Schmidt Science Fellows

Our recent Selector Workshop was a valuable opportunity to reflect on our selection process, share best practices, and explore how we can evolve alongside emerging technologies—such as Generative AI—to ensure our approach remains fair, rigorous, and forward-looking. https://lnkd.in/e96MdH_G Held as part of our 2025 Interdisciplinary Science Summit in Pasadena, it brought together academic reviewers and final selectors who play a crucial role in identifying Schmidt Science Fellows each year. Our Director of Selection and Outreach, David McAllister, said: "The invaluable contributions of our reviewers and selectors are the cornerstone of our selection process. Their expertise, dedication, and commitment to our shared mission allow us to identify truly exceptional scientists who will make a profound impact on the world.” We are deeply grateful to all our selectors and reviewers, and extend special thanks to those who participated in the workshop: 👉 Bruce Armitage (Carnegie Mellon University) 👉 Shelley Claridge (Purdue University) 👉 Wilmot James (Brown University) 👉 Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio (Yale University) 👉 Ben Raphael (Princeton University) 👉 Julian Rimoli (UC Irvine) 👉 Viviana Risca(The Rockefeller University) 👉 Laure Zanna (New York University) Thank you for your insights, your time, and your unwavering support of our mission to identify the next generation of interdisciplinary science leaders. #InterdisciplinaryScience #ScientificLeadership #PeerReview

Our 2025 Interdisciplinary Science Summit chalked up several “firsts” and the Idea to Application Lab was one of these innovations. The dedicated session was a space for Fellows to refine their pitch skills and garner direct feedback from investment and innovation experts on their proposals to create impact from their research in science, society, and business. From extending the operational flight time of drones and 3D imaging for personalized cancer care to automated recording of lab experiments, six Fellows pitched engaging early-stage ideas to our panel and a packed Summit audience. In return, they received constructive criticism on their ideas and pitch skills, and answered panel and audience questions, helping them refine the ideas for future investment opportunities. Arielle Baker, our Director of Fellowship Affairs and Lifelong Community, said: “The Idea to Application Lab was a compelling way for our Fellows to showcase their ideas and entrepreneurial aspirations on a platform that provided a rich experience and helped them develop both their proposals and skills. “In addition to the expert panel, we had a diverse audience of researchers, innovators, and supporters in the room, so we hope the session seeded some fresh collaborations and connections.” “The Summit is all about sharing ideas, building community, and advancing interdisciplinary science. The Idea to Application Lab supported all three.” Our 2023 Fellow, Andrew Hunt, was one of the participants who used the opportunity to get a feel for the entrepreneurial world.  He said: “I got so much out of the experience. I may genuinely go start a company! I've been working on doing lots of little 'career experiments' lately to test out different career paths, and this was an excellent opportunity to do that.” A huge thank you to our panel: Cyrus Wadia, Chief Executive Officer of Activate Julie Schoenfeld, Entrepreneur in Residence at Caltech Sudip Shekhar, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering,  The University of British Columbia David McAllister, Director of Selection and Outreach, Schmidt Science Fellows Renee Hlozekée Hložek, Schmidt Science Fellows Academic Council Member (Moderator), University of Toronto And to our entrepreneurial Fellows: Jina Ko Kalli Kappel and Trevor GrandPre I Scientist Andrew Hunt Satish Kumar Xiwen Gong Our 2025 Interdisciplinary Science Summit, in association with Caltech,  was our largest and most engaged event ever, growing and galvanizing a community of interdisciplinary researchers and supporters ready to change how science is done. https://lnkd.in/eQzzQBh4 #interdisciplianryscience #innovation #entrepreneurship

