Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

moore.orgRoom to take risks: 2026 Experimental Physics InvestigatorsThe 2026 cohort of Experimental Physics Investigators is a distinguished group of mid-career researchers pushing the boundaries of experimental physics. These 2…

Congratulations to the 21 mid-career researchers joining the 2026 cohort of Experimental Physics Investigators. Each receives $1.35 million over five years from the Moore Foundation. www.moore.org/article-deta...

moore.orgGreen chemistry: An opportunity for science and investment partnershipsChemistry shapes nearly every part of modern life, from medicines and buildings to electronics, energy technologies, and everyday products. Green chemistry offe…

The Moore Foundation is expanding its Green Chemistry Initiative with a 10-year commitment to support discoveries that could transform how chemicals and materials are designed, produced, and used. Learn more: www.moore.org/article-deta...

tools-competition.orgTools competionTools competion

#EdTech Funding Opportunity: The Tools Competition, supported by the Moore Foundation & co-sponsors, will award $4.5M+ in prizes for tools & datasets. One track seeks tools that reimagine K-12 assessment and build student agency. Abstracts due Oct. 13: tools-competition.org

news.berkeley.eduA breakthrough in electron microscopy delivers sharper images of our body’s tiniest proteins - Berkeley NewsUC Berkeley physicists have introduced phase contrast to the electron microscope, allowing scientists to see much smaller molecules and smaller structures inside cells.

12 Aug

Grantee Holger Müller has added a focused laser to a cryo-electron microscope, sharpening images of proteins too small for standard cryo-EM. An early Moore Foundation grant helped seed the instrumentation. Explore the research: news.berkeley.edu/2026/06/11/a...

moore.orgBringing new eyes to existing telescopesTwo university-led projects will receive a combined $2.96 million to advance astrophysics by developing innovative instruments for midsized ground-based optical…

31 July

We've partnered with @kavlifoundation.org to support two instrumentation projects, including MOHSIS, a Moore-funded instrument that will let a ground-based telescope capture near-infrared light Earth's atmosphere normally blocks. See how: www.moore.org/article-deta...

parks.ca.govCalifornia State Parks and Peninsula Open Space Trust Announce Permanent Conservation of San Gregorio Ranch and Planned Expansion of State Beach by 50%California State Parks

29 July

Starting today, beachgoers can enjoy expanded access at San Gregorio State Beach following the recent acquisition by @postlandtrust.bsky.social of San Gregorio Ranch. The Moore Foundation partnered with POST to expand open access to this California State Park. www.parks.ca.gov/NewsRelease/...

moore.orgNew film explores Inuit-led stewardship of the Arctic OceanThe Arctic Ocean shapes every aspect of life in Greenland. It feeds families, supports livelihoods, and connects generations through a deep relationship with th…

2 July

The Arctic Ocean shapes life in Greenland. A new film from BBC StoryWorks highlights Inuit-led stewardship through the work of our grantee, Oceans North. Learn more: www.moore.org/article-deta... #EnvironmentalConservation #OceanConservation

news.iu.eduHow do quantum breakthroughs happen? Luddy professor on $1.1 million mission to find outLuddy School Informatics Professor Staša Milojević seeks to push scientific boundaries with her prestigious Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation grant as p...

30 June

Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems Initiative grantee Staša Milojević is studying how innovation takes shape in quantum materials research. “Rather than just looking backward at settled history, we are capturing how radical innovation happens as it unfolds.” news.iu.edu/luddy/live/n...

12 June

For hundreds of millions of years, Earth’s earliest complex life may have thrived on oxygen-rich seafloors. New research challenges long-held assumptions about the origins of eukaryotes: scienmag.com/early-comple...

scienmag.comscienmag.com

moore.org Initiative Strategy Detail

10 June

Congratulations to Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems Initiative Investigators Eva Andrei and Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, who are sharing the 2026 Kavli Prize in Nanoscience with Allan MacDonald for foundational work that established the field of Twistronics. 🔗 www.moore.org/initiative-s...

science.orgAcute temperature effects on cilia beating increase coral deoxygenationCiliary flows buffer coral O2 supply under heat stress until a tipping point, above which hypoxia and tissue failure are induced.

