Beckman Institute at Caltech explained

Beckman Institute at Caltech
Established:	1990
Research Field:	Chemical and biological sciences
Director:	Dennis A. Dougherty
City:	Pasadena, California, United States
Affiliations:	California Institute of Technology
Website:	http://beckmaninstitute.caltech.edu/

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 (Caltech) in Pasadena, California, United States.

Founding

Founding of the Beckman Institute at Caltech was supported by a major philanthropic gift from the Arnold Orville Beckman 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, 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.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.^[1] The building included four levels of laboratory space, libraries, and archives.^[2]

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.^[3]

Organizational structure

Four Caltech professors have served as directors of the Beckman Institute:

• Harry B. Gray, Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry (1986–2001)^[4]
• Barbara Wold, Bren Professor of Molecular Biology (2001–2012)^[5]
• David A. Tirrell, Ross McCollum-William H. Corcoran Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (2012–2018)^[6]
• Dennis A. Dougherty, George Grant Hoag Professor of Chemistry (2018–Present)^[7]

Within the institute were nine resource centers, each focusing on a different area of research. A tenth resource center has since been added.^[8], the resource centers and their principal investigators and directors were as follows:^[9]

• Center for Computational Regulatory Genomics: Eric H. Davidson, Principal investigator; R. Andrew Cameron, Director^[10]
• 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^[11]
• Laser Resource Center: Harry B. Gray, principal investigator; Jay R. Winkler, director^[12]
• Mass Spectrometry Resource Center: Jack Beauchamp, principal investigator^[13]
• Molecular Materials Resource Center: Nate Lewis, principal investigator;^[14] Bruce S. Brunschwig, director^[15]
• Molecular Observatory: Douglas C. Rees, principal investigator;^[16] Jens Kaiser, director^[17]
• Programmable Molecular Technology Center: Niles Pierce, principal investigator; Harry M. T. Choi, director^[18]
• Proteome Exploration Lab: Raymond Deshaies, principal investigator; Sonja Hess, director^[19]
• Transmission Electron Microscopy: Grant Jensen, principal investigator; Alasdair McDowall, director^[20]

References

34.1391°N -118.1245°W

Notes and References

1. Book: 978-0-941901-23-9 . Arnold Thackray . Minor Myers, Jr. . amp . foreword by James D. Watson. . 2000 . Chemical Heritage Foundation . Philadelphia, Pa. . Arnold O. Beckman : one hundred years of excellence.
2. Web site: Beckman Research Institute California Institute of Technology. AC Martin. 10 February 2016.
3. Web site: Mission and organization. Beckman Institute. 10 February 2016.
4. Web site: Harry B. Gray www.cce.caltech.edu. www.cce.caltech.edu. en. 2018-08-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20170810170306/http://www.cce.caltech.edu/content/harry-b-gray. 2017-08-10. dead.
5. News: Caltech biologist Barbara Woldnamed Beckman Institute director Caltech. The California Institute of Technology. 2018-08-02. en.
6. News: Caltech Professor David Tirrell Named Director of the Beckman Institute Caltech. The California Institute of Technology. 2018-08-02. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20180803014528/http://www.caltech.edu/article/307. 2018-08-03. dead.
7. News: Dennis Dougherty Named Director of Beckman Institute Caltech. The California Institute of Technology. 2018-08-02. en.
8. Web site: Delivering genes across the blood-brain barrier. Technology.org. February 2, 2016. 10 February 2016.
9. Web site: Resource Centers. Beckman Institute. 10 February 2016.
10. Web site: R. Andrew Cameron. California Institute of Technology. 10 February 2016.
11. Web site: Functional Genomics Resource Center. Beckman Institute. 10 February 2016. 18 July 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200718071342/http://beckmaninstitute.caltech.edu/fgrc.shtml. dead.
12. Web site: Beckman Institute Laser Resource Center. Beckman Institute Laser Resource Center. 10 February 2016.
13. Web site: Mass Spectrometry Resource Center. Beckman Institute. 10 February 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160317053828/http://www.beckmaninstitute.caltech.edu/msrc.shtml. 17 March 2016. dead.
14. Web site: Nate Lewis. Lewis Research Group. 10 February 2016.
15. Web site: Molecular Materials Resource Center. Beckman Institute. 10 February 2016.
16. News: Tindol. Robert. Caltech, Stanford Researchers Dedicate New X-Ray Molecular Observatory at SSRL. 10 February 2016. Now@Caltech. March 28, 2007.
17. Web site: Molecular Observatory. Beckman Institute. 10 February 2016.
18. Web site: Programmable Molecular Technology Center. Beckman Institute. 10 February 2016.
19. Web site: Proteome Exploration Laboratory. Beckman Institute. 10 February 2016.
20. Web site: Biological and Cryogenic Transmission Electron Microscopy. Beckman Institute. 10 February 2016.