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Privacy Policy

Last updated: May 15, 2023

This privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) applies to all of the websites, online portals, electronic forms, and mobile applications operated by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (“HHMI”) and its affiliates (referred to collectively with HHMI as, “we,” “us,” or “our”) that link to or post this Privacy Policy (collectively, the “Sites”). Your privacy is valued and respected by us. As such, this Privacy Policy describes our online information practices, including the types of information that we may collect from you when you visit the Sites and how we use, share and protect this information.

This Privacy Policy is part of, and incorporated into, the Terms of Use for the Sites (“Terms of Use”), which govern your use of the Sites. Please review the Terms of Use prior to using the Sites.

For the purposes of the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016, the data controller for Personal Information (as defined below) gathered by us online via the Sites is the Howard Hughes Medical Institute with an office at 4000 Jones Bridge Road, Chevy Chase, MD 20815-6789. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact HHMI.

By browsing the Sites or providing information to us, you are agreeing to the Terms of Use and this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with the Terms of Use and this Privacy Policy, do not browse the Sites or provide information to us.

Please note that this Privacy Policy applies to information that enables us to identify you, directly or indirectly, from the information alone or in combination with other identifiers we possess (“Personal Information”) gathered online via the Sites. Personal information includes pseudonymized personal information, but excludes anonymous data or data that has had the identity of an individual permanently removed.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to information that you may submit to us offline or to third-party websites to which we may link.  

This Privacy Policy may be supplemented by a supplemental privacy policy applicable to a particular interaction with us, made available to you separately.

1. Information You May Provide Directly to Us

It is always your choice, or the choice of anyone acting for you, whether to provide Personal Information, such as your name, mailing address, email address or other information about yourself or data which can be reasonably linked to such information by us.

However, in order to obtain certain materials and services from us, and to use certain features of the Sites, you will need to provide us with Personal Information about yourself, so the decision not to provide this Personal Information will limit or eliminate your ability to receive certain materials or use certain features of the Sites.

You may provide your Personal Information in the following circumstances:  

Contact information

This is information you provide when corresponding with us using our Contact Us pages, by email or otherwise. This includes information you provide when you interact with the Sites in ways, including but not limited to:

  • participating in online surveys or competitions;
  • subscribing to news or updates;
  • ordering materials from us;
  • requesting information about our public lecture series;
  • submitting feedback;
  • registering for meetings;
  • attending or participating in conferences;
  • submitting proposals or applications;
  • requesting licenses or permissions; or
  • otherwise submitting information, including on any of our web-based forms.

The information you give us may include your name, address, email address, and phone number.  

Profile information

In order to access certain parts of the Sites, we may require that you register with us by creating a password-protected user account. This registration information may be used, for example, for identification purposes, to communicate with you regarding your account with us or to facilitate the functioning of the Sites. As part of this registration process, you will be required to provide certain information about yourself, such as your name, mailing address or email address.

Third-Party Social Networking; Mobile Applications

You also can engage with some content of the Sites, such as applications and other offerings, on or through third-party social networking sites, and when you do so, you may allow us to have access to certain information from your social media profile and your interaction with our content. When you provide this information, you consent to use of this information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

We offer mobile applications via the Sites that allow you to receive educational information and tools, and to receive information from us. Any Personal Information collected by us via our mobile applications offered via the Sites is covered by this Privacy Policy.

Careers

You can use our careers sites, including hhmi.org/careers, janelia.org/you-janelia/careersexternal link, opens in a new tab, and hhmi.wd1.myworkdayjobs.comexternal link, opens in a new tab, to learn about us, create a job profile, and apply for open positions by submitting an application.

These careers sites may be operated or supported by third-party service providers that will have access to the Personal Information that you submit, but are only authorized to process it as permitted by us.

We may also receive resumes from recruitment consultants, our staff or other third parties via the Sites.   

Applications and resumes will typically include Personal Information, including name, contact details, information about academic and professional qualifications and experiences, your interests, and the position with us for which you are applying.

Visitors and Research and Science Education Programs

We may provide opportunities to submit applications and requests to conduct research at the Janelia Research Campus, attend conferences, and participate in our research and science education programs.   

Applications submitted via the Sites will typically include Personal Information, including name, contact details, information about academic qualifications and experiences and the research, project or program for which you are applying. You may also provide information in connection with a visit to our facilities, such as emergency contact information.

Our HHMI Pathway site (pathway.hhmi.orgexternal link, opens in a new tab) may be operated or supported by third-party service providers that will have access to the Personal Information that you submit, but are only authorized to process it as permitted by us.