2 June

Coral reefs depend on a symbiotic partnership between corals and microscopic algae. New research shows heat stress can disrupt oxygen regulation at the coral surface, increasing the risk of bleaching and mortality. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

moore.orgNew funding opportunity: Advancing aquatic symbiosis researchThe Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation announces a new request for proposals aimed at advancing understanding of symbiosis in marine and freshwater environments.…

27 May

New funding opportunity from the Symbiosis in Aquatic Systems Initiative. We’re inviting teams of two researchers to pursue ambitious, high-risk projects advancing aquatic symbiosis (marine + freshwater).  Details + how to apply:  moore.org/SymbiosisRFP

nature.comSolid neon as a noise-resilient host for electron qubits above 100 mK - Nature ElectronicsSolid neon can serve as a host for electron qubits that is resilient against charge and thermal noise, and exhibits a charge noise that is comparable to that of common semiconductor systems, as shown ...

27 May

“One of the biggest obstacles in quantum computing is finding a material environment that is quiet enough for qubits to survive,” says Experimental Physics Investigator Wei Guo. New research suggests frozen neon may help. Explore the research: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

1 May

New funding opportunity from the Symbiosis in Aquatic Systems Initiative. We’re inviting teams of two researchers to pursue ambitious, high-risk projects advancing aquatic symbiosis (marine + freshwater). Open globally. Details + how to apply:  moore.org/SymbiosisRFP #RFP #AquaticSymbiosis

1 May

#RequestForProposals We’re inviting teams of two researchers to pursue projects advancing #AquaticSymbiosis (marine + freshwater). Areas of interest include how aquatic environments influence symbiosis, evolutionary ecology & new methods/tech. Details + how to apply:  moore.org/SymbiosisRFP

psu.eduSuperconductivity switched on in material once thought only magnetic | Penn State UniversityNew research has now revealed that iron telluride, a compound composed of the chemical elements iron and tellurium and long thought to be an ordinary magnetic metal, is in fact a superconductor.

21 Apr

A material long thought to be magnetic—iron telluride—can conduct electricity with no resistance when disorder is removed. Researchers supported by the Moore Foundation show how this hidden state can also be tuned. Explore the research: www.psu.edu/news/eberly-...

advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.comMetasurface‐Enhanced Thermal Photodetector Operating at Gigahertz FrequenciesUltrafast response speeds from a pyroelectric photodetector are achieved by coupling a plasmonic nanogap cavity metasurface to an aluminum-nitride pyroelectric layer. The metasurface converts light i...

24 Mar

Moore Inventor Fellow Maiken Mikkelsen (Duke University) has helped develop an ultrathin photodetector that traps light with nanoscale silver structures and operates far faster than typical thermal detectors. advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation reposted

Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA)

10 Mar

SCIENCE FUNDING: We're inviting researchers who create and engineer new quantum and hybrid materials to apply for fully unconstrained, 6-year research grants supporting ambitious, high-risk work at the frontiers of quantum materials science. ➡️ www.moore.org/initiative-a... #ScienceGrants

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation reposted

@orca-open.bsky.social

18 Mar

🚨🚨🚨 Six universities will receive $250K each through the Modernizing Academic Appointment & Advancement (MA3) Challenge to pilot bold reforms in faculty hiring, evaluation, promotion, and tenure systems. Today @orca-open.bsky.social is excited to announce the inaugural MA3 awardees. [1/5]

advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.comadvanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

17 Mar

Moore Inventor Fellow Maiken Mikkelsen at Duke University developed an ultrathin thermal photodetector that traps light using nanoscale silver structures — it detects light across the spectrum and operates far faster than typical thermal detectors. advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

