press

    50 journals published by the University of Chicago Press

    The University of Chicago Press publishes 50 journals and hardcover serials and currently has more than 5,000 books in print, including The Chicago Manual of Style.

  • More discoveries and accolades

    More discoveries and accolades