CEO pay at US nonprofit research institutes, ranked
This list ranks 15 science and research institutes by what they paid their CEO, using each one's latest full-year IRS Form 990. Every row links to the return it comes from. This is a partial list: 30 of the 45 research institutes that meet the definition do not have pages on this site yet.
Last updated from IRS e-file data.
What counts as a research institute here
Nonprofit science, technology and social science research institutes and scientific societies. Each must report at least $100 million in total revenue (Part I, line 12) on its latest full-year return. 45 organizations meet the definition: 15 are ranked here, and 30 do not have pages on this site yet.
Each row is the return that reports the chief executive's pay, and the revenue shown is that return's own. Affiliates that list the same executive as the ranked return are left out so one person's pay is not listed twice.
The ranking
The chief executive on each organization's latest full-year return, or the highest-paid person where no title marks one. Each row is a different return, so each links to its own filing.
The percentile compares each row's pay / revenue with organizations of similar revenue across this site, not only this list, because the site has fewer than 20 research institutes. Rows in different revenue bands are compared with different groups, so similar shares can show different percentiles.
| Rank | Organization and CEO | Total pay | Year ending | Revenue | Pay / revenue | Share percentile | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Battelle Memorial InstituteLewis Von ThaerCEO PRESIDENT & CEO | $5,978,396 | Sep 2025 | $13,526,408,187 | 0.04% | 32% | Filing |
| 2 |  MITREDr Jason F ProvidakesCEO PRESIDENT & CEO - PARTIAL YEAR | $5,957,132 | Dec 2024 | $2,475,879,129 | 0.24% | 76% | Filing |
| 3 |  ATCCRaymond H CypessCEO CEO, CHAIRMAN | $2,350,282 | Dec 2024 | $198,027,310 | 1.19% | 91% | Filing |
| 4 |  Aerospace CorporationS J IsakowitzCEO President & CEO | $2,257,756 | Sep 2025 | $1,623,067,000 | 0.14% | 46% | Filing |
| 5 |  NoblisMile K CorriganCEO PRESIDENT, CEO, AND TRUSTEE | $2,126,732 | Oct 2025 | $614,468,693 | 0.35% | 90% | Filing |
| 6 |  Draper LaboratoryJerry WohletzCEO PRESIDENT AND CEO | $2,106,272 | Jun 2025 | $949,348,102 | 0.22% | 72% | Filing |
| 7 |  American Society of Mechanical EngineersThomas CostabileCEO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/CEO | $2,088,766 | Jun 2025 | $136,989,570 | 1.52% | 95% | Filing |
| 8 |  RTI InternationalT GabelCEO President | $1,823,892 | Sep 2025 | $1,254,259,534 | 0.15% | 47% | Filing |
| 9 |  Southwest Research InstituteAdam HamiltonCEO Pres./CEO/Dir. | $1,799,081 | Sep 2025 | $978,595,721 | 0.18% | 62% | Filing |
| 10 |  American Institutes for ResearchDavid MyersCEO CEO (END 02/24)/ BD & CMTE MEMBERSee note 1. | $1,647,659 | Dec 2024 | $437,187,471 | 0.38% | 48% | Filing |
| 11 |  SRI InternationalDavid ParekhCEO CEO | $1,440,820 | Dec 2024 | $437,926,151 | 0.33% | 42% | Filing |
| 12 |  National Academy of SciencesMarcia McNuttCEO PRESIDENT | $1,188,162 | Dec 2024 | $361,712,009 | 0.33% | 41% | Filing |
| 13 |  American Chemical SocietyAlbert HorvathCEO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | $1,113,221 | Dec 2024 | $819,099,460 | 0.14% | 44% | Filing |
| 14 |  Aspen InstituteDaniel R PorterfieldCEO PRESIDENT & CEO | $911,570 | Dec 2024 | $443,841,184 | 0.21% | 19% | Filing |
| 15 |  Association of Universities for Research in AstronomyCharles MountainCEO PRESIDENT | $667,437 | Sep 2025 | $468,809,827 | 0.14% | 8% | Filing |
- 1.More than one person held the top job during the year this return covers. The row shows David Myers ("CEO (END 02/24)/ BD & CMTE MEMBER"); the return also lists Jessica Heppen ("(ALL OF 2024) & CEO (AS OF 03/24) (PRESIDENT, filed with the name)"), $993,614.
More rankings: Highest-paid nonprofit CEOs, CEO pay at major US nonprofits, CEO pay at nonprofit hospital systems, University president pay, all 17 rankings, or search every organization.
About the data
Every figure comes from a Form 990 e-file return the organization submitted to the IRS, which the IRS publishes as open data. Each row uses one return and links to it. We don't estimate, round or combine years; column F is the organization's own estimate of other compensation.
- Which return
- The most recent return that covers a full year. Short-year returns, filed when an organization changes its fiscal year, cover only a few months and are not used as the latest year. Where a return was amended, the amended version is used.
- What “total” means
- Part VII columns D, E and F added together: reportable pay from the organization, reportable pay from related organizations, and estimated other compensation. We add them up; each organization's page shows the three amounts separately.
- Timing
- Returns are due up to 10½ months after the fiscal year ends and appear in IRS data anywhere from about 4 to 18 months after the year ends, so the latest year here is often a year or more old.
- Who counts as CEO
- The person whose filed title names them chief executive (CEO, chief executive officer or executive director), or, where no one has one of those titles, a plain "President" or head of school. At a university it is the president or chancellor. If no one has any of these titles, we show the highest-paid person and say so. Totals and percentages labeled as calculated are our arithmetic on figures from one filing.
The full rules are on the methodology page. To report an error or ask for a review, email corrections@ceopaycheck.com.
Common questions
Of the 15 ranked so far, the top total is $5,978,396 for Lewis Von Thaer, president and CEO of Battelle Memorial Institute, on its return for the fiscal year ending September 2025. Next is Dr Jason F Providakes of MITRE at $5,957,132. Totals are Part VII columns D, E and F added together, so they include pay from related organizations and the organization's estimate of other compensation, such as retirement contributions. This is a partial list: 30 more that meet the definition do not have pages on this site yet.
Across these 15 the median is $1,823,892 (our calculation). 13 reported $1,000,000 or more for their CEO or top-paid person, and all 15 reported $500,000 or more. The median share is 0.22% of the ranked return's revenue, our calculation from the same return.
The list covers organizations whose latest full-year Form 990 reports at least $100 million in total revenue, one row per organization. Affiliates that list the same executive as another return are left out so one person's pay is not counted twice. 30 more that meet the definition do not have pages on this site yet.