Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Showing 241-260 of 365 Results
-
Gerald Mavko
Professor (Research) of Geophysics, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsResearch
I work to discover and understand the relationship between geophysical measurements and the rock and fluid properties that they sample in the Earth. My students and I have begun to understand the impact of rock type, porosity, pore fluids, temperature, and stress on seismic wave propagation and electromagnetic response. We are also working to quantify the links between geophysical measurements and the sedimentary and diagenetic processes that determine rock mineralogy and texture. Ultimately, this work allows us to better infer, from geophysical images, the composition and physical conditions at depth.
Teaching
I teach courses for graduate and undergraduate students on rock physics--the study of the physical properties of rocks and how they can be detected and mapped using seismic and electrical methods. This includes theory, laboratory measurements, and field data analysis. I also lead seminars in which students present and critique their ongoing research in rock physics.
Professional Activities
Associate chair, Department of Geophysics (2006-2008); distinguished lecturer, Society of Exploration Geophysicists (2006); honorary membership, Society of Exploration Geophysicists (2001); nominated for Reginald Fessenden Award, Society of Exploration Geophysicists (2000); School of Earth Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award (2000) -
Michael McFaul
Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and at the Woods Institute for the Environment
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsAmerican foreign policy, great power relations, comparative autocracies, and the relationship between democracy and development.
-
Paul McIntyre
Rick and Melinda Reed Professor, Professor of Photon Science and Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy
BioMcIntyre's group performs research on nanostructured inorganic materials for applications in electronics, energy technologies and sensors. He is best known for his work on metal oxide/semiconductor interfaces, ultrathin dielectrics, defects in complex metal oxide thin films, and nanostructured Si-Ge single crystals. His research team synthesizes materials, characterizes their structures and compositions with a variety of advanced microscopies and spectroscopies, studies the passivation of their interfaces, and measures functional properties of devices.
-
Nicholas Melosh
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
BioThe Melosh group explores how to apply new methods from the semiconductor and self-assembly fields to important problems in biology, materials, and energy. We think about how to rationally design engineered interfaces to enhance communication with biological cells and tissues, or to improve energy conversion and materials synthesis. In particular, we are interested in seamlessly integrating inorganic structures together with biology for improved cell transfection and therapies, and designing new materials, often using diamondoid molecules as building blocks.
My group is very interested in how to design new inorganic structures that will seamless integrate with biological systems to address problems that are not feasible by other means. This involves both fundamental work such as to deeply understand how lipid membranes interact with inorganic surfaces, electrokinetic phenomena in biologically relevant solutions, and applying this knowledge into new device designs. Examples of this include “nanostraw” drug delivery platforms for direct delivery or extraction of material through the cell wall using a biomimetic gap-junction made using nanoscale semiconductor processing techniques. We also engineer materials and structures for neural interfaces and electronics pertinent to highly parallel data acquisition and recording. For instance, we have created inorganic electrodes that mimic the hydrophobic banding of natural transmembrane proteins, allowing them to ‘fuse’ into the cell wall, providing a tight electrical junction for solid-state patch clamping. In addition to significant efforts at engineering surfaces at the molecular level, we also work on ‘bridge’ projects that span between engineering and biological/clinical needs. My long history with nano- and microfabrication techniques and their interactions with biological constructs provide the skills necessary to fabricate and analyze new bio-electronic systems.
Research Interests:
Bio-inorganic Interface
Molecular materials at interfaces
Self-Assembly and Nucleation and Growth -
Fiorenza Micheli
David and Lucile Packard Professor of Marine Science, Professor of Oceans and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr Fiorenza Micheli is a marine ecologist and conservation biologist conducting research and teaching at the Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University. Micheli’s research focuses on the processes shaping marine communities and incorporating this understanding in the management and conservation of marine ecosystems. She is a Pew Fellow, a fellow of the California Academy of Science and the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program, and past president of the Western Society of Naturalists.
