Why Choose Rockefeller?

Our dedicated faculty is made up of the brightest and most creative scientists in the world, including innovators, prizewinners, and pioneers who wrote the book on biology. View the full list of our heads of laboratory.

Rockefeller faculty members are passionate, curious, and energetic. Whether studying individual cells or model organisms, human beings or entire populations, Rockefeller’s scientists are working to explore the inner workings of life and are attempting to unravel the causes of disease. The fundamental questions that inform their research are posed in the service of expanding knowledge, and the results they generate have opened up new fields and overturned long-held dogma. It’s this emphasis on inquiry and discovery above all else that sets Rockefeller apart from its peers and that has sustained its excellence over more than 100 years.

Taken as a whole, the faculty has a record of achievement that is virtually unmatched in academia. Throughout the university’s history, faculty have won 26 Nobel Prizes and 25 Albert Lasker Awards, among other prestigious honors.

The program leaders get to know every student one-on-one, helping each to plan and execute a course of study that’s just right for them. In addition to mentorship from faculty advisors, students receive careful, thoughtful guidance from deans Tim Stearns and Emily Harms. Their job is to listen to what each student needs, and help create a strategy to achieve it. Students design and conduct experiments designed to yield new knowledge, working across disciplines and benefiting from the knowledge and resources of our 71 laboratories across 10 broad research areas.

A Rockefeller education opens the door to opportunities in academia, biotech, pharma, business, policy and beyond. The Office of Career and Professional Development offers students personal assistance in exploring their options and clarifying their goals, offering a springboard to a rewarding career in science.

Rockefeller is committed to providing professional and personal support that allows our students to take on learning, not debt. We offer a generous stipend, health insurance for students and their families, and an annual research budget intended to enrich scientific training. On campus, our Child and Family Center provides affordable group childcare for the entire Rockefeller community.

All Rockefeller students receive subsidized housing from arrival through graduation. Bring your own furniture or use ours – either way, the apartments are clean, secure, and comfortable. Rents start at $720.

Rockefeller student life extends far beyond the lab bench. Our students perform in orchestras, play league sports, and volunteer in the community. Scientific and nonscientific speakers fill the university’s lecture calendar. Venturing beyond our leafy, serene campus, students find themselves in the heart of Manhattan. Easy access to world-class museums, concerts, and theater provides artistic balance to scientific pursuit.