Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Showing 1-50 of 59 Results
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Stephen Palumbi
Jane and Marshall Steel Jr. Professor of Marine Sciences, Professor of Oceans and of Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe're interested in ecological, evolutionary, and conservation questions related to marine (and sometimes terrestrial) organisms and ecosystems. We use evolutionary genetics and molecular ecology techniques, and our fieldwork takes us all around the world. Currently, we're studying coral diversity, the adaptive potential of corals in response to climate change, the movement of organisms between marine reserves, genetic changes in abalone in response to environmental.
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Ayla Pamukcu
Assistant Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI have long been fascinated by magmas and volcanic eruptions, for reasons ranging from purely academic (trying to understand the magmatic construction of Earth’s crust) to purely practical (developing effective monitoring and mitigation strategies for volcanic eruptions). Consequently, my research revolves around understanding how, when, where, and why magmas are stored, evolve, and ultimately do (or do not!) erupt.
Within this context, I focus on two main themes: (1) the temporal, chemical, and physical, evolution of magmas, and (2) the interplay between magma storage conditions in the crust and magmatic processes. I employ a multi-faceted approach to explore these topics, integrating data from multiple scales and perspectives; my studies capitalize on information contained in field relations, crystal and melt inclusion textures (sizes, shapes, positions), crystal and volcanic glass geochemistry, geochronology, phase-equilibria and numerical modeling, and experiments. As a function of this approach, I am also engaged in the development of novel methods to address petrologic problems in new, better, and more refined ways than is currently possible.
A major focus of my research has been on supereruptions – gigantic explosive eruptions the likes of which we have never seen in recorded human history – but I am continually exploring other kinds of magmatic systems. I am currently particularly interested in the links (or lack thereof) between extrusive (i.e., erupted) and intrusive (i.e., unerupted) magmas, similarities/differences between large- and small-volume eruptions, and similarities/differences between magmas generated at different levels of the crust. I have also had a longstanding interest in the interactions and relationships between humans and their geologic surroundings (particularly volcanoes). -
Lamprini Papargyri
Postdoctoral Scholar, Earth System Science
BioLamprini Papargyri is a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University co-advised by Professor Steve Davis and Dr. Ken Caldeira. She earned her PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Cyprus, where she worked under the guidance of Professor Panos Papanastasiou to optimize the durability of materials used in photovoltaic systems. Her doctoral research employed advanced computational modeling using 3D finite element methods and XFEM to simulate stress, cracking, and degradation mechanisms in photovoltaic materials.
At Stanford, Lamprini’s research lies at the intersection of climate policy, economics, and equity. Her current work explores how economies with income inequality can optimally allocate resources between income redistribution and emissions abatement. Beyond research, she has led and contributed to multi-million-euro research initiatives across Europe and remains deeply interested in the societal and ethical dimensions of emerging technologies. Broadly, she is interested in developing integrated models that inform equitable and sustainable pathways for climate mitigation and economic development. -
Nilay Papila
Assistant Director, Technology Transfer for Defense, Precourt Institute for Energy
BioNilay Papila is an experienced senior program manager, currently working for the Technology Transfer for Defense program at Stanford University. With a strong background in research management, pre- and post-award services, university-industry cooperation, technology transfer, intellectual property, and technology commercialization, Nilay brings a wealth of expertise to her role.
Prior to joining Stanford, Nilay served as the Founding Director of the Technology Transfer Office at Ozyegin University in Istanbul, where she played a pivotal role in fostering innovation and collaboration. She also held positions as the Manager of the Project Development Office at Sabanci University and Associate Director of the Interdisciplinary Program Development Office at the University of Florida. Notably, she served as a national expert on the European Union 7th Framework Program (Marie Curie Actions) and as an expert/evaluator at the Technology Transfer Support Program Group at the Science and Technology Council of Turkey.
Nilay holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida, which she earned in 2001, following her completion of B.S. and M.S. degrees in the Aerospace Engineering Department of the METU in Ankara in 1994 and 1997, respectively.
