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Caltech's 2023 Code of Conduct

October 5, 2023
Office of the President

To: The Caltech Community
From: Thomas F. Rosenbaum
Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and Professor of Physics

The start of the academic year offers new opportunities for the Institute community—students, postdocs, faculty, and staff on campus, at JPL, and at our offsite facilities—to expand on Caltech's mission of learning, discovery, and innovation for the benefit of humanity. To achieve these goals, we strive to cultivate a multidisciplinary environment that encourages the open exchange of ideas, propels the creation of knowledge, and fosters both personal growth and global impact.

Our achievements depend on upholding the highest ethical standards in all Institute activities. To that end, we can rely on Caltech's Code of Conduct to help ensure that our actions are beyond reproach.

In this ever-changing world, you may encounter situations where the best course of action is not obvious. The following is a list of resources available to anyone in the Caltech community who would like advice in such a situation:

  • Staff members on campus and at JPL may contact their immediate supervisors.
  • Faculty, postdoctoral scholars, researchers, students, and staff within the academic divisions may always contact their academic or research advisers, immediate faculty or staff supervisors, and higher levels of the divisional administration, up to the Division Chairs.
  • Students may contact the Dean of Undergraduate Students (626-395-6351) or the Dean of Graduate Studies (626-395-6346).
  • Any member of the Institute may direct questions regarding unlawful discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, national origin, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and other individual characteristics protected by federal and state law to the Equity and Title IX Office (626-395-3132) or equity@caltech.edu.
  • Any member of the Institute may direct questions regarding research integrity to the Office of Research Policy (626-395-2907) or the JPL Office of the Chief Scientist (818-354-0526).
  • Any member of the Institute may direct questions to Human Resources (626-395-3300), JPL's Ethics Office (818-354-6338), Audit Services and Institute Compliance (626-395-8075), or the Office of the General Counsel (626-395-3241).

When ordinary channels are not available or there is a need for confidentiality or anonymity, you may contact the campus hotline (626-395-8787 or toll free 888-395-8787) or the JPL ethics help line (818-354-9999 or toll free 866-405-7536). The Caltech Whistleblower Policy prohibits retaliation against any individual who makes a good faith disclosure of suspected wrongful conduct.

We appreciate your commitment to the Institute's core values and standards as we advance our mission of discovery.