ISE Building to Become the Sinquefield Science and Engineering Center
In recognition of their longstanding commitment and service, Saint Louis University will name the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building for Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield this March.
Now to be known as the Sinquefield Science and Engineering Center, the building first opened in 2020. Along with 10,000 square feet of research space, it has teaching and laboratories supporting biology, biomedical engineering, chemistry, neuroscience, computer science and more. The building also serves as a collaborative environment that brings students and faculty together for research, making it a valuable recruitment tool.
“SLU’s School of Science and Engineering is experiencing tremendous growth in enrollment and research, which is furthered by collaborative spaces like the Sinquefield Science and Engineering Center,” said Gregory Triplett, Ph.D., dean of SLU’s School of Science and Engineering. “State-of-the-art facilities like this support student engagement in transformative experiences and impactful scholarship that advance technology and support domestic economic development.”
A model of promoting teaching, learning and research efforts was a goal of the Saint Louis University Research Institute, established in 2018 when the Sinquefields made the largest gift in Saint Louis University history — $50 million — to accelerate SLU’s rise as a world-class research university.
In addition to the Research Institute, the gift established the Sinquefield Center for Applied Economic Research. Other institutes followed, including SLU’s Water Institute, the Advanced Health Data Institute, the Institute for Drug and Biotherapeutic Innovation, the Institute for Translational Neuroscience, the Geospatial Institute, and the Center for Additive Manufacturing.
In February, SLU joined an elite group of U.S. research universities in achieving “R1” status in the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching’s 2025 Research Activity Designations — an accomplishment in which the Sinquefields’ gift played a significant role.
"SLU’s impressive research growth would not have been possible without the generosity of Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield," said Saint Louis University President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D. "Their historic 2018 gift has supported the aspirations and fueled the accomplishments of SLU researchers. As we celebrate SLU’s rise to R1 status, it is fitting that we commemorate the enduring impact of the Sinquefield’s transformational contributions to our University."
The Sinquefield Science and Engineering Center joins Saint Louis University’s Sinquefield Chess Commons in Morrissey Hall and the Sinquefield State Room in DuBourg Hall as testaments to the couple’s long and generous history at SLU.
A trustee for 24 years, Rex Sinquefield earned his bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and business at SLU. He met Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield at the University of Chicago, where both earned their MBAs, and she also earned a doctorate in demography. Rex Sinquefield went on to co-found the Dimensional Fund Advisors investment fund, where Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield served as executive vice president and head of trading before their retirement in 2005. The couple are noted philanthropists throughout the St. Louis region and the state of Missouri.
New signage will be installed on the building reflecting their name the week of March 10. The Sinquefields will be honored at a March 18 reception.