Recognized for her accomplishments, Nilay is a Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellow (2000), an NCURA (National Council of Research Administration) Global Fellow at Stanford University (2018), and a certified Registered Technology Transfer Professional (RTTP) (2018). These accomplishments highlight her dedication to advancing research and innovation within academic and industry settings. -
Emily R. Paris
Ph.D. Student in Earth System Science, admitted Autumn 2020
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsInvestigating the limits of life on Earth and beyond
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Quinn Mitsuko Parker
Ph.D. Student in Oceans, admitted Autumn 2023
Ph.D. Minor, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Research Assistant, OceansCurrent Research and Scholarly InterestsQuinn Parker studies social-ecological dynamics of small-scale fisheries, and their ties to gender equity, food security, and food sovereignty. She examines the cultural, socio-economic, and historical drivers that impact SSF governance, and how these governance models in turn affect resilience of and access to blue food systems.
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Nidhi Utkarshbhai Patel
Ph.D. Student in Earth and Planetary Sciences, admitted Autumn 2023
BioPlants display enormous diversity of forms today that, have evolved over geological timescales after plants successfully colonized land. Currently, I am interested in learning more about evolutionary changes in plant structures including specialized reproductive organs of seed plants. I study plant fossil record from deep time and living plants with the aim to develop a better understanding of origins of plant reproductive structures and drivers of morphological evolution in plants. Previously, I have looked at spore-pollen record preserved in sedimentary rocks from Canada. These microscopic fossils and their distribution in space and time can help us elucidate the response of vegetation to past extinction events.
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Sarina Patel
Program Manager, Policy & Engagement, Woods Institute
Current Role at StanfordProgram Manager, California Policy & Engagement, Woods Institute
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Ann Patterson
Policy Scholar, Woods Institute
BioAnn Patterson is a policy scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment and the Sustainability Accelerator at the Doerr School for Sustainability, where she focuses on issues related to climate and energy.
She recently served as Senior Counselor for California Governor Gavin Newsom, where she advised the Governor regarding the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires and emerging energy-sector and insurance issues. She also advised the Governor on policy solutions to stabilize the state’s electric utilities in the wake of the catastrophic 2025 fires, which resulted in enactment of Senate Bill 254 (Becker, 2025). Patterson’s experience led to a focus on the wide-ranging societal and economic consequences of catastrophic wildfires in California and the implications for insurance accessibility and energy affordability.
Until March of 2025, Patterson served as Cabinet Secretary for Governor Newsom, where she oversaw the work of all state agencies and departments within the administration as well as development of the state budget. Prior to her appointment as Cabinet Secretary, Ann served as Governor Newsom’s Legal Affairs Secretary, providing legal advice and counsel to the Governor and the Governor’s office, as well as overseeing litigation to which the Governor or the State of California was a party. She also served as legal counsel to the Governor’s energy team, formed to stabilize the state’s utility sector in the wake of PG&E’s 2019 bankruptcy filing.
Prior to joining the Newsom Administration, Ann was a partner in the law firm of Orrick, Herrington, and Sutcliffe, where she practiced from 2005 until 2018. -
Marco Pavone
Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy and Associate Professor, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering & of Computer Science
BioDr. Marco Pavone is an Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University, where he directs the Autonomous Systems Laboratory and the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford. He is also a Distinguished Research Scientist at NVIDIA where he leads autonomous vehicle research. Before joining Stanford, he was a Research Technologist within the Robotics Section at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He received a Ph.D. degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2010. His main research interests are in the development of methodologies for the analysis, design, and control of autonomous systems, with an emphasis on self-driving cars, autonomous aerospace vehicles, and future mobility systems. He is a recipient of a number of awards, including a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers from President Barack Obama, an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, a National Science Foundation Early Career (CAREER) Award, a NASA Early Career Faculty Award, and an Early-Career Spotlight Award from the Robotics Science and Systems Foundation. He was identified by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) as one of America's 20 most highly promising investigators under the age of 40. His work has been recognized with best paper nominations or awards at a number of venues, including the European Conference on Computer Vision, the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, the European Control Conference, the IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems, the Field and Service Robotics Conference, the Robotics: Science and Systems Conference, and the INFORMS Annual Meeting.
