Professor Dr. Niles Pierce
Professor
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Biography
Niles Pierce is the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor at the California Institute of Technology, specializing in Applied Computational Mathematics and Bioengineering. He received his Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Princeton University in 1993 and completed his Doctorate at the University of Oxford in 1997. Pierce served as Assistant Professor at Caltech from 2000 to 2006, then progressed to Associate Professor from 2006 to 2010, and has held the position of Professor since 2010. He was also appointed as MacArthur Professor in 2024 and has been involved in various administrative roles including Acting Executive Officer and Executive Officer within the engineering division. His research interests span Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computational Mathematics, Molecular Programming, Chemical Biology, and Synthetic Biology. Pierce's work focuses on engineering small conditional DNAs and RNAs for signal transduction in various environments, as well as the development of computational algorithms for the analysis and design of nucleic acid structures, devices, and systems.
Research Interests
Experience
Professor
2010-01-01 — 2024-01-01California Institute of Technology • Pasadena, CA
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor in Applied Computational Mathematics and Bioengineering.
Associate Professor
2006-01-01 — 2010-01-01California Institute of Technology • Pasadena, CA
Advanced to Associate Professor from Assistant Professor.
Assistant Professor
2000-01-01 — 2006-01-01California Institute of Technology • Pasadena, CA
Started as an Assistant Professor before promotion.
Executive Officer
2007-01-01 — 2013-01-01California Institute of Technology • Pasadena, CA
Served as Executive Officer from 2007 to 2013.
Acting Executive Officer
2007-01-01 — 2008-01-01California Institute of Technology • Pasadena, CA
Acted as Executive Officer during initial transition period.
Executive Officer
2020-01-01 — 2024-01-01California Institute of Technology • Pasadena, CA
Reappointed as Executive Officer from 2020.
Requirements for California Institute of Technology
Doctorate Program
Requirements
TOEFL
IELTS
Prerequisites
Application Checklist
- Online Application
- Statement of Purpose
- Three Letters of Recommendation
- Transcripts
- Resume/CV
Specialization Notes
Most Caltech graduate programs are PhD-only. GRE General and Subject tests vary by department; many have made them optional or no longer accept them.