Connor Wilson Coley

Connor W. Coley is the Class of 1957 Career Development Professor and Associate Professor at MIT, with joint appointments in the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He is also affiliated with the Schwarzman College of Computing. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Caltech, a Ph.D. from MIT, and completed postdoctoral training at the Broad Institute.

His research integrates AI, chemistry, and automation to accelerate molecular design and reaction discovery. Key focus areas include:

• AI-driven synthesis planning and reaction prediction
• Machine learning for molecular property optimization
• Laboratory automation and high-throughput experimentation
• Therapeutic discovery and bioisosteric drug design

His work bridges computational models with experimental validation.

His publications emphasize machine learning in chemistry, with recent trends in generative models for molecular design, reaction mechanism prediction, and autonomous experimentation. Key themes include improving model generalizability, addressing data biases, and enhancing synthesizability predictions.

Scientific Awards & Honors:

• NSF CAREER Award (2021)
• Forbes 30 Under 30: Healthcare (2019)
• Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar (2025)
• MIT Common Ground Award for Excellence in Teaching (2023)
• James W. Swan Outstanding Faculty Award (2024, 2025)

He leads the Coley Research Group, advising 18+ graduate students and postdocs. His team develops open-source tools like ASKCOS for synthesis planning and collaborates with industry partners (e.g., Sanofi). The group leverages robotic platforms for high-throughput experimentation and maintains active projects in retrosynthesis, metabolomics, and polymer design.