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Jonathan Payne
Dorrell William Kirby Professor, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment and Professor, by courtesy, of Biology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy goal in research is to understand the interaction between environmental change and biological evolution using fossils and the sedimentary rock record. How does environmental change influence evolutionary and ecological processes? And conversely, how do evolutionary and ecological changes affect the physical environment? I work primarily on the marine fossil record over the past 550 million years.
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Kabir Peay
Senior Associate Dean for Education, Director of the Earth Systems Program, Professor of Biology, of Earth System Science and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur lab studies the ecological processes that structure natural communities and the links between community structure and the cycling of nutrients and energy through ecosystems. We focus primarily on fungi, as these organisms are incredibly diverse and are the primary agents of carbon and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. By working across multiple scales we hope to build a 'roots-to-biomes' understanding of plant-microbe symbiosis.
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Janis C Pepper
Affiliate, Precourt Institute Affiliates
Visiting Scholar, Precourt Institute for EnergyBioJan Pepper has more than 30 years of experience in the energy and utility industry, with a legacy of industry-leading innovations. Most recently, from 2016 to 2023, she was the founding Chief Executive Officer of Peninsula Clean Energy, the community choice energy program serving the unincorporated county and all 20 cities in San Mateo County, as well as the City of Los Banos. Under Jan’s leadership, Peninsula Clean Energy has one of the cleanest electricity portfolios in the industry, delivering 100% clean electricity, and at a lower cost than the incumbent utility. During Jan’s tenure, she advanced the forward-looking goal of delivering 100% renewable energy on a 24/7 basis at no additional cost.
Over the course of her career, Jan has founded four energy-related start-ups. She is a pioneer and innovator in industry. At APX, she developed and implemented the first use of renewable energy credits, which now serve as the standard currency for trading and tracking renewable power. At Clean Power Markets, her company designed and implemented the successful Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) program for the State of New Jersey.
In 2017, the U.S. EPA and the Center for Resource Solutions honored her as the Green Power Leader of the Year. Jan served eight years on the Los Altos City Council and was Mayor in 2015 and 2020. She served on the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District from 2013 to February 2017. Jan is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Precourt Institute for Energy in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and co-teaches a course on energy during the fall quarter. She has a BS in civil engineering and an MBA, both from Stanford University. She is the recipient of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Distinguished Alumni Award for 2025. -
Charlotte Joy Darcia Pera
Executive Director, Sustainability Accelerator
BioCharlotte Pera has worked for more than 30 years in clean energy, climate change, and philanthropy. In 2023 she was named one of the 50 most powerful women in U.S. philanthropy by Inside Philanthropy magazine. In July 2024, she became the first Executive Director of the Sustainability Accelerator at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Previously, she served as Vice President and Deputy CEO at the Bezos Earth Fund, a philanthropic organization created by Jeff Bezos that is spending $10 billion this decade to address climate change and protect and restore nature. Before joining the Earth Fund, Charlotte served for nearly nine years as President & CEO of the ClimateWorks Foundation, a leading philanthropic organization that works globally to advance climate solutions through intelligence services, convening, and grantmaking. Earlier in her career, Charlotte advanced clean energy technology and policy in the U.S. and China at the Energy Foundation and at engineering consulting firm Acurex.
Charlotte serves on the advisory board of the 100X Impact Accelerator at the London School of Economics, the governing board of the International Council for Clean Transportation, and the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Philanthropy for Climate and Nature. She is a Senior Fellow at the Bezos Earth Fund and a Senior Fellow with the Mission Possible Partnership. She holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. -
Blas L. Pérez Henríquez
Senior Research Scholar
BioBlas L. Pérez Henríquez founded and serves as Director of the California-Global Energy, Water & Infrastructure Innovation Initiative at Stanford University, sponsored by the Bill Lane Center for the American West, where he is a Senior Research Scholar focusing on regional low-carbon development opportunities. His research and teaching centers on policy analysis to advance clean innovation through novel technological, business, policy, and social solutions for a new clean economy and a net zero, carbon neutral future. He directs the Local Governance Summer Institute @ Stanford (LGSI) and its international version the Smart City: Policy, Strategy and Innovation Institute @ Stanford. He also leads the Stanford | Mexico Clean Economy 2050 program.
