Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Showing 1-24 of 24 Results
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Jacob VanderRoest
Postdoctoral Scholar, Earth System Science
BioJacob started as a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Scott Fendorf's lab in August 2026. Jacob graduated from Hope College in 2021 with a B.S. in chemistry and a geology minor and graduated from Colorado State University in 2026 with a PhD in analytical chemistry from Dr. Thomas Borch's lab. During his time at Colorado State University, Jacob investigated the impacts of wildfires on soil organic matter chemistry and carbon cycling. In Dr. Fendorf's lab at Stanford, Jacob is studying plastic contamination in compost alongside further wildfire research determining the organic carbon composition of wildfire smoke. Outside of work, Jacob enjoys trail running, swimming, playing board games, being impressed at the size of redwood trees, and teaching salsa and bachata dancing.
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Tiziana Vanorio
Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy and, by courtesy, of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsRock Physics, Fossil Energy Exploration, Volcanic and Geothermal Environments and Microseismicity
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Anjani D Varma-Cobb
Assistant Director of Student Services, Earth & Planetary Sciences
Current Role at StanfordManages all aspects of graduate and undergraduate programs, such as policy interpretation, advising, problem-solving, and developing action plans to ensure student success. Provides comprehensive support to the department and graduate program by addressing various issues, including academic progress, funding inquiries, faculty advising concerns, personal wellness, and referrals to campus resources.
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Erika Veidis
Staff, Human and Planetary Health
Strategic Initiatives Advisor, Human and Planetary HealthBioErika Veidis is the Strategic Initiatives Advisor for the Stanford Center for Human and Planetary Health, where she supports a range of efforts focused on community engagement, outreach, education, and impact. Prior to this role, Erika directed the forestry program at the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, where she led funding and capacity-building initiatives focused on forest restoration and wildfire resilience, and served as program manager for the Stanford Center for Human and Planetary Health and Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health, where she led policy influence and strategic communications initiatives, coordinated research and outreach programs, and designed and implemented curricula for undergraduate and graduate students in planetary health and environmental systems thinking. Erika also previously built and managed a global network of 200+ universities, NGOs, research institutes, and government entities investigating the linkages between global environmental change and public health through the Planetary Health Alliance.
Erika has published on the health and social dimensions of climate change and other environmental challenges, ranging from wildfires to plastic pollution to heat stress. She graduated from Harvard University in 2015 with a BA in Government and Mind/Brain/Behavior, where she studied the sociological determinants of community resilience and adaptation responses, particularly in response to economic and political stress, and obtained an MBA from the California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo in 2016, where she focused on environmental economics, nonprofit and philanthropic strategy, and corporate sustainability. -
Larissa Verona
Ph.D. Student in Earth System Science, admitted Autumn 2026
BioI’m a PhD student in Earth System Science, advised by Prof. Alyson Hoyt. I’m interested in understanding the carbon dynamics of tropical wetlands by studying soils, isotopes, and gases, as well as landscape patterns through remote sensing. I earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in plant biology from the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Brazil, where I gained experience in functional and restoration ecology. More broadly, I’m curious about the functioning and conservation of tropical ecosystems, including non-forest ones such as savannas and grasslands.
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Edgar Virgüez
Research Engineer, Energy Science & Engineering
BioEdgar Virgüez is Director of Research at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and Managing Director of the Interdisciplinary Energy Systems Research Group at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. He brings more than 20 years of experience spanning energy and environmental research, engineering, international development, and scientific leadership. His work bridges rigorous scholarship and institutional strategy, building collaborations that connect science with real-world decision-making.
Dr. Virgüez develops data-driven models to inform energy system planning, evaluate environmental and economic impacts, and guide infrastructure investment and technology deployment toward reliable, low-carbon energy systems. He has authored and co-authored more than 50 scholarly publications and research outputs cited over 1,200 times, including work in Energy & Environmental Science, Nature Cities, PNAS, and Science. He serves on the Editorial Board of Environmental Research: Energy, where he was one of seven inaugural Executive Editorial Board members, and received IOP Publishing’s 2026 Editorial Excellence Award for outstanding intellectual leadership and sustained excellence in peer review and editorial stewardship.
Before taking on his current role at the Stanford Woods Institute, Dr. Virgüez served as Managing Director of the $23 million EARNEST Consortium at Stanford, overseeing a U.S. Department of Energy-funded collaboration spanning 21 universities, national laboratories, and research organizations focused on the future of the U.S. electricity system. He has also led successful interdisciplinary proposals and partnerships supported by universities, foundations, government, and industry.
