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October 23, 2025

15 Employees at CalTech received $60 Million in Compensation

by Anne Paddock

15 employees of CatTech (a private research university focused on science and engineering.  Based in Pasadena, CA, Caltech has about 2,500 students (1,000 undergraduate and 1,500 graduate) whose predecessors have been awarded 48 Nobel Prizes.  Tuition, room and board total about $95,000 annually) received $60 million in compensation from 2017-2023 (note:  many of these employees were not employed at CalTech for all those years; and highly compensated employees in any of the years 2017-2022 but not in 2023 are not included):

Thomas F Rosenbaum:  Total Compensation 2017-2023:  $11 million

  • 2023:  $2,345,561
  • 2022:  $2,283,897
  • 2021:  $1,510,231
  • 2020:  $1,378,803
  • 2019:  $1,209,385
  • 2018:  $1,142,842
  • 2017:  $1,092,219

Scott H Richland:  Total Compensation 2017-2023;  $12 millin

  • 2023:  $1,419.063
  • 2022:  $2,673,947
  • 2021:  $1,380,926
  • 2020:  $2,035,910
  • 2019:  $1,828,695
  • 2018:  $1,559,026
  • 2017:  $1,126,209

Laurie Leshin:  Total Compensation 2023: $1 million

  • 2023:  $1,081,504

Dexter A Bailey:  Total Compensation 2020-2023:  $3 million

  • 2023:  $1,047,588
  • 2022:  $  791,411
  • 2021:  $  772,066
  • 2020:  $  419,181

Patsy Isabellą Wang:  Total Compensation 2017-2023:  $7 million

  • 2023:  $  923,204
  • 2022: $1,162,816
  • 2021:  $1,087,486
  • 2020:  $1,231,916
  • 2019:  $1,101,350
  • 2018:  $  928,500
  • 2017:  $  702,390

Douglas N MacBean:  Total Compensation 2020-2023:  $3 million

  • 2023:  $922,751
  • 2022:  $841,676
  • 2021:  $788,674
  • 2020:  $569,548

Larry Dean James:  Total Compensation 2017-2023:  $5 million

  • 2023:  $876,213
  • 2022: $743,216
  • 2021:  $669,256
  • 2020:  $654,910
  • 2019:  $641,441
  • 2018:  $630,212
  • 2017:  $596,180

David A Tirrell:  Total Compensation 2018-2023:  $4 million

  • 2023:  $839,461
  • 2022: $769,972
  • 2021:  $752,626
  • 2020:  $704,206
  • 2019:  $623,258
  • 2018:  $461,681

Jennifer Lum:  Total Compensation 2017-2023:  $4 million

  • 2023:  $780,094
  • 2022:  $729.509
  • 2021:  $710,135
  • 2020:  $492,062
  • 2019:  $393,599
  • 2018:  $376,427
  • 2017:  $356,705

Karen Sisson: Total Compensation 2022-2023:  $1 million

  • 2023:  $775,991
  • 2022:  $206,869

Robert Kirshner:   Total Compensation 2023:  $0.7 million

  • 2023:  $702,554

Brian Chen:  Total Compensation 2023:  $0.7 million

  • 2023:  $668,861

Alistair Thistlethwaite:  Total Compensation 2017-2023:  $0.7 million

  • 2023:  $652,312

Cathy Light: Total Compensation 2022-2023:  $1 million

  • 2023:  $596,615
  • 2022:  $517,258

Diana Jergovic:  Total Compensation 2017-2023:  $3 million

  • 2023:  $571,901
  • 2022:  $498,876
  • 2021:  $476,848
  • 2020:  $563,362
  • 2019:  $427,794
  • 2018:  $406,663
  • 2017:  $407,002

Sharon Patterson:  Total Compensation 2017-2023:  $3 million

  • 2023:  $502,778
  • 2022:  $476,447
  • 2021:  $466,099
  • 2020:  $446,883
  • 2019:  $446,374
  • 2018:  $428,301
  • 2017:  $413,939

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