USC Michelson Hall

Michelson Hall, home to the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, is one of just a few facilities in the world dedicated to the convergence of research in engineering and physical and life sciences.

By focusing on cellular, molecular and quantum engineering and the natural sciences, the Center’s interdisciplinary team of medical researchers, scientists and engineers is collaborating to speed the development of new drugs, critical diagnostics and biomedical devices from bench to bedside.

Designed to provoke creative collisions and interdisciplinary interaction, the facility includes flexible wet labs, research centers, a fabrication lab, a vibration-insulated cleanroom, offices, conference rooms and shared collaborative space.

Wrapped within the building’s brick facade, with its Collegiate Gothic architecture of looming arches and peaked windows, is a contemporary space that resembles a Silicon Valley work environment. An open “living room” space has a collection of seating options, huddle and meeting rooms, as well as a 22-foot-long community table where people can socialize and share ideas while drinking coffee. Interior glass walls encourage transparency, curiosity and connection among all faculty and researchers. The building’s 300 windows bring natural light into all four floors.

With its highly advanced work and research spaces and 100 gigabits of fiber connectivity, the Center serves as an integral part of Southern California’s burgeoning biomedical research corridor.