The 'New Heroes' of Caltech and JPL

Christopher Michel, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine artist-in-residence, created portraits of a number of Institute researchers as part of an ongoing series.

By Andrew Moseman

Frances Arnold

Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry and director of the Donna and Benjamin M. Rosen Bioengineering Center.

Mike Brown

Richard and Barbara Rosenberg Professor of Planetary Astronomy and the Terence D. Barr Leadership Chair and director of the Center for Comparative Planetary Evolution

Konstantin Batygin (MS ’10, PhD ’12)

Professor of Planetary Science

Graeme Stephens

Director of the Center for Climate Sciences, JPL

Adam Steltzner (MS ’91)

Chief Engineer, Mars 2020, JPL

Charles Elachi (MS ’69, PhD ’71)

Professor of Electrical Engineering and Planetary Science, Emeritus; Director of JPL, Retired

Kip Thorne (BS ’62)

Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, Emeritus

David Baltimore

President Emeritus; Judge Shirley Hufstedler Professor of Biology

Zhongwen Zhan

Professor of Geophysics

Francois Tissot

Assistant Professor of Geochemistry; Investigator, Heritage Medical Research Institute

Hiroo Kanamori

John E. and Hazel S. Smits Professor of Geophysics, Emeritus

Katherine de Kleer

Assistant Professor of Planetary Science and Astronomy; Hufstedler Family Scholar

Pamela Björkman

David Baltimore Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering; Merkin Institute Professor

Arati Prabhakar (MS ’80, PhD ’85)

Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Science Advisor to the President

Rick Welch

Mars 2020 Project Systems Engineer, JPL

Ardem Patapoutian (PhD ’96)

Professor of Neuroscience at Scripps Research. Nobel laureate.

Bob Behnken (MS ’93 , PhD ’97)

Astronaut

Marianne Bronner

Edward B. Lewis Professor of Biology; Director of the Beckman Institute

Carolyn C. Porco (MS ’79, PhD '83)

Planetary scientist, Cassini Imaging Science team leader, visiting scholar at UC Berkeley.

Christopher Michel wanted to show the world some new heroes. He found a community of them at Caltech.

A U.S. Navy flight officer and entrepreneur-turned-photographer, Michel became artist in residence at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2021. Charged with celebrating the scientists and engineers working on solutions to society’s biggest challenges, he began his New Heroes series to showcase these researchers in bold portraits.

“I have this incredible job where I get to go around the country and spend time with the most interesting scientists in the world,” Michel says. The photographer has visited Caltech numerous times, in part because COVID-19 limited travel to other regions, and in part because of the density of innovative thinkers on campus and at JPL, which the Institute manages for NASA. “Caltech has been probably the place I've spent most time. [It] is one of those places that, once you start to learn about it, you realize how incredibly unique and special it is.”

His photos capture researchers in environments both expected and unusual. Mike Brown, the Richard and Barbara Rosenberg Professor of Planetary Astronomy and the Terence D. Barr Leadership Chair and director of the Center for Comparative Planetary Evolution, stands in front of a chalkboard diagram of orbital mechanics. Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold, the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry and director of the Donna and Benjamin M. Rosen Bioengineering Center, sits atop her motorcycle clad in a leather jacket.

A selection of images of Caltech researchers and alumni can be seen above. All of Michel’s photos can be found at his website.

Read more:

• Konstantin Batygin on the transformative power of failure

• Pamela Björkman’s chase for a universal COVID vaccine

• “The Universe Has Spoken”—on Kip Thorne and LIGO