“At the edges. In the liminal spaces. In the unexpected collisions that spark new understanding.” The Showcase Day of our 2025 Interdisciplinary Science Summit reached a stunning crescendo, celebrating the very best, the most creative, and the most audacious interdisciplinary science. Following an incredible day of building community, our 2025 Summit, in association with Caltech, closed with four inspirational talks. Each explored the power of interdisciplinary science, captured a collective aspiration to bring about positive change, and shone a light on a hopeful future driven by boundless curiosity. We were delighted to welcome our Co-Founder and Sponsor, Wendy Schmidt, to share the evening with us. Our largest Summit to date drew in our Senior Fellows, researchers and leaders from Schmidt Sciences and the wider Schmidt entities, Rhodes Trust representatives and Scholars, leaders from Caltech, including Caltech President Thomas Rosenbaum, and researchers and innovators from across the North American research ecosystem. Opening the evening, our Executive Director Dr. Megan Kenna captured the importance of an interdisciplinary approach: “The solutions we need live in the spaces in between, between fields, between institutions, between countries, between ways of thinking. “And fortunately for us, that’s where the scientists you’ll meet tonight do their best work. “At the edges. In the liminal spaces. In the unexpected collisions that spark new understanding.” A huge thank you to our four incredible speakers who took us on a journey from the London Underground, through the wondrous depths of our oceans, up through the clouds to the vast potential of space, to understanding how we can interact with cells within our own bodies. Thank you: Deepak Krishnamurthy, University of California, Berkeley; Dr Jacqueline Campbell,  asterisk labs; Sara Imari Walker Arizona State University; and Mikhail Shapiro, Caltech. There was a curious, theatrical, and intriguing air to our networking zone, with researchers exhibiting science in creative ways to spark conversation. Thank you to Peter Serles Ajinkya Dahake Hannah R. Ashleigh Theberge Asim Gazi and Saad B. The Showcase Day of our Summit took our community-building to another level, uniting a wider community bonded by the power and potential of interdisciplinary science, ready to change how science is done! And a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has invested time and energy into building this momentum. Growing #interdisciplinaryscience community does not get better than this!

"Science is personal, and worth fighting for."   With science in the United States facing significant headwinds, our Executive Director Dr. Megan Kenna writes exclusively in The Hill, sharing the personal story that moved her to pursue research, and why, right in this moment, it is so vital to champion discovery, advocate for sustained investment in research, and believe in the power of science. https://lnkd.in/eXZCEs-Q #McClintockLetters Schmidt Sciences

If we want to change science at scale, we have to do it together. That's the clear message from the opening sessions on the Showcase Day of our Interdisciplinary Science Summit. On Day Two of the Summit, in association with Caltech, we have stepped up a gear, uniting a wider community bonded by the power and potential of interdisciplinary science. Opening the day our Executive Director Dr. Megan Kenna said: “2025 marks a turning point. For the first time, this isn’t just a convening of Fellows,  it’s a broader community united not by program or affiliation,  but by shared purpose and values." “Because if we want to change science at scale,  we have to do it together.” Today is about bringing interdisciplinary scientists and supporters together: ▪️ to share ideas and science ▪️ to surface unexpected insights and challenge our perspectives ▪️ to spark conversations and collaborations that wouldn’t happen anywhere else To build something bigger. We’ve heard from compelling, globally leading speakers including inspirational words from Laurie Leshin, former director of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory who set us all a challenge full of hope: “When we set our sights on doing the impossible, that is when we are at our best." Throughout the day our Senior Fellows, Schmidt Sciences Polymaths, the Virtual Institute for Scientific Software, those supported by wider Schmidt programs, and the wider research community, are sharing their compelling interdisciplinary science, all with the potential to improve lives and communities. And we are only at lunch!

Opening Day Energy! It’s our 2025 Interdisciplinary Science Summit, in association with Caltech. We are so excited to reconnect with our Fellows, friends, and partners. And it kicked off in style today with a tour of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - the inspiring world leader in robotic space exploration. Our 2025 Summit is bigger and more engaging than ever, helping us to grow and galvanize a community of interdisciplinary researchers ready to change how science is done! Three days of curated sessions and visits will: ▪️ showcase the best in interdisciplinary science  ▪️ connect those with a passion for breaking boundaries ▪️ spark innovative ideas and new collaborations Speaking on the opening night, our Deputy Executive Director Matt Goode said the expanded Summit was building “a connected, global network of scientists who think beyond their fields and care deeply about making a positive impact on our world”. We are grateful to our hosts Caltech. A true powerhouse of interdisciplinary science and ranked #4 in the global Times Higher Education Interdisciplinary Science Rankings. And today we started an inspirational inside track on why... Our 2021 Fellow and member of the Summit Steering Committee,  Shashank Gandhi has first-hand experience. Shashank, who completed his PhD at Caltech, said: “There is no better place than Caltech to represent the interdisciplinary spirit of Schmidt Science Fellows. This place has shaped so much of my journey, and it’s truly special to share this moment.” Growing #interdisciplinaryscience