He has served as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the School of Engineering and Sciences of the Technological Institute of Superior Studies of Monterrey (ITESM) in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in London, United Kingdom, and as Guest Professor at the Centre of Economics Research and Teaching (CIDE) in Mexico City, Mexico.
He is the author of “Environmental Commodities and Emissions Trading: Towards a Low Carbon Future,” Resources for the Future – RFF Press/Routledge, Washington, DC (2013) and co-editor of “Carbon Governance, Climate Change and Business Transformation,” Routledge Advances in Climate Change Research, Taylor & Francis Group, Oxford, UK (2015). He also co-edited the book "High-Speed Rail and Sustainability, Decision-making and the political economy of investment," Routlege Explorations in Environmental Studies, Taylor & Francis Group, Oxford, UK (2017). He has written on public-private environmental and energy collaboration in Silicon Valley, water-energy nexus, sustainable transportation and on the use of information technology to support environmental markets and smart policymaking.His most recent publication is the chapter on Environmental Public Policy in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science (2025) and has been a contributiing author to reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the United Nations (UN).
Pérez Henríquez is a member of the Distinguished Advisory Group of the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets (IC-VCM), derived from the work of the UN Carney Taskforce for Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets (TSVCM) where he served as Member of the Board of Advisors. He was a member of the Mexico – United States Entrepreneurship & Innovation Council (MUSEIC), created through the High-Level Economic Dialogue between the presidents of the United States and Mexico. He served as the U.S. Co-chair of the MUSEIC Energy & Sustainability Subcommittee. Pérez Henríquez is also on the International Advisory Board of Public Administration & Policy: An Asia-Pacific Journal. From 2002 to 2015, he directed UC Berkeley’s Center for Environmental Public Policy which he had founded, and was a faculty member of the Goldman School of Public Policy. He has served as an ex-officio member of the Goldman School advisory board (2002 -2012), and as a Quarterly Chair of the Commonwealth Club of California, the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum.
Pérez Henríquez holds a Masters and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from UC Berkeley, a law degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), a diploma in Public Policy from the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM), and a certificate in Compared Environmental US – EU Law & Policy from Indiana University, Leiden & Rotterdam Universities. -
Eliane Petersohn
Ph.D. Student in Geological Sciences, admitted Autumn 2022
BioI grew up in Curitiba, a city in southern Brazil, and, moved to Rio de Janeiro to join the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) years ago.
I have a strong grasp of the oil and gas industry, where I have been working for more than 15 years. I have a bachelor’s and master's degree in geology from the Federal University of Parana, Brazil and, I have become a public servant of the ANP, where I have held different technical and managerial positions. I spent these past 15 years working on the ANP’s large-scale strategic projects, conducting a geological evaluation for Brazil’s bidding rounds, and developing a multiyear geological and geophysical data acquisition plan for the Agency. I was also responsible for coordinating the first phase of the onerous assignment process, which authorized the Brazilian Government to onerously assign to NOC Petrobras up to 5 billion barrels of oil. I have also been directly involved in the location of two wells, which discovered two of the country's largest oil fields (Buzios and Mero fields). As a geologist researcher, my main objective aims at acquiring capabilities and developing the knowledge required to manage reservoirs to maximize oil recovery and extend the lifespan of oil fields as well as acquire a solid understanding of oil reservoir management to bring innovative knowledge to Brazil and help create guidelines to monitor oil field development and production in my country. -
Dmitri Petrov
Michelle and Kevin Douglas Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsEvolution of genomes and population genomics of adaptation and variation
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Allison Phillips
Managing Director, Human and Planetary Health
Current Role at StanfordManaging Director, Center for Human and Planetary Health, Woods Institute for the Environment
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Jim Plummer
John M. Fluke Professor of Electrical Engineering, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsGenerally studies the governing physics and fabrication technology of silicon integrated circuits, including the scaling limits of silicon technology, and the application of silicon technology outside traditional integrated circuits, including power switching devices such as IGBTs. Process simulation tools like SUPREM for simulating fabrication. Recent work has focused on wide bandgap semiconductor materials, particularly SiC and GaN, for power control devices.
