The Rockefeller University is a world-renowned center for research and graduate education in the biomedical sciences, chemistry, bioinformatics and physics. The university's 75 laboratories conduct both clinical and basic research and study a diverse range of biological and biomedical problems with the mission of improving the understanding of life for the benefit of humanity.

Founded in 1901 by John D. Rockefeller, the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research was the country's first institution devoted exclusively to biomedical research. The Rockefeller University Hospital was founded in 1910 as the first hospital devoted exclusively to clinical research. In the 1950s, the institute expanded its mission to include graduate education and began training new generations of scientists to become research leaders around the world. In 1965, it was renamed The Rockefeller University.

The university is supported by a combination of government and private grants and contracts, private philanthropy and income from the endowment.

Since its founding, The Rockefeller University has embraced an open structure to encourage collaboration between disciplines and empower faculty members to take on high-risk, high-reward projects. No formal departments exist, bureaucracy is kept to a minimum and scientists are given resources, support and unparalleled freedom to follow the science wherever it leads.