16 Mar

Many organizations are beginning to consider what future investment in green chemistry could look like. While adoption remains uneven, survey findings show that 75% of leaders across R&D and technology support increased investment in green chemistry research and innovation. na2.hubs.ly/H04kFZQ0

11 Mar

What happens when researchers from different disciplines get in the same room? Our program associate, Rebecca Ju, shares reflections from a recent Moore Foundation convening and how these gatherings can help turn individual discoveries into shared scientific momentum. www.moore.org/article-deta...

10 Mar

moore.orgInitiative Additional InformationFoundation president, Harvey Fineberg, and chairman emeritus and co-founder, Gordon Moore, discuss the Statement of Founders’ Intent with staff.

10 Mar

We are accepting applications for Materials Synthesis Investigators and Moore Synthesis Fellows. If your work aims to uncover, control, or explore emergent quantum phenomena through materials innovation, we encourage you to apply. ➡️ www.moore.org/initiative-a...

maapprogram.orgMAAP #238: Gold Mining in the Ecuadorian Amazon, Southern Sector – Morona Santiago Province - MAAPThis is the third in a series of reports documenting the expansion of gold mining in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Previous reports (MAAP #227 and MAAP #230) analyzed the progress of this activity in the nor...

9 Mar

Satellite analysis shows gold mining in Ecuador’s Morona Santiago province doubled between 2020–2024 and continued expanding through 2025. MAAP’s monitoring helps track deforestation and mining activity across the Amazon. www.maapprogram.org/mining-ecuad...

science.ucsb.eduBottling the sun: UCSB chemists create ‘rechargeable battery’ for sunlight capable of boiling water | Division of Mathematical, Life and Physical SciencesResearchers at UC Santa Barbara have engineered a liquid material that stores solar energy and releases it as heat hot enough to boil water. Published in Science, the study details a bio-inspired mole...

6 Mar

New research from Moore Inventor Fellow Grace Han (UC Santa Barbara) shows how a bio-inspired molecule can capture sunlight, store it in chemical bonds and release it later as heat — advancing molecular solar thermal energy storage. science.ucsb.edu/news/bottlin...

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation reposted

Environmental and Energy Study Institute

@eesionline.org

25 Feb

Season 11 of The Climate Conversation podcast is officially underway! EESI sat down with Genny Biggs, who oversees the Wildfire Resilience Initiative at @moorefound.bsky.social. Sound on 📢 to hear her explain the importance of ecologically beneficial fire. 🎧 Full episode: ow.ly/3lma50YlUle

27 Feb

Sustaining innovation requires steady investment in people, ideas and institutions. Our latest newsletter highlights opportunities in green chemistry and quantum materials research, the value of interdisciplinary inquiry & efforts to maintain the scientific talent pipeline. mailchi.mp/moore/feb2026

25 Feb

Now open: Materials Synthesis Investigators and Fellows call from the Moore Foundation’s Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems Initiative. 6 year, fully unconstrained grants support researchers creating new quantum and hybrid materials. Apply now. #MoorePhysics epiqs.smapply.io/prog/2026_sy...

quantamagazine.orgExpansion Microscopy Has Transformed How We See the Cellular World | Quanta MagazineHow physically magnifying objects using a key ingredient in diapers has opened an unprecedented view of the microbial world.

23 Feb

Funded through our Science Program, this technique expands the scientific toolkit in ways that can reshape what researchers are able to ask and answer. New research – #ExpansionMicroscopy enlarges cells up to 60x by embedding them in a water-absorbing gel www.quantamagazine.org/expansion-mi...

moore.orgPerspective: The tortoise’s path – rethinking innovation for durable conservationThe air in Belém felt heavy that morning, charged with the expectation of rain. We sat around a table with maps spread out between us, their edges beginning to …

20 Feb

Durable conservation moves more like the tortoise than the hare. Andes-Amazon Initiative program officer Maria DiGiano rethinks innovation in conservation. Not as speed alone but as the patient work of building governance, trust and lasting stewardship over generations www.moore.org/article-deta...