Do not supply Personal Information about others unless you are authorized by such individuals or required to do so by applicable law or contract and such individuals provide their consent to this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use.

2. Information We Collect That You Do Not Provide

We also collect some information automatically when you visit the Sites, including, but not limited to, through the use of “cookies” that are used to collect traffic data. The types of information that we collect through such methods include: your domain name and host for Internet access; the Internet address of the sites from which you came; the date, time and duration of your access; your computer’s IP address and information about its operating system, browser and host; and the pages of the Sites that you visit. We may also use cookies in certain features on the Sites, so you can return to the feature and pick up where you left off if you are unable to view the entire program in one sitting. If you do not want to receive cookies, you may set your browser to reject them. However, if you turn cookies off, you may not have access to some of the services and features of the Sites. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you access the Sites. For more information about our use of cookies, please see our Cookie Notice at the end of this policy.   

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your Personal Information according to the terms of this Privacy Policy in effect at the time of our use.

In general, we use the information we collect on our Sites to pursue our mission and operations, and to engage in the activity for which the information is collected, in line with this Privacy Policy.

Specifically, we may use your information to:

  • create, maintain, and manage your account, communicate with you about the Sites and respond to any questions or requests;
  • communicate with you regarding our mission, programs and activities;
  • process, track, and fulfill your orders, and provide the materials and services you request;
  • fulfill any other purpose for which you provide it;
  • analyze visitor feedback and track site usage data in order to make improvements to the materials, services and features available on the Sites and for other internal purposes. For example, we may compare visitor numbers from different geographic locations inside and outside the U.S., assess interest level in our publications and webcasts, and modify editorial content based on visitor numbers and occupation;
  • recruit participants for possible focus groups and studies conducted by us;
  • comply with the law or the good faith belief that such action is necessary to conform with the requirements of law or to comply with legal process served on us;
  • undertake other activities in accordance with your consent;
  • assess your suitability for the position for which you are applying;
  • contact you in relation to your application;
  • manage and administrate our recruitment processes;
  • provide updates about vacancies which might be suitable for you (for example, we may provide these updates if you create a “job agent” on the Careers pages);
  • process and review applications;
  • administer grants and awards;
  • evaluate and review application decisions and trends;
  • conduct research and generate statistics; and
  • evaluate and audit funded research.

Subject to applicable law, we reserve the right to make all lawful, worldwide uses of collected information.

For European residents only. We will only process your Personal Information, including sharing it with third parties, where (1) you have provided your consent which can be withdrawn at any time, (2) the processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party, (3) we are required by law, (4) processing is required to protect your vital interests or those of another person, or (5) processing is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests, provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.  

4. Disclosure of and Third-Party Access to Your Personal Information

We will only intentionally share or allow access to your Personal Information with third parties under the following circumstances:

  • we may share Personal Information with affiliates, partners, contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our mission and operation;
  • third-party service providers that assist us with our careers sites and our HHMI Pathway site may have access to the Personal Information that you submit, but are only authorized to process it as permitted by us;
  • we may instruct third parties to carry out background screening checks about you on our behalf;
  • to fulfill the purpose for which you provided the Personal Information or for any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide Personal Information. For example, to process order requests, your name and mailing address will be shared with our order fulfillment company, and if you agree to participate in one of our focus groups, we may provide your Personal Information to the consulting firm we engage to help us perform the study;
  • we may share your Personal Information with external reviewers, host institutions, funding partners, third-party auditors, service providers, and other third parties that we use for grants processing, administration, and operation and support of related systems;
  • we may publish details of successful grants, including name, organization and institution, project title, a summary of the grant and its value, and scientific/academic abstracts and research summaries;
  • we may share your Personal Information with third-party providers who manage our marketing database and who send press release notices on our behalf;
  • to comply with any court order, law or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request;
  • when we believe that doing so is required by law, may be necessary to protect any person’s property, rights or safety, to investigate a potential violation of law, to enforce any terms of use or other legal agreement, to protect against misuse or unauthorized use of the Sites, or help to resolve disputes that arise in the ordinary course of business;
  • as a result of a reorganization process;
  • in aggregated or another non-personally identifiable form (for example, we may publish aggregate information about the number of visitors from different geographic locations to specific parts of the Sites);
  • to respond to a request from a recipient asking who sent materials to them (subject to applicable law); or
  • in accordance with your consent.

