Dr. David Tirrell

Biography

David Tirrell is the Provost and the Ross McCollum-William H. Corcoran Professor in the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). He has held the position of Provost since 2017, after a distinguished academic career that began with his appointment as a professor in 1998. Dr. Tirrell served as Chair of the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering from 1999 to 2009 and was the Director of the Beckman Institute from 2012 to 2018. He completed his B.S. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1974, followed by an M.S. from the University of Massachusetts in 1976, and a Ph.D. in 1978. Dr. Tirrell has received an honorary doctorate from Eindhoven Technical University and is renowned for his research in biocatalysis, biomaterials, polymer science, and protein engineering. His research focuses on creating new macromolecular systems with controlled architecture and novel functions, including the development of synthetic polymers that mimic the properties of natural proteins and nucleic acids.

Research Interests