We will launch 3 investigator calls in 2026 to support materials synthesis, experimental, and theory researchers through the Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems Initiative. 6 year, fully unconstrained grants will support bold, high-risk ideas in quantum materials. #MoorePhysics

moore.orgSeeking synthesis, experimental and theory investigators to advance the frontiers of quantum materials scienceQuantum materials are revealing how collective quantum effects such as entanglement, topology and strong electronic interactions can give rise to entirely new f…

Seeking synthesis, experimental and theory investigators to advance the frontiers of quantum materials science www.moore.org/article-deta...

moore.orgInvestments in wildfire resilience are essential for water safety and securityWhen asked where their water comes from, most Americans will answer simply: “my tap.” But long before water reaches the faucet, it is shaped by the environment.…

Long before water reaches the faucet, it is shaped by the environment. Marion Wittmann, Wildfire Resilience Initiative program officer in collaboration with Walton Family Foundation, share thoughts about water and how it ties people to the natural world #Philanthropy www.moore.org/article-deta...

"Across the West and beyond, catastrophic wildfires are directly threatening watersheds and water supplies that sustain our lives and livelihoods. The questions is no longer whether landscapes will burn, but how, where, and with what consequences." #WildfireResilience www.moore.org/article-deta...

moore.orgStrengthening the U.S. scientific talent pipeline through postdoctoral fellowshipsAs U.S. research universities navigate funding uncertainties, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation aimed to provide one-time support to maintain the pipeline o…

17 Feb

Science is driven by the people who conduct research. To sustain the scientific enterprise, we invested $55 million to support postdoctoral fellowships across 30 universities. 🔬🌟 moore.org/article-detail?newsUrlName=strengthening-the-u.s.-scientific-talent-pipeline-through-postdoctoral-fellowships

news.mit.eduTerahertz microscope reveals the motion of superconducting electronsScientists developed a terahertz microscope that compresses terahertz light down to microscopic dimensions. This pinpoint of terahertz light can resolve quantum details in materials that were previous...

13 Feb

A new terahertz microscope let physicists observe terahertz “jiggles” in a superconducting fluid inside bismuth strontium calcium copper oxide. Nature paper from Moore Foundation grantee Nuh Gedik opens new paths for understanding emergent quantum matter. #MoorePhysics news.mit.edu/2026/teraher...

link.springer.comPhylogenomic tree of Cercozoa based on single-cell transcriptomes from 100 uncultured cells - BMC BiologyBackground Cercozoa are single-celled eukaryotes (protists) and are part of the supergroup Rhizaria. Cercozoans have vastly different morphologies and are defined by their phylogenetic affinity. While...

11 Feb

New study co-authored by Symbiosis in Aquatic Systems Initiative Investigator Dr. Patrick Keeling used single-cell gene expression analysis to broadly sample uncultured Cercozoa (part of the supergroup Rhizaria)... 1/2 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #aquaticsymbiosis #evolution #discoveryscience

11 Feb

...expanding taxon sampling of the environment by more than 300% and resulting in identification of multiple previously unknown major eukaryotic lineages. 2/2 Read the study: link.springer.com/article/10.1... #aquaticsymbiosis #evolution #discoveryscience #sciencephilanthropy

6 Feb

Our latest newsletter looks at how bringing people together across disciplines, institutions, and perspectives helps sustain long-term progress — from stewarding landscapes to how Bay Area science museums are engaging communities, and why convenings matter. mailchi.mp/moore/jan2026 #philanthropy

nature.comProbing quantum mechanics with nanoparticle matter-wave interferometry - NatureQuantum interference of sodium nanoparticles, which can each contain more than 7,000 atoms at masses greater than 170,000 Da, is demonstrated.

