The Rita Allen Foundation honors the life and legacy of Scientific Advisory Committee member Greg Hannon, pioneering leader of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute and a 2000 Rita Allen Foundation Scholar. Learn about the tools for tough questions Hannon created and his…
The fourth cohort of the Civic Science Fellows program launches in September, and the 2026–28 host partners are now accepting applications for this new contingent of civic science leaders. In collaboration with their host organizations, the Fellows will carry out pioneering work to co-create pilots, partnerships, knowledge, models, and new…
William Greenleaf has never let the traditional boundaries of scientific disciplines define his approach to research questions. “Maybe I have ‘scientific ADD’ or something, but I like the idea of trying new things and seeing where your way of approaching things can make contributions,” he says. Throughout his training, Greenleaf…
Rebecca Seal was majoring in chemistry and psychology at the University of Oregon and planning to go to medical school when she spent a summer working in a neuroscience lab at the Vollum Institute at Oregon Health & Science University. At the time, she saw herself one day treating patients.
Michael Boyce’s scientific journey began where the human cell’s life cycle ends. Cell death captivated him from the start of his graduate work. “The idea that there are genetic programs that cells use to die upon the right stimulus or the right timing was a really interesting concept,” he says.
Join our entrepreneurial team working to advance discovery science, collaborative philanthropy, and holistic approaches to strengthening science and democracy. We are looking for a highly collaborative program events and digital engagement manager to produce exceptional experiences for our civic science, Scholars, and philanthropic networks across in-person, virtual, and hybrid formats.
In a fireside chat hosted by the Rita Allen Foundation in December 2025, Francis Collins—former Director of the National Institutes of Health and leader of the Human Genome Project—joined Harvey Fineberg, former President of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, for a wide-ranging conversation on scientific leadership, civic bridges, and…
Civic Science Funders Collaborative Advisory Series | Embedding Ethics to Accelerate Discovery: A Civic Science Conversation with Dame Carol Robinson In the November 2025 Civic Science Funders Collaborative Advisory Series, Rita Allen Foundation President & CEO Elizabeth Christopherson joined Kavli Foundation President & CEO Cynthia Friend in conversation with Dame…
In the latest Civic Science Funders Collaborative Advisory Series piece, Rita Allen Foundation President & CEO Elizabeth Christopherson joins Burroughs Wellcome Fund President & CEO Louis J. Muglia in conversation with Maureen Lichtveld, Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and a pioneering…
Ralph Izzo, former President, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), has been elected to the Rita Allen Foundation Board of Directors. Izzo, whose term begins immediately, brings to the position deep experience in connecting science, technology, and civic leadership—a focus of the Foundation in its…