Cornell University has announced a $10 million gift from trustee and alumnus Sam Fleming ('62) and his widow, Nancy, in support of state-of-the-art molecular engineering labs.

The gift will establish the Samuel C. Fleming Molecular Engineering Laboratories — seventy-three hundred square feet of new lab space dedicated to research on drug design, drug delivery, biomedical diagnostics, and the discovery of new materials. The space and equipment in the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering will be shared by three faculty members: Tisch University Professor Nick Abbott, an innovator in colloid and interface science who recently demonstrated liquid crystal droplets that can hold a variety of "micro-cargo," including medicines, and escort them through a biological environment; assistant professor Chris Alabi, an expert in synthetic and biophysical chemistry; and assistant professor Rong Yang, who specializes in material design for biomedical applications. 

"These faculty members represent a powerful cluster who truly engineer systems from the molecular scale," said Abe Stroock, William C. Hooey director of the Smith School. "This laboratory space will allow them to continue to develop new chemical design principles, synthesize their own molecules, and pursue a rich array of applications in biomedical and environmental contexts."

Fleming, who served as a trustee emeritus until his death in May at the age of 78, had supported Cornell's growth in biomolecular engineering  with a 2015 endowment gift in support of graduate fellowships. He was founding chair, CEO, and later chairman emeritus of Decision Resources, Inc., a company known for its therapeutically focused analyses of global biopharmaceutical and managed healthcare markets.

"Not only will the lab space recognize the enduring legacy of one of our most successful alumni in Sam Fleming," said Stroock, "but it will enable us to attract and retain top scholars in the field."

(Image credit: Cornell University)