About Scripps Research

Facts-at-a-Glance

General Information

The Scripps Research Institute is the world's largest, private non-profit biomedical research facility. Since its founding in 1961 by a small group of immunopathologists led by Frank Dixon, M.D., the Institute has become internationally recognized for its basic research into immunology, molecular biology, cell biology, chemistry, neurosciences, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disorders, and cancer research. Currently housed in laboratory buildings with more than 1,000,000 square feet of space overlooking the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla, its staff numbers some 2,800, with 289 faculty members, nearly 815 postdoctoral fellows, 235 graduate students, and over 1,500 technical and administrative support personnel.

Researchers at the Institute pursue scientific inquiry in seven primary fields of study each organized into a separate department: cell biology, chemistry, immunology, molecular biology, molecular and experimental medicine, neurobiology, and neuropharmacology, in addition to The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, the Harold L. Dorris Neurological Research Center, the Institute for Childhood and Neglected Diseases, and the Center for Integrative Molecular Biosciences. While the nature of the work at Scripps Research is basic and aimed at the discovery of fundamental knowledge, research in these fields continues to have significant ramifications for stroke and heart disease, cancer, neurological disorders, viral diseases, alcoholism and chemical dependency, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and kidney dysfunction.

Faculty

There are 225 members of the faculty at Scripps Research. Widely recognized in the international scientific arena, many are the recipients of prestigious honors and awards, including the following:

Nobel Laureates
Gerald M. Edelman, M.D., Ph.D.
K. Barry Sharpless, Ph.D.
Kurt Wüthrich, Ph.D.

Members, National Academy of Sciences
Bruce Beutler, M.D.
Floyd E. Bloom, M.D.
Francis V. Chisari, M.D.
Gerald M. Edelman, M.D., Ph.D.
Albert Eschenmoser, Ph.D.
Gerald F. Joyce, M.D., Ph.D.
Richard A. Lerner, M.D.
K.C. Nicolaou, Ph.D.
Michael B.A. Oldstone, M.D.
Julius Rebek, Jr., Ph.D.
Paul Schimmel, Ph.D.
Peter Schultz, Ph.D.
K. Barry Sharpless, Ph.D.
Peter K. Vogt, Ph.D.
Charles Weissmann, M.D., Ph.D.
Chi-Huey Wong, Ph.D.
Peter Wright, Ph.D.
Kurt Wüthrich, Ph.D.

Members, National Institute of Medicine
Bruce Beutler, M.D.
Floyd E. Bloom, M.D.
Francis V. Chisari, M.D.
Thomas S. Edgington, M.D.
Richard A. Lerner, M.D.
Michael B. Oldstone, M.D.
Peter Schultz, Ph.D.
Eric J. Topol, M.D.
Peter K. Vogt, PH.D.

Members, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Floyd E. Bloom, M.D.
Dale L. Boger, Ph.D.
Gerald M. Edelman, M.D., Ph.D.
Richard A. Lerner, M.D.
K.C. Nicolaou, Ph.D.
Julius Rebek, Jr., Ph.D.
Paul Schimmel, Ph.D.
Peter Schultz, Ph.D.
K. Barry Sharpless, Ph.D.
Peter K. Vogt, Ph.D.
Charles Weissmann, M.D., Ph.D.
Ian W. Wilson, Ph.D.
Chi-Huey Wong, Ph.D.
Peter E. Wright, Ph.D.
Kurt Wüthrich, Ph.D.

Members, American Philosophical Society
Floyd E. Bloom, M.D.
Gerald M. Edelman, M.D., Ph.D.
Paul Schimmel, Ph.D.
Peter Vogt, Ph.D.

Fellows, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Dale L. Boger, Ph.D.
Francis V. Chisari, M.D.
Gerald M. Edelman, M.D., Ph.D.
Thomas S. Edgington, M.D.
M. Reza Ghadiri, Ph.D.
Kim D. Janda, Ph.D.
George Koob, Ph.D.
Richard A. Lerner, M.D.
Donald E. Mosier, M.D., Ph.D.
K.C. Nicolaou, Ph.D.
Michael B. Oldstone, M.D.
Julius Rebek, Jr., Ph.D.
Paul Schimmel, Ph.D.
Sandra L. Schmid, Ph.D.
K. Barry Sharpless, Ph.D.
Eng M. Tan, M.D.
Peter E. Wright, Ph.D.

Recipients, Wolf Prize in Chemistry
Albert Eschenmoser, Ph.D.
Richard A. Lerner, M.D.
Peter Schultz, Ph.D.
K. Barry Sharpless, Ph.D.

Recipients, California Scientist of the Year Award
Richard A. Lerner, M.D.
Peter Schultz, Ph.D.
Peter K. Vogt, Ph.D.

Employees

Updated quarterly - last update - August, 2009.