Our Science Leadership Program (SLP) wraps up for our 2024 Fellows this week, with support from Caltech and UCLA faculty, expert speakers, and some of our Senior Fellows. Our SLP is at the core of the Schmidt Science Fellows experience. Over the course of the year and across three international meetings, our 2024 Fellows have explored every aspect of leadership. From research culture to real-world impact, they’ve built skills, forged bonds, and created a network with heart. They've experienced pioneering labs and research ecosystems. They’ve learned from a remarkable range of voices: leaders, researchers, innovators, investors, policy experts, social entrepreneurs…and Nobel Laureates. And this week, the Fellows put skills into action in bespoke “practice pods”, with guidance and feedback from our Academic Council, Caltech and UCLA faculty, and leading practitioners, including Sarah Rozenthuler. Next stop: our 2025 Interdisciplinary Science Summit! #Interdisciplinaryscience

📢 Next week, we are excited to be in Pasadena, holding our 2025 Interdisciplinary Science Summit in association with Caltech - our largest and most ambitious Summit to date! 📢 The Summit is a cornerstone of our work to grow and galvanize a vibrant interdisciplinary science community. And we are thrilled to be working with Caltech, a world leading interdisciplinary institution, ranked #2 in the inaugural Interdisciplinary Science Rankings. In the lead-up to the Summit, we’re proud to spotlight our 2024 Fellow Peter Serles, whose groundbreaking Placement work at Caltech and the University of Southern California embodies the spirit of interdisciplinary innovation. Explore Peter's work: https://lnkd.in/eNMeqi4u By combining expertise in mechanical engineering, biomedical science, and advanced manufacturing, he is opening up new possibilities at the frontiers of medical science. Pivoting from materials to biomedical engineering, Peter is using nano-3D printing to build better brain models. Innovative, interdisciplinary science in action! Our 2025 Interdisciplinary Science Summit features an expanded program and wider participation. It will bring together our Senior Fellows with researchers, innovators, and partners from across the Schmidt Sciences-supported programs and the broader research community. We can’t wait to connect with our Fellows, friends, and colleagues and chart the future of interdisciplinary science! #InterdisciplinaryScience 

Could your smartwatch support your mental health? What if mental health support could be as flexible as the lives we lead, available whenever and however it’s needed? Asim Gazi, a 2023 Schmidt Science Fellow, is building intelligent algorithms to help wearable devices, like smartwatches, anticipate when a user is stressed or anxious and suggest interventions in the moment. Explore his journey in our latest We Are Schmidt Science Fellows film. Inspired by his family's experiences, Asim pivoted from biomedical engineering to computer science to design AI algorithms to personalize real-time support and intervention, bridging critical gaps in mental healthcare. In April 2025, Asim was awarded almost one million dollars by the NIH National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) via a prestigious K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award. This funding will allow Asim to advance his work on personalized mobile health (mHealth) systems. Asim, based at Harvard University, will use machine learning and behavioral science to power just-in-time adaptive interventions, mHealth technology that adapts dynamically to a person’s needs in the moment. “I want to acknowledge the Schmidt Science Fellows Program for supporting my pivot from sensor informatics to statistical reinforcement learning, “ Asim says. “The past year and a half has been pivotal in laying the groundwork for my K99/R00 research on Uncertainty-Informed Decision Making for Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions." Through this research, Asim envisages a world in which access to health support is available whenever needed, like having your own health coach, where wearable technology can support the health and well-being of future generations. #mentalhealth #interdisciplinaryscience Schmidt Sciences Rhodes Trust