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Madison Pobis
Communications Manager, Woods Institute
Current Role at StanfordCommunications Manager, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment
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Malinda Pola
Administrative Associate 3, Environmental Social Sciences
BioMalinda Pola joined the Stanford University Doerr School of Sustainability in December 2022 as an Administrative Associate for the Department of Earth System Science (ESS) and is currently an Administrative Associate for Environmental Social Sciences (ESoS). Malinda started her career at Stanford in 2014 as a Faculty Assistant at the Graduate School of Business where she assisted faculty with research needs, supported classes, and processed financial transactions for 8 years.
Malinda holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Business from San José State University. -
David Pollard
The Barney and Estelle Morris Professor of Earth Sciences, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research aims to understand how faults and fractures initiate and evolve in Earth's brittle crust, how they affect the flow of molten rock, groundwater, and hydrocarbons, and the crucial role faults and fractures play in earthquake generation, folding of sedimentary strata, and volcanic eruption.
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Sharon Hakeman Poore
Understand Energy Project Manager, Precourt Institute for Energy
Current Role at StanfordProject Manager, Understand Energy
Precourt Institute for Energy -
Eric Pop
Pease-Ye Professor, Professor of Electrical Engineering, Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy and Professor, by courtesy, of Materials Science and Engineering and of Applied Physics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Pop Lab explores problems at the intersection of nanoelectronics and nanoscale energy conversion. These include fundamental limits of current and heat flow, energy-efficient transistors and memory, and energy harvesting via thermoelectrics. The Pop Lab also works with novel nanomaterials like carbon nanotubes, graphene, BN, MoS2, and their device applications, through an approach that is experimental, computational and highly collaborative.
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Maggie Poulos
Ph.D. Student in Environment and Resources, admitted Autumn 2023
HIA Mentor, Stanford Arts InstituteBioMaggie is a PhD student in Stanford University's E-IPER Program interested in intersectional equity and blue justice through the lens of marine resource management in Kenya and Tanzania. In exploring resource access and collective action through local governance mechanisms, she studies the motivations behind and challenges to diverse participation in local marine governance, as well as opportunities for encouraging gendered inclusion. Through a co-production of knowledge framework and related field research tools, Maggie aims to co-create applied research that makes marine policy a more diverse and equitable space for local and Indigenous communities. Before her time at Stanford, Maggie earned a Master of Public Policy from Duke University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Studies from Macalester College.
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Balaji Prabhakar
VMware Founders Professor of Computer Science, Professor of Electrical Engineering and, by courtesy, of Operations, Information and Technology at the Graduate School of Business
BioPrabhakar's research focuses on the design, analysis, and implementation of data networks: both wireline and wireless. He has been interested in designing network algorithms, problems in ad hoc wireless networks, and designing incentive mechanisms. He has a long-standing interest in stochastic network theory, information theory, algorithms, and probability theory.
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Manu Prakash
Associate Professor of Bioengineering, Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment and Associate Professor, by courtesy, of Oceans
BioWe use interdisciplinary approaches including theory and experiments to understand how computation is embodied in biological matter. Examples include cognition in single cell protists and morphological computing in animals with no neurons and origins of complex behavior in multi-cellular systems. Broadly, we invent new tools for studying non-model organisms with significant focus on life in the ocean - addressing fundamental questions such as how do cells sense pressure or gravity? Finally, we are dedicated towards inventing and distributing “frugal science” tools to democratize access to science (previous inventions used worldwide: Foldscope, Abuzz), diagnostics of deadly diseases like malaria and convening global citizen science communities to tackle planetary scale environmental challenges such as mosquito surveillance or plankton surveillance by citizen sailors mapping the ocean in the age of Anthropocene.