-
Elizabeth Miller
Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Emerita
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsStructural geology and tectonics. Evolution and deformation of continental crust and its sedimentary cover, plate tectonics and continental deformation, geochronology and thermochronology. Current interests in the Cordillera, northern circum-Pacific, Russia and Arctic regions.
-
Reginald Mitchell
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Emeritus
BioProfessor Mitchell's primary area of research is concerned with characterizing the physical and chemical processes that occur during the combustion and gasification of pulverized coal and biomass. Coals of interest range in rank from lignite to bituminous and biomass materials include yard waste, field and seed crop residues, lumber mill waste, fruit and nut crop residues, and municipal solid waste. Experimental and modeling studies are concerned with char reactivity to oxygen, carbon dioxide and steam, carbon deactivation during conversion, and char particle surface area evolution and mode of conversion during mass loss.
Mitchell’s most recent research has been focused on topics that will enable the development of coal and biomass conversion technologies that facilitate CO2 capture. Recent studies have involved characterizing coal and biomass conversion rates in supercritical water environments, acquiring the understanding needed to develop chemical looping combustion technology for applications to coals and biomass materials, and developing fuel cells that use coal or biomass as the fuel source. Studies concerned with characterizing coal/biomass blends during combustion and gasification processes are also underway.
Professor Mitchell retired from Stanford University in July 2020, after having served over 29 years as a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department. -
Diana Moanga
Lecturer, Earth Systems Program
BioDiana A. Moanga, PhD, is a Lecturer in the Earth Systems Program at Stanford University's Doerr School of Sustainability and serves as Manager of the Spatial Analysis Center. She teaches a comprehensive suite of geospatial courses including Remote Sensing of Land, Fundamentals of Geographic Information Science, Advanced Concepts in Geospatial Information Science, and Independent Study classes, and has been recognized with Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability's Excellence in Teaching Award in 2025.
Dr. Moanga's research centers on coastal resilience, land system science, and conservation, with expertise in GIS, remote sensing, and spatial analysis. Her work focuses on understanding land use and land cover change processes, particularly examining the effects of environmental and anthropogenic stressors on coastal systems. She is especially passionate about advancing our understanding of coupled socio-ecological systems, mapping coastal hazards dynamics and developing resilience metrics.
She earned her PhD in Environmental Science Policy and Management from UC Berkeley in 2020, where her dissertation research employed geospatial techniques to study land use and land cover changes across California. Her doctoral work explored management impacts on California's coastal lands, agricultural transitions in the Central Valley, and wildfire activity under future climate regimes. Prior to her doctoral studies, Diana completed a Master's in Marine Affairs and Policy from the University of Miami in 2015, where she examined the spatial and temporal characteristics of harmful algal blooms and studied coastal zone management and coral conservation.
Before joining Stanford as a lecturer in 2023, Dr. Moanga served as a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University's Department of Earth System Science and previously at Florida International University's Sea Level Solutions Center. -
J. Moldowan
Professor (Research) of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOrganic geochemistry; study of molecular fossils (biomarkers) and their use in petroleum system analysis, reservoir characterization, environmental monitoring, molecular paleontology, global change, petroleum biodegradation in reservoir. Studies of thermal cracking of petroleum by deep burial or catalytic alteration in deep source rocks and reservoirs by using diamondoids. Applications to unconventional petroleun exploration and development.
-
Stephen Monismith
Obayashi Professor in the School of Engineering and Professor of Oceans
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsHydrodynamics of lakes, estuaries, coral reefs, kelp forests and the coastal ocean
-
Dena K Montague
Lecturer, Earth Systems Program
BioDena Montague is an Environmental Justice Lecturer at Stanford University. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of ÉnergieRich, an early-stage start-up establishing community based local manufacturing of solar energy systems in Ghana. ÉnergieRich develops collaborative research partnerships between Ghanaian engineers and engineers in the African Diaspora to implement innovative energy solutions that center community voices. Her research focuses on energy justice through decentralized production; impacts of Global North clean energy transition on climate/environmental justice in the Global South. Prior to her position at Stanford, she was a Postdoctoral Scholar at Duke University and Lecturer at The Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara.