California
Faculty & Scientific Staff	Research Associates	Graduate Students	Technical & Support Services Employees
473	642	200	1359

Florida
Faculty & Professional Staff	Research Associates	Graduate Students	Technical & Support Services Employees
71	96	23	173

Education Programs

Postdoctoral Fellows
TSRI has maintained its commitment to training the next generation of scientists, in part, by its active recruitment of postdoctoral fellows, all of whom have completed postgraduate degrees. They continue their scientific training in TSRI's laboratories for a period of two to five years under the supervision of the senior scientific staff. They contribute to ongoing research inquiries and are named authors on numerous scientific publications.

Ph.D. Graduate Education
Because most of the important problems in biology and chemistry today require an interdisciplinary approach in their solutions, the Ph.D. graduate program in Macromolecular and Cellular Structure and Chemistry (MCSC) was established in 1989 to integrate such disciplines as cell and molecular biology, structure and chemistry. And, in an effort to draw on the superior capabilities of the chemistry faculty with a record of achievement in contemporary areas of chemical, biological and structural research, a doctoral program in Chemistry was established three years later. These five-year programs lead to the Ph.D. degree and provide training for a select group of outstanding and intellectually diverse students.

In 2002, TSRI named its graduate college The Kellogg School of Science and Technology for philanthropists Janet R. (“Jean”) and W. Keith Kellogg II, who have been long-standing patrons of education and science.

In 2003, a comprehensive review of the curriculum resulted in the redefined Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Sciences emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of the program and reflecting the particular strengths of the Institue. This change allows students to select one of four curricular tracks—chemistry, chemical biology, biophysics or biology—and acknowledges the faculty's and student's views that future scientists must be broadly trained in these areas of scientific inquiry.

For the last two years, the Graduate Studies Program was ranked by U.S. News & World Report in the top ten of the most outstanding in the country, based on the results of a survey sent to department heads and directors of graduate studies programs at universities throughout the country.

Educational Outreach
TSRI has a local and national commitment to guide young students and provide them with opportunities to explore and pursue educational and career opportunities in the sciences. Toward this end, funded through grants and private philanthropy, the Institute provides a variety of programs for students at the high school and college levels and for middle school and high school science teachers to participate in research activities on the campus. These programs are designed and supervised by many of TSRI's graduate students and senior scientists. While students of all ethnic and cultural groups are accepted into the programs, a special emphasis is placed on identifying and recruiting students who are historically underrepresented in the sciences.

Campus

Facilities
Scripps Research's facilities are located in La Jolla, California, and Jupiter, Florida.

In La Jolla, Scripps Research operates more than 1 million square feet of laboratory space. The campus spans approximately 35 acres of land of which 14.7 are owned by the institute. Located in close proximity to the University of California, San Diego, the campus is situated with easy access to San Diego's scientific community, which includes The Salk Institute and the Burnham Institute, as well as a concentration of some 300 biotechnology companies.

In Jupiter, Scripps Research operates a 350,000-square-foot facility consisting of three buildings completed in early 2009. Adjacent to Florida Atlantic University and the future home of a branch of the Max Plank Institute, the new Scripps Florida campus is already becoming the focus of an emerging cluster of biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms that will serve as an economic engine for the region.

Technical Support Capabilities
The research activities of Scripps Research scientists require significant technical support, including research computing, NMR spectroscopy, particle beam spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy, optical spectroscopy, a fluorescence activated cell sorting facility, x-ray crystallography laboratories, electron microscopy, bioinformatics, and DNA array protein chip technology. NMR spectrometers are housed in the Aline W. and L.S. Skaggs NMR Building and the Buddy Taub Center for Molecular Structure and Design on the La Jolla campus. The centerpiece technology at Scripps Florida is a $10 million high throughput screening robotics system, which is used by researchers on both campuses and shared by research institutions throughout the State of Florida.

Computer and Network Facilities
The Institute maintains a comprehensive data network with computational and data archive facilities to meet researcher's needs. For an up-to-date list of our computer and network facilities go to: http://www.scripps.edu/rc/compfac.html

Finance

Grants and contracts provide funding for a significant portion of TSRI's research activities. This revenue is derived primarily from the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies. Grantors include, among others, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and the Juvenile Diabetes Association. In addition, TSRI currently enjoys a large-scale industrial collaboration agreement with Pfizer Inc. Technology transfer activities — royalties and gains from the sale of equity securities received in exchange for technology licenses and corporate funding agreements — fund raising activities, and investments provide resources for new programs, recruitment of new scientists and internally supported research.

Gifts from individuals and private foundation provide an important source of funding for TSRI. Private foundations that have provided support include the ALSAM Foundation, Lucille P. Markey Charitable Trust, W.M. Keck Foundation, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, the Ellison Medical Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Harold L. Dorris Foundation.