About the Institute

During its history, the Barnett Institute of Chemical and Biological Analysis has pioneered breakthroughs in separation science, protein analysis, DNAs sequencing and proteomics.

The Barnett Institute is a center of excellence in the development and application of technologies for biopharmaceutical characterization and proteomics and systems biology, with missions to:

  • Develop and apply new technologies for basic and clinical biological research;
  • Develop and apply new technologies for characterization of protein therapeutics;
  • Train students and visiting scientists for academic, industrial, and medical leadership;
  • Collaborate actively with the industrial, regulatory, medical and communities.

The Institute was established in 1973 as a center for advanced interdisciplinary research in the chemical analysis sciences at Northeastern University, in the educational hub of Boston, Massachusetts. It is housed in the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology in the College of Science at Northeastern.

Today, with over 50 scientists and a $12 million endowment, the Institute is recognized internationally as one of the premier centers for cutting-edge research and advanced training in analytical chemistry for biomedical applications. The Barnett Institute’s close ties to the Boston medical industrial communities, along with a active program of spin-outs and licensing technology, provides for many “real life” applications of research advances which have led to more than 1,000 published papers and 75 patents.

More than 375 PhD students, post-doctoral fellows and staff have gone on to distinguished careers in academia, industry and government. The bioanalytical research is at the interface of biology, medicine, chemistry, data science and computer science. Students and staff are trained to develop broad interdisciplinary knowledge, think analytically, and understand in-depth the complexity of the application goals.