What is the ACS Bridge Program?
The ACS-BP mission is to strengthen the chemical sciences in the United States by increasing the number of underrepresented minority students who receive doctoral degrees in chemical sciences.
The American Chemical Society Bridge Program (ACS-BP) is an effort to increase the number of chemical science PhDs awarded to underrepresented (UR) students defined by the project as primarily Black, Latinx, and Indigenous students. As part of a national effort, the Inclusive Graduate Education Network (IGEN), ACS-BP is doing this by creating sustainable transition (bridge) programs and a national network of doctoral-granting institutions that provide substantial mentoring for students to successfully complete PhD programs. The ACS-BP is modeled after the successful American Physical Society (APS) Bridge Program.
The ACS Bridge project incorporates practices from programs that have strong evidence of success in supporting UR students. The ACS-BP will also establish links between minority-serving and doctoral-granting institutions through research activities, collaboration, and personal contacts. Since today’s doctoral students will become tomorrow’s academic, industrial, and government leaders, empowering more UR PhDs will lead to a multiplicative effect in inspiring students at all stages of our educational ecosystem and addressing persistent disparities.
Participating Departments
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ACS Bridge Sites
- Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering - Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Chemistry and Biochemistry - Indiana University, Bloomington
Chemistry - The Ohio State University
Chemistry and Biochemistry - University of California, San Diego
Chemistry and Biochemistry - University of Wisconsin, Madison
Chemistry
- Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology)
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ACS Bridge Partners
- Brown University Chemistry
- California State University, Fresno
Chemistry - Columbia University
Chemistry - CUNY Chemistry
- Florida Agricultural Mechanical University
Chemical Engineering - Northeastern University Chemistry and Chemical Biology
- South Dakota State University
Chemistry and Biochemistry - Stony Brook University
Chemistry - The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Chemistry and Biochemistry - University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Chemical Engineering - University of Illinois, Chicago Pharmaceutical Sciences Department
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Chemistry - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Chemistry - University of Northern Colorado
Chemistry and Biochemistry - University of Rochester Chemistry
- University of Washington Chemistry
- Villanova University Chemistry

Now Accepting Bridge Fellow Applications - Due March 31
We are now accepting Bridge Fellow applications for the 2021-2022 cohort! For more information, please visit the IGEN website. Email bridge@acs.org with questions.
Now Accepting Bridge Partner Proposals - Due June 1
Start the Bridge Partner Request for Proposal Process by downloading the RFP. Email bridge@acs.org to learn more.

The ACS Bridge Project is generously supported by the US National Science Foundation through grant NSF-1834545 and by the Genentech Foundation. The ACS Bridge Project is in collaboration with the Inclusive Graduate Education Network. Bridge Travel Awards are partially supported by PPG Industries Foundation.