Canopus Longevity Foundation
New minds.Bold science.Longer, healthier lives.
Canopus Longevity Foundation is a philanthropic initiative supporting the next generation of biomedical scientists working to extend human healthspan and lifespan.
A star named Canopus
Canopus is the second-brightest star in the night sky — brilliant, steady, and ancient in human imagination.
In Chinese tradition, it is known as 寿星 (Shòuxīng), the Star of Longevity, associated with long life and good fortune.
In modern spaceflight, Canopus serves as a navigational reference point, guiding spacecraft across the solar system with precision.
Our foundation takes its name from this star — a symbol of longevity, exploration, and guidance — values that animate everything we do.
Vision
Our Vision
We believe that today's advances in science and technology put longer lifespans and substantially improved healthspans within reach. The breakthroughs needed to realize this future will come from a new generation of scientists — and we intend to help them get there.
Canopus Longevity Foundation provides early-career support to promising biomedical researchers as they make the critical transition from postdoctoral training to independent faculty positions. Our planned annual funding of $1–1.5 million will support approximately 3–5 researchers each year.
We focus on research that advances longevity and healthy human life — from the molecular mechanisms of aging to interventions that extend healthspan.
Program
Canopus Scholars Program
The Canopus Scholars Program identifies exceptional biomedical postdoctoral researchers during their faculty job search — the pivotal moment when scientific promise meets institutional opportunity.
Each selected scholar receives a conditional commitment of $300,000 in research startup funding. Once the scholar receives a faculty offer from an institution meeting the foundation's eligibility criteria, the funding is donated directly to that university to support the candidate's research.
We seek researchers whose work advances our understanding of longevity and healthy human life — scientists who are not only technically excellent but who bring fresh perspectives to the biology of aging.
Funding commitment per scholar
$300,000
in research startup funding per scholar
Donated directly to the scholar's university upon receipt of an eligible faculty offer.
Process
How the Funding Works
Selection
Promising biomedical postdoctoral researchers are identified during their faculty job search, before they have secured a position.
Conditional Commitment
Each selected scholar receives a conditional pledge of $300,000 in research startup funding from the foundation.
Disbursement
Upon receipt of a faculty offer from an eligible institution, the funding is donated directly to that university to support the scholar's research program.
Foundation
Our Story
Canopus Longevity Foundation was established by a small group of individuals who share a deep conviction: that today's advances in biology, medicine, and technology have brought longer, healthier human lives within genuine reach.
We came to this work not as scientists ourselves, but as people who have watched the field mature — who have seen the quality of the questions being asked, the rigor of the methods being applied, and the caliber of the researchers entering the field.
We founded Canopus because we believe philanthropic capital, directed wisely and early, can make a meaningful difference — not by funding established programs, but by supporting exceptional scientists at the moment when their independence is just beginning.
The foundation welcomes interest from additional philanthropic supporters who share our commitment to advancing longevity science.
Beyond Funding
Funding is where we begin, but not where we end.
We aim to build a lasting community that supports Canopus Scholars through relationships, mentorship, and collaboration — connecting them with each other, with established scientists, and with the broader longevity research ecosystem.
Science advances through networks as much as through grants. We intend to be both.
Contact
Get in Touch
We welcome inquiries from prospective scholars and from those interested in supporting the foundation's mission.
Prospective Scholars
Are you a biomedical postdoctoral researcher interested in the Canopus Scholars Program?
scholars@canopus.lifePhilanthropic Supporters
Are you interested in supporting the foundation's mission to advance longevity science?
supporters@canopus.life