About

Ross M. Brown, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and Caltech alumnus (BS '56, MS '57) established the Brown Investigator Awards in 2020. Caltech's commitment to high-risk, high-reward science is mirrored in the Brown Institute for Basic Sciences support for curiosity-driven basic research in chemistry and physics.

Now, Brown and Caltech will become official partners in this effort to invest in and promote basic science. With a $400 million pledge, Brown is establishing the Brown Institute for Basic Sciences at Caltech and entrusting the Institute with oversight of the Brown Investigator Awards program. Caltech will not nominate its own investigators or compete for the awards but will ensure that the program remains true to the vision of the founder. Nominees will be evaluated by an independent scientific review board that will recommend grant winners. A select number of research universities from across the country will be invited to nominate faculty members, within 10 years of having received tenure, who are doing innovative fundamental research in the physical sciences.

Under the new arrangement, Caltech will grant a minimum of eight Brown Investigator Awards per year, each of which will provide the awardee with $2 million in research funding over five years. Caltech also will host an annual symposium for the selected scholars.