Robert and Tina Hammond's gift builds on lifelong ties to the Institute and an engineering career spent advancing the very technologies now driving quantum research.

Bob Hammond (BS ’71, MS ’72, PhD ’76) still remembers the lecture that sparked his fascination with quantum science. It was 1982, and the speaker was none other than Caltech theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate Richard Feynman, who had recently begun to popularize the then-radical idea of quantum computing. "That’s stuck with me ever since," Bob says.

More than four decades later, Bob and Tina Hammond have made a gift to Caltech that reflects both his long-standing interest in quantum mechanics and their deep ties to the Institute. Their donation will fund a graduate fellowship for two years in quantum science, supporting students in physics and applied physics working at the forefront of the emerging field.

"I think Caltech is probably the worthiest nonprofit that I know of," he says. "It just continues to do remarkable things."

Understanding Science at a Deeper Level

Bob, who earned three degrees from Caltech over seven years, credits the Institute with shaping his intellectual life and launching his career. "It was a wonderful experience," he says. "I went there because I wanted to study physics, but I also wanted to understand how science works at a deeper level. Caltech satisfied both goals."

After earning his PhD in 1976 Bob remained closely connected to Caltech—returning for Seminar Day, helping with alumni fundraising, and staying in touch with faculty and fellow alumni. Over time, he and Tina began discussing ways to give back in a more lasting and targeted way.

"We’d talked about it for years," Tina says. "But it always felt like something we’d do later. Then last fall, it felt like the right time."

Supporting the Freedom to Focus on Research

Their decision to focus on graduate students was shaped by years of conversations with Caltech faculty and development staff. "I kept asking, where can we make the most impact?" Bob says. "And the message was clear: graduate student support—especially for research—offers the most leverage."

Bob speaks from experience. During his own graduate years, he held research fellowships for three out of four years and worked as a teaching assistant. "The TAship was really valuable, but the fellowships gave me the freedom to focus on research," he says. "That mattered a lot."

For Tina, the value of supporting students is personal. "We both worked our way through school," she says. "And I remember the tension of that."

The oldest of five children, Tina attended George Washington University at a time when money for college was tight. To help support her family, she switched to part-time enrollment and worked full-time for the university, earning free tuition for two classes per semester.

After graduating, Tina worked at The Metropolitan Museum in New York and then transitioned into a career in human resources. She became director of human resources at publishing company John Wiley & Sons and later held HR roles at both for-profit and nonprofit institutions, including a national laboratory.

Advancing Quantum Science

The couple chose to direct their gift toward quantum science in part because of Bob’s professional background, which spans superconductors, radio frequency devices, and cryogenics. These technologies now underpin many areas of quantum research.

For example, cryogenics—the science of achieving and maintaining extremely low temperatures—is critical for stabilizing quantum systems, which are highly sensitive to heat and environmental noise. The tools Bob spent his career developing are the same ones researchers now rely on to build and operate quantum computers. "It’s right up my alley," he says.

That professional overlap is matched by a deep personal interest. "Quantum information science intrigues me enormously," he says. "I’ve been involved in product development my whole career, and I’ve always believed that the fundamentals—the physics—are what drive real innovation."

That belief has influenced Bob’s work for decades. After earning his PhD, he joined a company that allowed him to apply physics at every level—from theoretical modeling to engineering design, manufacturing, and deployment. One early achievement: building cryogenic systems for telecommunications base stations that could run maintenance-free for over a decade, delivering a level of performance and reliability rarely seen outside the space industry.

"Cryogenics enables all kinds of interesting phenomena," he says. "And I first learned about it at Caltech."

Bob sees clear parallels between his early work and today’s efforts to build quantum computers. "The memory elements, the logic gates—these are core challenges. They’re very hard technical problems, but also practical problems. And that’s the appeal," he says. "That combination—it’s like catnip to me."

He’s particularly excited about areas like quantum error correction, whereby additional qubits (the fundamental units of information in quantum computing) can help address disturbances caused by heat or movement that could prevent the computer from working correctly. Bob describes this as "a rich, rich problem" where theoretical advances are essential to practical progress. "And because the field is so interdisciplinary—spanning physics, engineering, computer science—it fits Caltech’s strengths perfectly."

Collaborating Across Disciplines

Interdisciplinarity was one of the qualities that first drew Bob to Caltech and remains one of its defining features in his eyes. "Even back when I was a student, faculty were comfortable talking across disciplines," he says. "Max Delbrück was a physicist who became a biologist and won the Nobel Prize. That kind of boundary-crossing is part of the culture."

Now, with their gift, the Hammonds hope to help the next generation of scientists experience that culture while easing any potential financial strain.

"It’s a mental load, as well as a time load," Tina says. "If this gift can remove some of that load for a student, if it gives them the space to focus, then that’s really meaningful."

For Bob, the value of the gift lies in its tangible, personal impact. "It’ll support one student who will accomplish something during that time," he said. "That’s a measure and a reward."