Packard Foundation Invests $17.5 Million in Next Generation of Scientific Innovators

$875,000 Grants Empower Early-Career Scientists to Pursue High-Risk Research

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has unveiled its 2025 cohort of Packard Fellows for Science and Engineering, selecting 20 promising early-career researchers who will share $17.5 million in unrestricted funding over the next five years. Each fellow receives $875,000 to pursue ambitious research projects with minimal constraints on how the money is spent.

$875,000 Grants Empower Early-Career Scientists to Pursue High-Risk Research
Rigorous Selection Process Yields Diverse Talent
2025 Fellows Represent Broad Scientific Frontiers
Legacy of Innovation and Scientific Advancement

Richard Alley, Chair of the Packard Fellowships Advisory Panel and a 1991 Fellow, emphasized the program’s unique approach: “We’re giving these brilliant minds the freedom to ask audacious questions and pursue trailblazing research without the usual funding limitations.” This philosophy aligns with the foundation’s commitment to encouraging “blue-sky thinking” among the next generation of scientific leaders.

Rigorous Selection Process Yields Diverse Talent

The selection process for these prestigious fellowships involves 50 invited universities each nominating two faculty members early in their careers. A distinguished advisory panel of 12 scientists and engineers then evaluates the 100 nominees before making final recommendations to the Packard Foundation Board of Trustees., according to technology trends

Eligibility requirements are specific: candidates must be faculty members within their first three years who can serve as principal investigators in natural sciences, physical sciences, or engineering disciplines. The program explicitly excludes social sciences research, focusing instead on fields like physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, astronomy, computer science, earth science, ocean science, and all engineering branches.

2025 Fellows Represent Broad Scientific Frontiers

This year’s fellows come from 19 different universities, with Stanford University being the only institution with two recipients. The cohort demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of modern scientific advancement:, according to market trends

William Allen (Stanford University) – Developmental biology research
Charlotte Chan (University of Michigan) – Mathematical sciences
James Gaynor (Northwestern University) – Chemistry innovations
Georgia Gkioxari (Caltech) – Computing and mathematical sciences
Dohyung Kim (University of Pennsylvania) – Chemical and biomolecular engineering
Darcy McRose (MIT) – Civil and environmental engineering
Maggie Miller (University of Texas at Austin) – Mathematical research
Geoffrey Penington (Stanford University) – Physics exploration
Mia Petljak (NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center) – Cancer research
Andrea Putnam (University of Wisconsin, Madison) – Biomolecular chemistry

The complete list includes researchers from institutions ranging from Carnegie Mellon’s Language Technologies Institute to Princeton’s Ludwig Branch and Johns Hopkins’ Earth and Planetary Sciences department.

Legacy of Innovation and Scientific Advancement

The Packard Fellowships program, established in 1988, reflects the enduring vision of Hewlett-Packard co-founder David Packard and his wife Lucile. Since its inception, the foundation has supported 735 scientists and engineers from 55 universities with more than $500 million in funding., as covered previously

Nancy Lindborg, President and CEO of the Packard Foundation, connected this year’s awards to the founder’s original mission: “David Packard believed that science was the cornerstone of America’s progress. He invested in science not only because it drives innovation, but because it is a public good that strengthens our society and our shared future.”

The foundation’s commitment to unrestricted funding allows fellows to use awards in innovative ways, including covering practical needs like child care that enable researchers to focus fully on their work. This approach has proven successful over decades, with Packard Fellows including Nobel laureates, National Medal of Science winners, and leaders across scientific disciplines.

As these 20 new fellows begin their five-year journey, they join a distinguished community of scientists whose collective work continues to shape our understanding of the world and address some of humanity’s most pressing challenges.