Prizes and Awards

Given by the Caltech Y, this award allows students to learn about a global, national, or local issue by immersing themselves with activists working on a cause over the summer and then challenges them to educate others by creating and leading programs designed to raise awareness on campus the following year.

Established in 2017 by Michael Amori (MS ’07), this prize honors outstanding dissertations in the computing and mathematical sciences during the current academic year. Awardees are selected by a committee of computing and mathematical sciences faculty each spring.

Named in honor of Tom Apostol, who taught at Caltech for over 50 years, this award recognizes excellence in teaching by graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants in mathematics.

Voted on by members of the aeronautics faculty, this award is given to a graduate student whose achievements in teaching or other assistance to students have made a significant contribution to the aeronautics department.

This prize recognizes aeronautics students for outstanding doctoral dissertations.

Established in 2001 by Vineer Bhansali (B.S. ’87, M.S. ’87) in memory of his grandfather, Mag Raj Bhansali, this prize is given to an undergraduate student for outstanding research in computer science in the current academic year. Awardees are selected by a committee of computer science faculty.

Established in 2018 by Vineer Bhansali (B.S. ’87, M.S. ’87) in memory of his grandfather, Mag Raj Bhansali, this prize is given to honor outstanding dissertations in computer science, broadly defined, during the current academic year. Awardees are selected by a committee of computer science faculty each spring.

This award is given to an aeronautics student for outstanding academic achievement in the master’s program.

Commemorating extraordinary activities by Caltech undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars who best exemplify the spirit, tradition, and values of Caltech, this award is given only when the Alumni Association finds that exceptional activities have occurred that merit this special recognition.

Established by William P. Carey and W. P. Carey & Co., Inc., this prize is awarded to outstanding doctoral dissertations in applied mathematics in the current academic year. Awardees are selected by a committee of applied mathematics faculty.

This award is given to individuals who demonstrated excellence within their discipline and research, while engaging complex social justice issues. Led and/or participated in advocacy campaigns centering the experiences of minoritized identities, provided vision and leadership in the formation of affinity spaces and targeted supportive programs.

This award is given to individuals embodying servant leadership through a demonstrated commitment to steering social change within the Caltech community, taking initiative and having the vision to translate a need into actionable steps to create legacy and a more inclusive campus climate, engage in advocacy and organize efforts with clear deliverables.

This prize, awarded annually to a Ph.D. candidate in applied mechanics, civil engineering, or mechanical engineering, is given to a student whose doctoral thesis is judged to be the most original and significant by a faculty committee appointed annually by the executive officer for mechanical and civil engineering. This prize was established with gifts from alumni following the Mechanical Engineering Centennial Celebration in 2007.

This award is given to a graduate student in hydrodynamics who has distinguished themselves in research in the Division of Engineering and Applied Science.

This prize recognizes outstanding doctoral dissertations in the broad area of information science and technology. The prize was established by Ben P.C. Chou’s wife, June, and his son, Scott (B.S. ’86), as a lasting tribute to his lifetime dedication to the pursuit of scholarly research and foregoing personal gain in favor of always doing the right thing for society.

This prize is given annually to a student who has produced an outstanding thesis in theoretical physics. Established in 2018, this prize honors the memory of Robert F. Christy, former provost and professor of theoretical physics.

This prize is given to a Ph.D. candidate* whose thesis is judged by a committee of the Faculty Board to exhibit significant new work, ingenuity, and originality, and to have the greatest potential to open new avenues of human thought and endeavor.

The CMS and IST Gradient for Change Awards honor students, postdocs, staff, and faculty in the Caltech community who demonstrate exceptional efforts to make Caltech and/or the broader scientific community a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. The awards recognize and highlight individual contributors or small teams who are considered agents of change, community leaders, and/or allies to historically marginalized group(s) in the information sciences, including computer science, applied mathematics, and beyond.

This prize is given to the graduating Ph.D. student in aeronautics whose thesis displays the best design of an experiment or the best design for a piece of experimental equipment.

This fund provides resources for one to three graduate students annually to support research-related expenses. Each awardee shall be recognized as either a Neugebauer, Garmire, or Tombrello Scholar. Preference shall be given to student(s) studying broadly in areas in which professors Gerry Neugebauer, Gordon Garmire, and Thomas Tombrello made contributions.

This memorial fund is awarded annually to a graduate student or students who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievement in physics.

This prize, awarded annually, recognizes a Ph.D. candidate for the best thesis, publication, or discovery in biotechnology or related fields at the Institute in the preceding 12 months. This prize is made possible by a gift from Anna Kokkalis Demetriades and Sterge T. Demetriades (Eng. ’58).

This prize, awarded annually, recognizes the best business plan or proposal, start-up, thesis, publication, discovery, or related efforts by student(s) in entrepreneurship or related fields at the Institute in the preceding 12 months. This prize is made possible by a gift from Anna Kokkalis Demetriades and Sterge T. Demetriades (Eng ’58).

This prize, awarded annually, recognizes a Ph.D. candidate for the best thesis, publication, discovery, or related efforts in benign renewable energy sources or related fields at the Institute in the preceding 12 months. This prize is made possible by a gift from Anna Kokkalis Demetriades and Sterge T. Demetriades (Eng. ’58).

This prize, awarded annually, recognizes a Ph.D. candidate for the best thesis, publication, or discovery in nanotechnology or related fields at the Institute in the preceding 12 months. This prize is made possible by a gift from Anna Kokkalis Demetriades and Sterge T. Demetriades (Eng. ’58).

