Education & Outreach

The Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences at Scripps Research offers a top-10 ranked doctoral program that empowers graduate students to make high-impact discoveries at the interface of chemistry and biology. Roughly 400 PhD students, both in La Jolla, California, and Jupiter, Florida, are currently enrolled in the program, working with almost 150 graduate program faculty members. Almost 1,000 students have earned doctoral degrees from the program since its inception in 1989. The Skaggs Graduate School immerses doctoral students in intensive laboratory research from day one. World-renowned faculty impart knowledge and expertise as mentors and advisors. Students customize their course curriculum to match individual research interests while exploring multidisciplinary topics across the spectrum of chemistry and biology.

Originally from the Antelope Valley, Alex's journey from her hometown to the renowned Scripps Research in La Jolla is a testament to perseverance and passion. From growing up in an underserved neighborhood to researching alongside a Nobel Laureate, she’s proving that anyone can become a researcher and help shape the future.

Members of the public were invited to meet the San Diego scientists leading groundbreaking biomedical research when Scripps Research held its second annual Discovery Day at the Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park on Sunday, November 9, 2025. More than 60 Scripps Research graduate students and postdoctoral scholars shared the excitement of scientific discovery at more than a dozen hands-on activity tables. Visitors experienced demonstrations and explored topics ranging from chemistry, neuroscience, viruses and vaccines, aging research, cancer biology, the gut microbiome, and much more.