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Caltech's 2024 Code of Conduct

October 9, 2024
Office of the President

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

As we usher in the new academic year, we are inspired by the creativity, rigor, and integrity with which our students, postdocs, faculty, and staff across campus, JPL, and our offsite facilities conduct research, advance learning, and develop new technologies that benefit society. Caltech's mission and core values reflect this high level of excellence and are key components of our success as we expand the boundaries of human knowledge.

Our achievements depend on maintaining the highest ethical practices 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.

During your time at Caltech, 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 advisors, 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 (818-354-1709).
  • 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 WhistleblowerPolicy 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 Caltech's scientific discoveries and technological innovations.