Overview

• The foundation donated $90 million to establish Leinweber Institutes at MIT, UC Berkeley, University of Chicago and University of Michigan, plus a Leinweber Forum at the Institute for Advanced Study.
• At MIT the gift creates the MIT Center for Theoretical Physics – A Leinweber Institute with $20 million from the foundation and $5 million from the MIT School of Science.
• The endowments will fund up to six postdoctoral fellows and six graduate students per year at MIT and mirror similar support at the other institutes, along with funding for visiting scholars and collaborative conferences.
• The Science Philanthropy Alliance advised the foundation in designing a cross-institutional network aimed at sustaining curiosity-driven research during impending federal funding cuts.
• Professor Tracy Slatyer is slated to direct the MIT center beginning fall 2025, highlighting an emphasis on leadership in particle physics research.