Carnegie investigators are leaders in the fields of  astronomy, Earth & planetary science, genetics & developmental biology, global ecology, matter at extreme states, and plant science. Carnegie's research is conducted by some 80 investigators; a constantly changing roster of students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting investigators; with a dedicated support staff of instrument builders and technicians, business administrators, facilities staff, and more.

The Earth and Planets Laboratory, in Washington, DC, (Astronomy & Earth and Planetary Science); Rick Carlson, Director

The Department of Embryology, in Baltimore, MD, (Genetics & Developmental Biology); Yixian Zheng, Director

The Department of Global Ecology, in Stanford, CA, (Global Ecology); Anna Michalak, Director

The Observatories, in Pasadena, CA, (Astronomy); John Mulchaey, Director

The Department of Plant Biology, in Stanford, CA, (Plant Science); Zhiyong Wang, Acting Director