The Beckman Institute at Caltech is a multi-disciplinary center for research in the chemical and biological sciences, located at and partnering with the
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...
(Caltech) in
Pasadena, California,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
Founding
Founding of the Beckman Institute at Caltech was supported by a major philanthropic gift from the
Arnold Orville Beckman
Arnold Orville Beckman (April 10, 1900 – May 18, 2004) was an American chemist, inventor, investor, and philanthropist. While a professor at California Institute of Technology, he founded Beckman Instruments based on his 1934 invention of th ...
and his wife Mabel, through the
Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation. Beckman had a long-term relationship with Caltech as a student, teacher and trustee. After discussions with chemists
Harry B. Gray and
Peter Dervan, and biologists
Eric H. Davidson and
Leroy Hood
Leroy "Lee" Edward Hood (born October 10, 1938) is an American biologist who has served on the faculties at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of Washington.
Hood has developed ground-breaking scientific instrum ...
, Beckman announced in 1986 that he would donate $50 million to establish the institute and an accompanying endowment. The Beckman Institute at Caltech was chartered by Caltech in 1987.
![Beckman Institute at Caltech](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Beckman_Institute_at_Caltech.jpg)
The institute building was designed by architect
Albert C. Martin, Jr. in a Spanish style with a pool and a central courtyard. It was dedicated on October 26, 1989, and opened in 1990.
The building included four levels of laboratory space, libraries, and archives.
Mission
The institute's mission was to foster innovative research in the chemical and biological sciences. A strong emphasis was placed on instrumentation, both in developing new research technologies, and in making facilities available to researchers across the university.
Organizational structure
Four Caltech professors have served as directors of the Beckman Institute:
*
Harry B. Gray, Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry (1986–2001)
*
Barbara Wold, Bren Professor of Molecular Biology (2001–2012)
*
David A. Tirrell, Ross McCollum-William H. Corcoran Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (2012–2018)
*
Dennis A. Dougherty, George Grant Hoag Professor of Chemistry (2018–Present)
Within the institute were nine resource centers, each focusing on a different area of research. A tenth resource center has since been added.
, the resource centers and their principal investigators and directors were as follows:
* Center for Computational Regulatory Genomics:
Eric H. Davidson, Principal investigator;
R. Andrew Cameron, Director
* CLOVER (CLARITY, Optogenetics, and Vector Engineering Research Center): Viviana Gradinaru, principal investigator; Ben Deverman, director
* Functional Genomics Resource Center:
Barbara Wold, principal investigator; Brian Williams, director
* Laser Resource Center:
Harry B. Gray, principal investigator;
Jay R. Winkler, director
* Mass Spectrometry Resource Center:
Jack Beauchamp, principal investigator
* Molecular Materials Resource Center:
Nate Lewis
Nathaniel "Nate" Lewis (born October 19, 1966) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He played six seasons for the San Diego Chargers (1990–1993) and the Chicago Bears (1994–1995).
Born ...
, principal investigator;
Bruce S. Brunschwig, director
* Molecular Observatory:
Douglas C. Rees, principal investigator;
Jens Kaiser, director
* Programmable Molecular Technology Center:
Niles Pierce, principal investigator;
Harry M. T. Choi, director
* Proteome Exploration Lab:
Raymond Deshaies, principal investigator;
Sonja Hess, director
* Transmission Electron Microscopy:
Grant Jensen, principal investigator;
Alasdair McDowall
Alasdair is a Scottish Gaelic given name. The name is a Gaelic form of ''Alexander'' which has long been a popular name in Scotland. The personal name ''Alasdair'' is often Anglicised as ''Alistair'', '' Alastair'', and ''Alaster''.''A Dictionary ...
, director
References
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California Institute of Technology buildings and structures
Research institutes in California
1982 establishments in California
Science and technology in Greater Los Angeles