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Over the Packard Foundation’s nearly 60-year history, we have worked with thousands of organizations and leaders in the U.S. and worldwide to advance progress in the critical areas of science, ocean and land conservation, climate change, women’s reproductive health and rights, and the well-being of children, families, and communities. At a time of multiple, intertwined … Continued
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation recently announced that Susan Packard Orr and Nancy Burnett have retired from the Foundation’s board of trustees. Orr and Burnett are daughters of David and Lucile Packard and two of the organization’s longest-serving trustees. In celebrating their retirement, the Foundation’s President and CEO Nancy Lindborg noted, “Nancy and Susan’s … Continued
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is pleased to announce the promotion of Jamaica Maxwell to director of Organizational Effectiveness. Maxwell assumes the role as long-time Foundation leader, Linda Baker, announced her departure to explore new opportunities outside the Foundation. Maxwell has been with the Packard Foundation since 2013, serving as both program officer and … Continued
“The way I see it, you have to grasp the opportunity and make the most of it. You have to be a change agent.” In 1999, at the start of her academic career, Dr. Sangeeta Bhatia faced a dilemma—she could take the safe path, or she could risk everything to pursue what ignited her curiosity. … Continued
“We have to be more engaged with the public, and we have to actively explain the importance of our work.” Before her lab’s discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology revolutionized the way we think about curing disease and altering genetic material, before lengthy intellectual property battles in court over the patent for the technology, … Continued
“Dinosaurs capture the imagination like nothing else.” There are a few phrases that paleontologist Mary Schweitzer believes no scientist should ever use. “Everybody knows…” “I believe…” “Never…” Mary prefers data, facts, and rigorous methods. For her, these should drive a scientist’s conclusions. But what if the results raise more questions than answers? What happens when … Continued
“What’s been fantastic with the Packard Fellowship is this ability to just go and explore ideas without any boundaries.” At first brush, Brice Ménard and Vedran Lekic seem to be polar opposites. Brice grew up in France, studied for his PhD in astrophysics in Paris and Munich, Germany, and moved to the U.S. as a post-doctoral researcher. … Continued
At first brush, Brice Ménard and Vedran Lekic seem to be polar opposites. Brice grew up in France, studied for his PhD in astrophysics in Paris and Munich, Germany, and moved to the U.S. as a post-doctoral researcher. He appears to be quite measured, deliberate, and systematic in his approach to research. Ved, on the other hand, … Continued
“With the Fellowship, we bought a top-of-the-line sewing machine because we sew our own smart garments . . .” “I think it’s important to talk about your own experience and your history not only as a recognition of your own self, but to tell other people, ‘This is who I am.’” “When he told me, … Continued
“It was incredible,” Ryan recalls of that night. “We had this long list of a couple hundred galaxies we were hoping to look at. We found it in the ninth image.” In the summer of 2017, Dr. Ryan Foley’s team famously became the first to capture optical light from colliding neutron stars—a discovery so important … Continued
