Samuel Stupp designs and develops supramolecular polymers for various applications, ranging from clean energy technology to regenerative medicine. But his polymers are most famous for enabling mice to use their legs again after a spinal cord injury.   

From the downtown Chicago office of Samuel Stupp, professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, Medicine, and Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University, you look out onto the Northwestern Memorial Hospital. An inspiring view, if you ask Stupp, who likes to combine scientific fields and cross the boundaries of chemistry to achieve what he set out to do: making a real impact on people’s life.