Jeffrey Epstein: Science Philanthropy and Innovation

At first blush, it may seem as though science and philanthropy are two very different concepts—the former seeming distant or remote, the second more human—but to the mind of financier Jeffrey Epstein, the two concepts are closely interwoven. Here we have a man who is, by trade, a money manager, but his true passion is cultivating a love of science, through philanthropic work, education and scholarships, community conversations, open forums, and more.

The influence that Jeffrey Epstein has had on the world of science—and on the minds of so many individuals across the country and the world—is impressive. Below are some of the different initiatives with which he has involved himself. First, though, we might spend a moment looking at the man himself.

About Jeffrey Epstein

Jeffrey Epstein is a money manager and a philanthropist, with his heart in the fruition of scientific inquiry. He presently serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of a firm called the Financial Trust Company.

Mr. Epstein has spent his entire life pursuing knowledge in many different disciplines—in finance, science and in education. Mr. Epstein began his career at Bear Stearns, but his educational background is in physics. He has served as a Trustee of Institute of International Education ever since late 2001.

Mr. Epstein claims membership on numerous noteworthy boards and councils. Specifically, he is a Member of the Trilateral Commission, the Council on Foreign Relations, the New York Academy of Science, the prestigious Edge Organization and more. Additionally, he is a former Rockefeller University Board Member.

The list of his professional affiliations continues on from there. Indeed, Mr. Epstein is also keenly involved with the Santa Fe Institute, the Theoretical Biology Initiative at the Institute for Advanced Study, and the Quantum Gravity Program at the University of Pennsylvania. As if this did not make him busy enough, the man sits on the Mind, Brain & Behavior Advisory Committee at Harvard.

In 2003, Mr. Epstein developed The Program for Evolutionary Dynamics. He financed the entire endeavor with a $30 million grant to Harvard University. The Program is currently under the direction of Martin Novak, Professor of Biology and Mathematics at Harvard. This innovative program uses mathematics and biochemistry as tools for studying evolutionary biology, for tracking the life cycle of different viruses, the kinetics of cells, fundamental molecules and compounds of life, and for researching cancer cures and treatments.

About The Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation

Essential to Epstein’s vision and values is the work done by his own foundation. Known as the Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation, it was founded in 2000 to support cutting edge, advanced scientific study and science education around the globe. Since its inception, the foundation has grown to encompass other fields and is an active supporter of groundbreaking work conducted in education, youth initiatives, international peace accords, and medical research.

Today, the Foundation that bears his name is a monument to all of the enterprises that Jeffrey Epstein believes in. Below is a sample list of the varied recipients honored with funding from this organization. The list is lengthy, but the 2012 recipients, to date, include:

•   Mount Sinai Hospital
•   Crohn & Colitis Foundation of America
•   New York Academy of Art
•   National MS Society
•   The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Previous recipients are more diverse still; another partial list might include:

•   V.I. Volleyball Federation
•   Youth Lifeline America
•   The Institute for Music & Brain Science
•   Alzheimer’s Association
•   Ovarian Cancer Research Fund
•   YMCA of the US Virgin Islands
•   St. John School of the Arts
•   Stockholm School of Economics

Despite the wide range of diversity, the common link in most of the foundation’s recipients is that they are organizations devoted to learning, to empowerment, to knowledge, and to inspiration: organizations that make a big difference in the lives of many. They are devoted to economics and medicine, to art and to science; in short, they are devoted to the cultivation of general knowledge.

Jeffrey Epstein: Collecting Great Ideas

In addition to Mr. Epstein’s passion for science research and education, he loves a great idea. The Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation seeks to cultivate just that: great ideas, then to collect and expand upon them. All of this he accomplishes through his organization’s Ideas Forum.

What is the Jeffrey Epstein Ideas Forum? It is exactly what it sounds like—an avenue through which brilliant thinkers can express their finest ideas, and then see them built upon. As the official description of the Ideas Forum makes clear, its mission is to “collect fundamental ideas from the best scientists, scholars and readers,” and then to “select the best responses” for inclusion in “the ultimate collection of concepts.”

Some recent topics are surprising and rich. Just a few particular examples include:

•   Signal intelligence and biological communication
•   Biology vs. mechanics
•   What music reveals about the human brain
•   The predator-prey relationship within nature

The Ideas Forum seeks to solicit ideas from some of the most impressive minds in the world—but also from readers, many of them novices or scientific lay people. The best ideas are chosen, posted on the website, and then built upon and developed.

By the way: we might note that while many of the ideas expressed via the Forum are scientifically advanced, others are more like intellectual flights of fancy. For example, a recent entry wonders whether there should be alternative forms of currency, beyond those already in use. The post’s inspiration: the Hollywood movie In Time.

This is all very much in keeping with Mr. Epstein’s core beliefs in the pervasive and all-important power of knowledge. For him, scientific enterprise is important—but so are the inquiries made by laypeople. The Ideas Forum seeks to bridge these two worlds.

All of this is to say that Jeffrey Epstein is a man with a zeal for provocative and bright ideas. He fosters them through his Jeffrey Epstein IV Foundation and then collects and discusses them, through his Jeffrey Epstein Forum.