Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The Black Lives Matter protests and events that took place in the summer of 2020 caused businesses, organizations and institutions to reassess their position and policies when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The Chen Institute is no exception and we understand that we, like everyone else, must make changes in order to help make a difference.

We have started a number of DEI programs at the institute, see details below. We recognize that we have a long way to go and are committed to making DEI a priority at the Chen Institute and ensuring it is considered in any future programming and policy decisions at the institute.

Chen Institute Diversity and Inclusion Award
This award was developed to support graduate students and postdocs in the Caltech neuroscience community that are actively working to improve DEI at Caltech, in the wider community and in STEM.

Chen Institute Director's Fellowship
This is a two-year fellowship which supports an outstanding graduate student who is underrepresented in STEM studying neuroscience in the Biology and Bioengineering division at Caltech.

Chen SDN Center Director's Fellowship
This is a two-year fellowship which supports an outstanding graduate student who is underrepresented in STEM studying neuroscience in the Social and Decision Neuroscience option at Caltech.

BrainWAVE Fellowship Program
This program provides support for non-Caltech undergraduates, who are underrepresented in STEM and intent on pursuing a Ph.D. in neuroscience, to conduct a 10-week summer research project at Caltech.

The Chen Institute sponsors Chen Institute Women in Neuroscience (CWiN).
CWiN is an organization that aims to support the careers and education of women in neuroscience through invited talks, networking and career development opportunities, recruitment efforts, and advocacy for an improved campus climate.

The Chen Institute is a proud founder and sponsor of the Diverse Minds Seminar Series.
This series is a campus-wide program that aims to provide a platform for distinguished speakers from a diversity of backgrounds to share their science and personal journey into science with the Caltech Community.

If you have any suggestions, comments or feedback regarding DEI at the Chen Institute we welcome your input. Please send them to Chen.Inst@caltech.edu