Where we use web-based services and tools provided by third parties to create applications, surveys, and other forms made available on the Sites (e.g., SurveyMonkey®, Cognito Forms®) those third-party service providers will have access to information that you submit on these forms. This Privacy Policy governs our use of the information that you submit on these forms. Any use by the applicable third-party service provider of information that you submit on these forms or that is collected by such a third party in connection with your interactions with these forms is governed by the third-party service provider’s privacy policy and cookie notice. Please read these third-party privacy policies and cookie notices to see how your information will be treated by the third-party provider.

We will not sell your Personal Information to third parties without your consent.

5. Your Choices and Retention of Personal Information

You can review and update your account information by logging into your account at any time, and may close your account by submitting your request to HHMI. You may unsubscribe to email news alerts at any time by selecting the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the emails, logging into your account and changing your email alerts setting, or submitting your request to HHMI. We retain Personal Information for as long as we think is necessary or advisable and we reserve the right to retain it to the full extent not prohibited by law. Our third-party order fulfillment company also maintains a copy of contact information relating to order requests they have processed for us. If you have any questions about what Personal Information about you we retain or would like to request that we not share your information as explained in this Privacy Policy, please contact HHMI.

6. Your European Privacy Rights

For European residents only. Under European data protection law, in certain circumstances, you have the right to:

  • Request access to any Personal Information we hold about you as well as related information, including the purposes for processing the Personal Information, the recipients or categories of recipients with whom the Personal Information has been shared, where possible, the period for which the Personal Information will be stored, the source of the Personal Information, and the existence of any automated decision making;
  • Obtain without undue delay the rectification of any inaccurate Personal Information we hold about you;
  • Request that Personal Information held about you is deleted;
  • Prevent or restrict processing of your Personal Information; and
  • Request transfer of Personal Information directly to a third party where this is technically feasible.

Also, where you believe that we have not complied with our obligations under this Privacy Policy or European data protection law, you have the right to make a complaint to an EU Data Protection Authority, depending on where you are based.  

You can exercise any of these rights by contacting HHMI.

7. Information Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect all Personal Information received from visitors to the Sites from unauthorized use or disclosure. We also require the third parties that assist us with our careers sites and our HHMI Pathway site to use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect from unauthorized use or disclosure Personal Information accessed or received in connection with such assistance.   

Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the privacy of any Personal Information that you provide. If we are required to provide notice of unauthorized access to security systems or Personal Information, you agree that we may do so by posting notice on our Sites, by email, or by regular mail, in our discretion.

8. International Transfers

The Sites are published in the United States and are subject to laws of the United States. If you are located in a country outside the United States and submit Personal Information to us, you consent to the general use of such information as provided in this Privacy Policy and to the transfer of that information to, and storage of that information in, the United States.

9. Third-Party Sites

If you select a hyperlink that you find on the Sites, you may leave the Sites or send information to a different website. This Privacy Policy does not apply to your interactions with other websites even if you find a link to them on the Sites. We maintain official social media accounts on third-party websites. Your activity on those third-party sites is governed by the security and privacy policies of the third-party sites. Please read the privacy policy of the third-party website provider to see how your Personal Information will be treated on its website.

10. Children

The Sites are general audience websites, and we do not knowingly collect information about children under age 13 years old through the Sites. Visitors who are 13 or under should get permission from a parent or legal guardian before using the Sites, and should not submit any Personal Information. If we learn that we have collected Personal Information from a child under age 13 other than in a manner authorized by law, we will delete that information from our database. If you become aware of any Personal Information we have collected from children under 13, please contact HHMI.

11. Do Not Track

We do not use technology that recognizes a “do-not-track” signal from your web browser.

12. Governing Law

By choosing to visit our Sites or provide information to us, you agree that any dispute over privacy or the terms contained in this Privacy Policy will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Maryland without giving effect to any choice or conflict of law provision or rule. You also agree to abide by any limitation on liability contained in our Terms of Use, or other agreements that we have with you.

13. Changes in this Privacy Policy

Although no changes in this Privacy Policy are currently contemplated, the Privacy Policy may change in the future. Your continued use of the Sites after we make changes to this Privacy Policy is deemed to be acceptance of those changes, so check this portion of the Sites for any modifications. The use of information is subject to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use in effect at the time of use.

14. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact HHMI.

Cookie Notice

Last updated: July 26, 2023

Like most organizations, we employ “cookies” or similar technologies. This Cookie Notice tells you about the use of cookies and similar technologies on the Sites. 

