Caltech Fund

When Jerrell Watts (MS '96, PhD '98) arrived at Caltech as a graduate student, neural networks were more promise than practice.

Three decades later, Watts is now head of algorithmic trading at Point72 Asset Management and has helped to spearhead a $3 million gift to leverage AI for scientific discovery. The Point72 Artificial Intelligence Research Program at Caltech will fund graduate students, computing resources, and large-scale data production while encouraging collaboration across disciplines through the use of AI.

Read more: https://giving.caltech.edu/news/Point72-Gift-Funds-AI-Research-Program-at-Caltech

“We'll figure it out. Jump!”

With her parents’ encouragement, Sukhada Fadnavis (BS ’07) became the first person in her family to study abroad. At Caltech, completing two Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships in the math department gave her a taste of what open-ended, challenging research was like. The 10-week program also provided an opportunity to create close friendships with other students who were far from home.

Fadnavis is honoring her parents by endowing the Shubhangi and Sharad Fadnavis Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship to support students as they explore their interests and find their path.

Read more: https://initiativeforstudents.caltech.edu/story-listings/Alumna-Endows-SURF-to-Honor-Parents/

Traditional startups create products. University startups create new industries.

A new $11 million gift to Caltech supports the Gates Grubstake Program and Gates Investment Fund to help grow the Institute’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Discover how the Gates family’s legacy of strategic philanthropy is helping ensure Caltech innovations in science and engineering have societal impact: https://giving.caltech.edu/news/Gates-Family-Legacy-Spans-Generations-in-Championing-Caltechs-Entrepreneurial-Spirit

Caltech community doesn’t end at graduation.

For Xiangyi Huang (BS ’15), the Institute’s alumni network continues to shape his career in quantitative finance, surrounding him with like-minded colleagues and collaborators.

Inspired to give back after reconnecting with Caltech faculty and leadership on a recent trip, Huang and his wife, Helin Gao, established a family scholarship to help ensure talented students can access the same opportunities.

Read more: https://initiativeforstudents.caltech.edu/story-listings/Family-Scholarship-Helps-to-Level-the-Field-for-Others/

The numbers are in. Niche ranked Caltech #1 in the United States for best value in 2026, weighing tuition, student debt, and alumni earnings across more than 500,000 college reviews nationwide.

It's recognition that reflects what our community already knows: a Caltech education is built to last. With a 3:1 student-to-faculty ratio, need-based aid that brings the average net cost to around $14,500 per year, and median alumni earnings of $136,775 five years after graduation, the Institute delivers on its commitment to access and excellence.

Your support through the Caltech Fund helps make that possible.

This California university has just been crowned America’s most affordable college for 2026 — based on tuition, student debt and alumni earnings Located just minutes from Los Angeles, this iconic SoCal university is known for its close ties to NASA and major space missions.

When Mason Smith (BS ’09) was earning his degree in computer science at Caltech, smartphones were a new technology, Facebook was just hitting the mainstream (the 'Like' button wasn't added until 2009), and artificial intelligence still felt more like science fiction.

Today, generative AI and large language models are pervasive. Introduction to Computer Programming is part of Caltech’s core curriculum and advanced computing is involved in many areas of study on campus.

To help the Institute keep pace with this accelerating landscape, Smith has endowed the Mason Smith Teaching Professorship Fund, helping to ensure that Caltech students have the tools to drive the next wave of AI-enabled breakthroughs. Read more: https://giving.caltech.edu/news/Teaching-for-an-Accelerated-Future

The Parsons-Gates administration team is ready to go on Giving Day. Your gift to the Caltech Fund today provides flexible support for research, learning, and discovery across the Institute. Give today: fund.caltech.edu/2026givingday.

Who's ready for Caltech Giving Day tomorrow? Be sure to tune in to our live stream from the Beckman Institute Gene Pool at noon PDT and don't forget to make a Giving Day donation at fund.caltech.edu/26givingday.