This prize, awarded annually, recognizes a Ph.D. candidate for the best thesis, publication, or discovery in seismo-engineering, prediction, and protection at the Institute in the preceding 12 months. This prize is made possible by a gift from Anna Kokkalis Demetriades and Sterge T. Demetriades (Eng. ’58).

This award recognizes and honors individuals within the EAS community who have actively contributed to the Divi-sion’s goal to be a diverse, equitable and inclusive engineering community.

This prize is awarded to a chemical engineering graduate student distinguished by outstanding research accomplishments and exemplary attitude while fulfilling candidacy requirements for the Ph.D. degree.

This award recognizes graduate students for their exemplary presentation skills and research ability. Awardees participate in the Everhart Lecture Series, a forum that is meant to encourage interdisciplinary interaction among graduate students and faculty, to share ideas about recent research developments.

The Ferguson prize is awarded to the graduating Ph.D. candidate in biology and biological engineering who has produced the outstanding doctoral thesis for the past year.

This award recognizes either the engineering students with the best academic record at the end of the third year of undergraduate study or the engineering students with the best first-year record in the graduate program.

This award is given to a Ph.D. candidate or candidates who, throughout their graduate study at the Institute, have made great contributions to graduate life and whose qualities of leadership and responsibility have been outstanding.

This award is awarded to one or two students who have provided exceptional service to the Caltech Y and/or the community, are involved with service projects, have demonstrated leadership in community and volunteer service efforts, and exemplify a spirit of service.

This prize is awarded for the best oral Ph.D. defense presentation by a student advised by aerospace faculty. The decision is made by a committee of students who attend all thesis presentations for the year.

This award is given to individuals who promote the needs and experiences of other students, staff, or faculty to challenge systemic barriers that impede individuals from contributing their skills and talents in the classroom, workplace, or community. Such actions include raising awareness, inspiring action, advocating for an equitable campus climate, and leading efforts to dismantle structural barriers upholding oppression, and discrimination.

An IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) Ally is a person that actively promotes and aspires to advance a culture of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility through intentional efforts that benefit marginalized people or the communities. This award is given to individuals who exceed everyday expectations and are dedicated to cultivating a diverse and inclusive environment to help create a campus where everyone has an opportunity to excel.

This award is given to individuals who teach and inspire interest in inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility in the community at large through learning experiences and service. This person takes the initiative to participate in civic engagement through volunteerism, service-learning, and teaching initiatives as a change agent in the community outside of Caltech.

This prize is awarded to continuing graduate students for excellence and extraordinary progress in research and/or excellence in teaching in mathematics.

This prize rewards excellence in first-year graduate research in mathematics.

This prize is awarded for the best graduate dissertation in mathematics.

This prize, made possible by Dr. Abdul Kalam, the 11th president of India and an aerospace engineer, is awarded to a student in the aerospace engineering master’s program whose academic performance was exemplary and who shows high potential for future achievements at Caltech.

This award is given annually to an outstanding graduate student who is exceptional in their physics studies and research (emphasis on condensed matter physics).

The prize rewards the best second-year paper by a graduate student in Social Science or Social Decision Neuroscience. The prize was established by Susan G. Davis in recognition of John O. Ledyard’s dedication to developing graduate students as independent researchers and his service to the Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences. The prize is awarded annually by a committee of social science faculty to a sole-authored work and carries a cash award of $1,000.

This award is given to one or more chemistry doctoral students for outstanding contributions to the science of chemistry.

The Reddy prize is awarded to the graduating female Ph.D. candidate in the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering who has produced the outstanding thesis in the biological sciences or bioengineering for the past year.

The Eleanor Searle Prize was established in 1999 by friends and colleagues to honor Eleanor Searle, who was the Edie and Lew Wasserman Professor of History at Caltech. The prize is awarded to an undergraduate or graduate student whose work in history or social sciences exemplifies Eleanor Searle’s interests in the use of power, government, and law.

This award recognizes an aeronautics student who has made the most significant contribution to the teaching and research efforts of GALCIT (Graduate Aerospace Laboratories of the California Institute of Technology). Preference is given to students working in structural mechanics.

This prize is awarded annually to a graduate student in physics for outstanding progress in research as demonstrated by an excellent performance on the oral Ph.D. candidacy exam.

This prize is awarded annually to a graduate teaching assistant in physics who demonstrates, in the broadest sense, unusual ability, creativity, and innovation in undergraduate and graduate classroom or laboratory teaching.

The Graduate Teaching in CMS Awards were established in 2016 with a gift from Microsoft and then endowed through the generosity of Thomas A. Tisch (BS ’61). The prize and honorarium are awarded to a graduate and an undergraduate student for outstanding teaching and course development in computing and mathematical sciences. Awardees are selected by a committee of CMS faculty members.

The Charles Wilts Prize is awarded annually for outstanding independent research in electrical engineering leading to a Ph.D degree. This prize was established in 1992 to honor Charles Wilts, a member of the electrical engineering faculty from 1947–1975, who made substantial contributions to the Department of Electrical Engineering.

The Outstanding Mentee Award is given to women who demonstrated a sincere desire to succeed as a researcher and is committed to her personal development, open and willing to learn from her mentor and receptive to advice and counsel, worked with her mentor to establish realistic goals and demonstrated a commitment to carrying them out.

Candace Rypisi Outstanding Mentor Award is given to women with a demonstrated willingness to share their knowledge to enhance the professional and personal development of their mentee(s), providing emotional and moral support and encouragement, enhancing or helping facilitate access to career related information and exposure to various professional resources, opportunities, networks, and other role models, promoting the mentee’s sense of competence, confidence, and belonging.

Note: Prizes and awards may be subject to federal and state income tax.