Caltech and Carnegie Science Partnership to Boost Life and Environmental Sciences Research

Two of the nation’s leading scientific institutions have announced a partnership that will enhance life and environmental sciences research in Pasadena.

Caltech in Pasadena and the Carnegie Institution for Science have signed an agreement to collaborate on life sciences research initiatives, spanning such disciplines as genomics, global ecology, and planetary dynamics.

As an immediate outcome of the agreement, Carnegie is moving many of its life and environmental scientists to Pasadena, eventually to a new,  state-of-the-art research facility. From their new home base in Pasadena, Carnegie scientists will be able to address some of the most significant challenges facing humankind today – including climate change, global hunger, sustainable energy, and biodiversity loss – as well as to probe long-standing mysteries, such as the origins of life on Earth.

“Both institutions are looking forward to working together to think about how biology and biological engineering can advance our understanding of the world around us, but also help us come up with new ideas and come up with new technologies that can help humanity in the biological sciences,” Prof. Richard Murray, Division Chair for Biology and Biological Engineering at Caltech, said. “So it’s a great fit because the departments that are moving here to Pasadena, as I’m sure, are the Department of Embryology, which is doing developmental and cellular biology, Department of Plant Biology and the Department of Global Ecology.” 

The partnership builds on the historical ties between the two institutions in astronomy and the physical sciences. It also follows Carnegie’s decision in March 2020 to relocate its life and environmental scientists from Stanford, as well as life scientists from Baltimore to Pasadena.

As part of the relocation, Carnegie plans to construct the new research facility on property purchased from Caltech and situated just blocks away from the campus.

“Caltech and Carnegie combined really brings a lot of strength to this very important issue, particularly here in California where we know climate change is an important issue for all humans,” John Mulchaey, Director of the Carnegie Observatories at the Carnegie Institution of Science, said. “But here in California, we’ve really made it a priority to try to address this. And so I think bringing together these two academic giants to really help solve this will bring all sorts of new initiatives and new ideas.” 

Working closer together, scientists from both institutions will be able to work across fields and institutions, sharing resources, facilities, and expertise. The partnership will also benefit from the existing collaborations between Caltech and Carnegie in astronomy; the two institutions are both part of the U.S. Extremely Large Telescope program.

The partnership aims to advance scientific research in life and environmental sciences to address some of the most significant global challenges and deepen our understanding of various scientific phenomena, including the origins of life on Earth.

Dr. John Mulchaey, Science Deputy at Carnegie Science and director of Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, said the partnership will create new opportunities for scientists to tackle some of the most pressing questions about life on Earth and beyond.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Caltech, one of the world’s leading scientific institutions, to advance life and environmental sciences research in Pasadena,” Mulchaey said. “This partnership will leverage the strengths of both institutions in areas such as genomics, global ecology, and planetary dynamics.”

Prof. Richard Murray, Chair of the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering at Caltech, said the partnership will enhance the research capabilities and impact of both institutions.

“We are delighted to welcome Carnegie Science to Pasadena and to formalize our partnership in life and environmental sciences,” Murray said. “We look forward to working with Carnegie Science to make a lasting impact on the scientific landscape.”

“I know that Caltech shares our desire to use discovery science to understand our world and to improve our lives and the health of our planet. I am confident that deepening our historic partnership will make a decisive impact on the research enterprise,” Carnegie President Eric D. Isaacs said in a statement in July when the plan to move most of the life science experts to Pasadena was announced. 

Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum said the partnership will advance a new approach to studying the natural world, echoing the decades of collaboration between scientists from the two institutions in astronomy and physical sciences. 

“Caltech and Carnegie have followed remarkably similar scientific trajectories through their histories,” Rosenbaum said. “We welcome the opportunity to more deeply connect these pursuits by building with focus and intention new collaborations in astronomy and the life and environmental sciences.”

Caltech said some Carnegie scientists now have lab spaces at the institute. Other Carnegie scientists will arrive in 2025 and work in the new research facility being built nearby.