Scripps Research’s Skaggs Graduate School awards doctoral degrees to 33rd graduating class

May 22, 2025

LA JOLLA, CA—Scripps Research’s Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences awarded doctoral degrees to 61 graduate students during the institute’s 33^rd commencement on May 16, 2025. The ceremony represented the largest graduating class since the doctoral program’s inception in 1989.

“Today, we have the honor of celebrating 61 tremendously talented students who have completed their doctoral degrees,” said Keary Engle, PhD, dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies at Scripps Research, during the ceremony’s opening remarks. “Graduate students of this program have made vital contributions to science, from treatments for several types of cancer and increasing longevity to mapping how the human brain operates and the intricacies of chronic diseases. These students have expanded what we know and reimagined what is possible.”

This year’s class of PhD recipients also marked the 1,000^th student to earn a doctoral degree since the program’s first commencement in 1993. Engle, himself a Scripps Research alumnus, hosted current and former graduates at a homecoming reception the day before commencement to celebrate the Class of 2025 and welcome them to the ranks of the institute’s alumni. At Friday’s ceremony, Engle spoke of their achievements and contributions to science during their time at Scripps Research.  

“We’ve already seen their impact resonate across the scientific community,” said Engle. “Their research has been cited over 9,000 times, and more than 220 journal articles list a student standing on the stage today as a contributing author. This cohort’s ability to translate sophisticated research ideas into successful funding proposals also was remarkable, with 23 competitive student fellowships awarded by organizations like the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.”

Members of this class also received support from 28 awards and endowed fellowships, which were created by Scripps Research board members and faculty, along with individuals and foundations that are passionate about scientific education. The number of endowed fellowships available for Scripps Research graduate students recently crossed the 100 mark, an ambitious milestone that began in 2018 with a lead gift from the Skaggs family and renaming the program the Skaggs Graduate School. Each endowed fellowship provides complete funding for one graduate student for the first three years of their studies, lifting much of the financial burden on their laboratory and enabling more of increasingly uncertain grant funding to be dedicated to critical research infrastructure and essential technologies. Institute leadership recently set a  goal of establishing endowments to provide this support for all Scripps Research graduate students in their first three years.

Engle also spoke about the unusual challenges faced by the graduating students, many of which embarked on graduate studies during or immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You’ve walked a path that was anything but predictable,” Engle told the graduates. “You experienced your graduate research and degree progression during a global pandemic. You adapted in the face of uncertainty, not just in your education, but to shifts in the world around you. That uncertainty continues today as we face unprecedented challenges to the future of science and reduction of funding. You're entering the world not only armed with knowledge, but with resilience, and that, perhaps more than anything, is what the current landscape of the world demands.”

Scripps Research President and CEO Pete Schultz, PhD, the L.S. “Sam” Skaggs Presidential Chair, echoed Engle’s sentiment with his remarks before the conferral of degrees.

“We really are in interesting times right now in science, and I think this class is better equipped than any class in the history of science with the tools and knowledge to have an impact not only on science but on society,” said Schultz. “I'd just like to remind the graduating class that it really is a privilege to do science but remember that you always have an obligation with a privilege, and that's ultimately to give back to those that are less fortunate than you, and I hope you take on that responsibility and burden.”

With Friday’s commencement, alumni of Scripps Research’s doctoral program increased to over 1,015. Many of this year’s graduates are extending their doctoral training into new research areas as postdoctoral scholars at universities and major academic research institutions. Others have joined companies in the pharmaceutical and bioscience industries, or start-ups focused on cutting-edge biotech research and drug discovery. Many students apply their knowledge and experience to different career paths, including food science, patent law and the venture capital and financial advising industries.

Profiles of many of this year’s graduates and a recording of the full ceremony can be viewed on the institute’s 2025 Graduation webpage, scripps.edu/graduation.

About the Skaggs Graduate School

Ranked among the top 10 doctoral programs of its kind in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, the Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences at Scripps Research offers rigorous training in chemistry, chemical biology, neuroscience, immunology, computational biology, and numerous other biomedical research areas. The program immerses students in intensive laboratory research while offering a customizable course curriculum that allows students to match individual research interests while exploring multidisciplinary topics at the interface of chemistry and biology. 

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