-
Harold Mooney
Paul S. and Billie Achilles Professor in Environmental Biology, Emeritus
BioStanford ecologist Harold “Hal” Mooney is the Paul S. Achilles Professor of Environmental Biology, emeritus, in the School of Humanities and Science’s Department of Biology and senior fellow, emeritus, with the Stanford Woods Institute as well as the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Mooney helped pioneer the field of physiological ecology and is an internationally recognized expert on environmental sciences. Through his six-decade academic career, Mooney has demonstrated how plant species and groups of species respond to their environments and developed research methodologies for assessing how plants interact with their biotic environments. To date he has authored more than 400 scientific books, papers and articles.
Mooney's recent research focuses on assessing the impacts of global environmental change on terrestrial ecosystems, especially on ecosystem function, productivity and biodiversity. Recent research includes studying the environmental and social consequences of industrialized animal production systems and examining factors that promote the invasion of non-indigenous plant species.
Mooney has played an international leadership role in numerous research settings, especially with problems related to biodiversity, invasive species, global warming and Mediterranean climates. In addition, he has been active in building up worldwide communities and networks of ecologists and scientists in other disciplines and arranging international conferences on the environment. He played a central role in the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program (IGBP), building up an international organization of scientists and having an influential part in setting the guidelines for the formulation of environmental policies. He also has advanced numerous international research programs as Secretary General and Vice-President of the International Council for Science (ICSU).
Mooney earned his Ph.D. from Duke University in 1960 and started as an assistant professor at UCLA that same year. In 1968 he was recruited to Stanford University, where he was later appointed the Paul S. Achilles Professor of Environmental Biology in the School of Humanities and Science’s Department of Biology. A senior fellow with the Stanford Woods Institute as well as the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Mooney has led a wide range of national and international scientific activities related to environment and conservation.
Notable roles included coordinating the 1995 Global Biodiversity Assessment, co-chairing the Assessment Panel of the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, establishing and leading the Global Invasive Species Program and serving as lead review editor for the ongoing global assessment of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. His many accolades and awards include the 1990 ECI Prize in terrestrial ecology, the 1992 Max Planck Research Award in biosciences, the 1996 Eminent Ecologist Award from the Ecological Society of America, the 2000 Nevada Medal, the 2002 Blue Planet Prize, the 2007 Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology, the 2008 Tyler Prize, the 2008 BBVA Foundation Award for Biodiversity Conservation, and the 2010 Volvo Environment Prize. -
Erin Mordecai
Associate Professor of Biology and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur research focuses on the ecology of infectious disease. We are interested in how climate, species interactions, and global change drive infectious disease dynamics in humans and natural ecosystems. This research combines mathematical modeling and empirical work. Our main study systems include vector-borne diseases in humans and fungal pathogens in California grasses.
-
Kimber Moreland, Ph.D.
Physical Science Research Scientist, Earth System Science
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsCurrently my research mainly focuses on soil carbon biogeochemistry in different land use types such as agriculture, forests, meadows, and grasslands. I use stable and radioactive isotopes to trace the movement of carbon and nitrogen through the entire soil system. Specifically, I have focused on response to fire, disturbance, and climate change.
-
Tapan Mukerji
Professor (Research) of Energy Science Engineering, of Earth and Planetary Sciences and of Geophysics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy students and I use theoretical, computational, and statistical models, to discover and understand fundamental relations between geophysical data and subsurface properties, to quantify uncertainty in our geomodels, and to address value of information for decision making under uncertainty.
-
Aqsa Naeem
Physical Science Research Scientist, Energy Science & Engineering
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsEnergy System Modeling and Optimization