2 Feb

Research from grantee Markus Arndt shows that quantum wave-like behavior persists even in metallic nanoparticles made of thousands of atoms—placing strong new constraints on theories that quantum mechanics breaks down at larger scales www.nature.com/articles/s41... @univie.ac.at #SciencePhilanthropy

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation reposted

Commonwealth Club World Affairs

@cwclub.bsky.social

20 Jan

Learn about the future of the Arctic Ocean and celebrate the 25th anniversary of the @moorefound.bsky.social Wed, Feb 11 / 6 PM in downtown San Francisco Free program; details & tickets; www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2026-...

ncpl.law.nyu.eduncpl.law.nyu.edu

2 Feb

Interested in working in nonprofit and foundation law? Applications are open for the 2026–2027 Nonprofit Law Fellowship with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. 🔗 ncpl.law.nyu.edu/gordon-and-b... #NonprofitLaw #FoundationLaw #LegalFellowship #JDJobs #CareersInPhilanthropy

computerhistory.orgComputer History Museum Launches Digital Portal to Its Vast CollectionMOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – January 21, 2026 – The Computer History Museum (CHM), a leader in decoding technology—its computing past, digital present, and future impact on humanity—announced the launch of...

22 Jan

📚💻The Computer History Museum launched OpenCHM, a new digital portal expanding public access to its computing history collections. OpenCHM helps connect learners, researchers and the public to the people and ideas behind modern technology. computerhistory.org/press-releas... #ScienceMuseums

moore.orgGreen chemistry: Unlocking the next American industrial boomChemistry is everything. It’s everything we see, touch and feel. From our clothes and our devices to ourselves. From research labs to large manufacturing plants…

21 Jan

Our new 2026 report on #greenchemistry shows R&D and technology leaders see it as a driver of long-term economic growth and competitiveness. Read more: www.moore.org/article-deta....

news.mongabay.comDoug McConnell, interpreter of Northern California, has died, aged 80Doug McConnell spent much of his adult life doing something that sounds simple and is not: he helped people look closely at the places where they lived. For decades he turned Northern California’s ope...

16 Jan

Remembering Doug McConnell — a storyteller who loved nature and the people who care for it. Doug helped preserve the Moore Foundation’s early history and captured stories across the Bay Area and the world. We're grateful for his legacy. news.mongabay.com/2026/01/doug...

wildlandsconservancy.orgCoho Salmon Return to Jenner Headlands! » The Wildlands ConservancyFor the first time in decades, something truly special is happening at Russian Gulch Creek in Jenner Headlands Preserve — juvenile coho salmon have returned. These tiny, silvery fish are making their ...

7 Jan

Nature’s recovery is possible when we invest for the long term. Return of Coho salmon in Sonoma County marks an important milestone in regional ecosystem restoration & years of coordinated effort by scientists, public agencies, community partners and funders. wildlandsconservancy.org/stories/coho...

@thrivingearth.bsky.social

31 Dec 2025

🌿 The Integrated Legacy of the Amazonian Region (LIRA) project aims to secure long-term conservation gains in the Brazilian Amazon while ensuring its communities and ecosystems can thrive together. Learn more about LIRA’s positive impacts in the Amazon ➡️ www.moore.org/article-deta... #Moore25

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation reposted

Thriving Earth Exchange

18 Dec 2025

Thanks to a generous @moorefound.bsky.social grant, @agu.org Thriving Earth Exchange created 4 short videos showcasing recent community science projects. 📽️🌎💫 We hope you will join us in celebrating and sharing these videos. thrivingearthexchange.org/blog/celebra...

thrivingearthexchange.orgCelebrating the Stories Behind Community ScienceThanks to a generous grant for the Moore Foundation, AGU Thriving Earth Exchange commissioned four videos about recent community science projects. Each video shares the people, stories…