About the Broad Institute

The Broad Institute is a research organization that convenes a community of researchers from across many disciplines and partner institutions—MIT, Harvard, and Harvard-affiliated hospitals.

Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the Broad Institute was founded in 2004 to fulfill the promise of genomic medicine—three years after completion of the Human Genome Project, which Broad scientists helped create and lead. Our origins are rooted in genomics, and as biomedical research and knowledge have expanded since 2004, so have we. Our researchers are deeply collaborative, nimbly launching innovative, high-risk projects at every scale, gaining insight into the biological mechanisms of disease, inventing new technologies, building and implementing computational tools, developing new therapeutics to advance into the clinic, mentoring and training the next generation of scientists, and sharing our data and tools openly to enable breakthroughs anywhere.

Accelerating biomedical research and improving human health require diversity of all kinds in our community—in education, training, background, perspectives, interests, and identity—because it expands our creativity in how we approach problems and find solutions. Broad aims to ensure that the benefits of genomic medicine are shared by all.

We tackle challenges in human health by:

Illuminating human disease
We use systematic, unbiased approaches to identify the root biological causes of disease and find new opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

Reading and editing genomes
We generate a whole human genome’s worth of genetic data every few minutes, read gene expression patterns in tissues and in millions of single cells, and use gene editing to create disease models and dissect cell circuitry.

Sharing data and tools
We make discoveries, data, tools, technologies, and knowledge freely available. We work with industry partners to ensure these innovations benefit patients.

Building communities
We create, steward, and partner in international collaborations with scientists around the world. We work with researchers and patients to tackle important challenges in biomedicine and find innovative, high-impact solutions.

Developing diagnostics and treatments
We are revealing deep biological insights into the causes of disease, which are leading to new ways to monitor, diagnose, and treat patients with greater precision.

Collaborating, innovating, and empowering
We strive to build an inclusive community that empowers and taps into the full potential of every Broadie.

Fostering inclusive communities
We believe that progress in biomedical research requires a fully inclusive community across sex, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, disability, and gender identity.

Our unique structure

Broad science is uniquely organized to encourage cross-disciplinary and collaborative research that cannot be done in a traditional single-laboratory setting. Our Programs and Platforms work alongside faculty labs and enable creative, groundbreaking discoveries at scale.

Programs are communities of academic and professional scientists who are developing transformative approaches to biomedical research, advancing biological knowledge, and gaining insight into the underpinnings of disease. Platforms are teams of professional scientists who are developing new technologies, conducting their own research, and collaborating closely with others to apply these technologies to a wide range of challenging projects.

Institutional Statement of Values

Shared Mission

We believe every Broadie — everyone who works in the Broad community, whether they are employed at Broad or at one of the partner organizations, researchers and administrators, those with long experience and those who are just starting out — is an important part of our scientific mission. To succeed, we need everyone’s creativity, commitment, perspective, and determination.

Commitment to Excellence

We believe in excellence in all aspects of our work. By this, we mean:

Impact: We work on problems with the potential for major positive impact on the world.
Boldness: We are unafraid to try bold new approaches to reach important goals.
Rigor: We embrace rigor, including constructive challenge of ideas, data, and conclusions.
Individuals and Teams: We respect both individual effort and collaborative teamwork as crucial for success.
Diverse Perspectives: We strive to see what has not been seen before, by drawing upon our diverse experiences and perspectives.
Sharing: We share our results, data, and tools responsibly and broadly to propel global scientific progress.
Ethics: We have the responsibility to ensure that our research is conducted honestly and impacts human lives positively.
Humility: We question our assumptions, confront our biases, and are continuously learning and growing.

Commitment to Community

We aim to nurture a community where Broadies are excited and proud to work. By this, we mean:

Belonging: We aim for every Broadie to feel a sense of full belonging in the Broad community — welcomed for who they are and valued for what they bring.
Caring: We strive to treat each other with kindness, honesty, and respect.
Development: We are committed to supporting individual development through timely opportunities and mentorship.
Well-being: Tackling important challenges can be exhilarating, but it can also be stressful. We are committed to supporting the emotional, physical, and mental health of every Broadie.
Global Community: We embrace deep engagement with scientists, and the communities scientists serve, everywhere.
Local Community: We prioritize being a good and engaged neighbor in Cambridge and the Boston area.

Applauding the Excellence awards awardees at the Broad retreat

Broadies

Members of the Broad community (“Broadies”) include faculty, professional scientists, early-career scientists, and administrators, who all work closely together to advance Broad’s mission.