By browsing the Sites, you signify that you understand that the Sites use cookies or similar technologies and agree to the use of these technologies, as described in this Cookie Notice, except as otherwise provided in the next sentence. If the message that you receive on the Sites when first accessing a particular website, online portal, electronic form or mobile application identifies a different action to be taken to signify your understanding and agreement to the use of these technologies, by taking such action, you signify that you understand and agree to the use of these technologies, as described in this Cookie Notice, with respect to such website, online portal, electronic form or mobile application. 

You do not have to accept cookies, and consent can be withdrawn at any time (see Section 3, How to Control Cookies, below). You may delete them after they have been placed on your device at any time. If you do not accept or delete our cookies, some areas of the Sites that you access may take more time to work, or may not function properly.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small files containing a string of characters which we may store on your computer or mobile device when you visit one of the Sites. When you visit the Sites again, the cookies allow us to recognize your browser. Cookies may store your preferences and other information but cannot read data off your hard disk or read cookie files created by other sites.

Cookies set by us are called “first-party cookies.” Cookies set by other parties are called “third-party cookies.” Third-party cookies enable third-party features or functionality to be provided on or through the Sites (e.g., advertising, social media functions, analytics, data processing, website hosting and operation).

2. The Cookies We Use

Cookies make the use of the Sites easier by, among other things, saving your preferences. We may also use cookies to deliver content tailored to your interests. Our cookies may enable us to relate your use of the Sites to Personal Information that you previously submitted.

The information that we collect with cookies allows us to statistically analyze usage of the Sites, and to improve and customize our content and other offerings. However, we only disclose information collected with cookies to third parties on an aggregated basis without the use of any information that personally identifies you.

The specific types of first-party and third-party cookies placed by the Sites and the purposes they perform are described below:

  • Strictly Necessary Cookies. These are cookies that are required for the operation of the Sites. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our websites or use a shopping cart.
  • Performance and Functionality Cookies. These are used to recognize you when you return to the Sites. This enables us to personalize our content for you and remember your preferences, but are non-essential to the performance of the Sites.
  • Analytical or Customization Cookies. These cookies collect information about how users access and move through the Sites. We use this information in either aggregate form to help us to improve the way the Sites works, or to personalize the Sites to your interests.
  • Advertising Cookies. These cookies are used to make the advertising displayed on the Sites more relevant to you. These cookies prevent ads reappearing and ensure that ads are properly displayed. Certain third-party cookies may track users over different websites are will provide ads relevant to your interests.
  • Social Media Cookies. These cookies allow us to integrate social media functions into the Sites and may also be used for advertising purposes.

3. How to Control Cookies

By continuing to browse the Sites, you signify that you understand and agree to the use of cookies and similar technologies, as described in this Cookie Notice.

You do not have to accept cookies and consent can be withdrawn at any time, although you may not be able to use certain features on the Sites. You can do this by activating the settings on your browser that allow you to refuse all or some cookies.

Please follow the links below to helpful information for the most popular browsers:

In addition, you can exercise advertising cookie choices by visiting:

4. Web Beacons

In addition to cookies, we use other technologies to recognize and track visitors to the Sites. A web beacon (also known as a “tracking pixel” or “clear GIF”) is a clear graphic image (typically a one-pixel tag) that is delivered through a web browser or HTML email, typically in conjunction with a cookie.

Web beacons allow us, for example, to monitor how users move from one page within the Sites to another, to track access to our communications, to understand whether users have come to the Sites from an online advertisement displayed on a third-party website, to measure how ads have been viewed and to improve site performance. 

5. Targeted Advertising

Please note that third parties (including, for example, advertising networks and providers of external services like web traffic analysis services) use cookies, over which we have no control. These cookies are likely to be analytical/performance cookies or targeting cookies. These companies may use information about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide relevant advertisements about goods and services that you may be interested in. They may also employ technology that is used to measure the effectiveness of advertisements.

6. Changes to this Cookie Notice

We may occasionally amend this Cookie Notice to reflect feedback and changes in applicable law, and we reserve the right to make changes to this Cookie Notice at any time.

The provisions contained in this Cookie Notice supersede all previous notices or policies regarding our use of cookies and similar technology on the Sites.

Please check the “Last Updated” legend at the top of this Cookie Notice to see when this Cookie Notice was last revised.

We encourage you to check frequently to see the current Cookie Notice to be informed of how we are committed to protecting your information and providing you with improved content on the Sites in order to enhance your experience.

7. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Cookie Notice, please contact HHMI.