Prior to joining Stanford, he was a Research Fellow at Carnegie Science and Deputy Group Leader in Ken Caldeira’s research group, helping lead a portfolio at the intersection of energy, climate, and decarbonization. His professional experience also encompasses projects for universities, governments, and international development organizations, including the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank.
Dr. Virgüez serves as an Expert Advisor to The Earthshot Prize, assessing climate solutions for innovation, impact, and scalability. He has also provided expert review and advice to Schmidt Sciences and the International Energy Agency on research proposals and technical reports focused on energy systems and decarbonization.
His contributions to scholarship, leadership, and education have been recognized through 22 competitive honors, including the American Geophysical Union’s 2025 Science for Solutions Award, Duke University’s 2021 Graduate School Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ 2020 K. Patricia Cross Future Leader Award. As an educator, he has taught 17 courses, reaching nearly 600 students, while mentoring students and early-career researchers.
Dr. Virgüez previously served on Duke University’s Board of Trustees, the university’s highest governing body, and currently serves on the Nicholas School of the Environment Board of Visitors and Dean’s Cabinet, as well as Duke’s Climate Commitment Campaign Board.
He earned a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and Policy and an M.A. in Environment from Duke University, as well as an M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering and dual B.Sc. degrees in Chemical and Environmental Engineering from Universidad de los Andes. His education has been supported by more than $795,000 in competitive scholarships and fellowships.
Across scholarship, education, and institutional leadership, his work is guided by a common purpose: advancing rigorous science, building enduring collaborations, and strengthening institutions to translate knowledge into impact at scale. -
Peter Vitousek
Clifford G. Morrison Professor of Population and Resource Studies and Professor of Earth System Science, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsVitousek's research interests include: evaluating the global cycles of nitrogen and phosphorus, and how they are altered by human activity; understanding how the interaction of land and culture contributed to the sustainability of Hawaiian (and other Pacific) agriculture and society before European contact; and working to make fertilizer applications more efficient and less environmentally damaging (especially in rapidly growing economies)
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Madalina Vlasceanu
Assistant Professor of Environmental Social Sciences and, by courtesy, of Organizational Development at the Graduate School of Business
BioMadalina Vlasceanu is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Behavioral Sciences in the Department of Environmental Social Sciences at Stanford University’s Doerr School of Sustainability and the Director of the Climate Cognition Lab. Professor Vlasceanu is also a Faculty Fellow at the Stanford Center for Affective Science, the chair of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology at the United Nations, and a committee member of the Psychology Coalition at the United Nations, and the International Panel on the Information Environment. She obtained a PhD in Psychology and Neuroscience from Princeton University in 2021 and a BA in Psychology and Economics from the University of Rochester in 2016. Prior to Stanford, she was an Assistant Professor of Psychology at New York University. Her research focuses on the cognitive and social processes that give rise to emergent phenomena such as collective beliefs, collective decision-making, and collective action, with direct applications to climate policy. Guided by a theoretical framework of investigation, her research employs a large array of methods including behavioral laboratory experiments, social network analysis, field studies, randomized controlled trials, megastudies, and international many-lab collaborations, with the goal of understanding the processes underlying climate awareness and action at the individual, collective, and system level. Professor Vlasceanu's research is theoretically grounded and focused on applications for practice, incorporates an interdisciplinary perspective, and directly informs policies and practices relevant to climate mitigation and adaptation.
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Katie Vogelheim
Ecopreneurship Summer Innovation Coach, Graduate School of Business - Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
Education Advisor, Human and Planetary Health
Staff, Human and Planetary HealthBioKatie Vogelheim is an Education Advisor and Lecturer at the Human and Planetary Health (HPH) Center at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, where she has designed a series of project-based courses—HPH Action Labs—focused on tackling complex climate and sustainability challenges. She also serves as an Innovation Coach for the Stanford Ecopreneurship program, mentoring entrepreneurial student teams in the early stages of product and market development. Through these roles, Katie actively supports student education and mentorship in developing innovative solutions to address climate change.
With a 30-year business career spanning multiple industries, Katie has been directing funding since 2010 toward global nature-based solutions and early-stage companies committed to sustainability. From 2020 to 2022, she was a Distinguished Career Institute Fellow at Stanford, concentrating on sustainability, climate, and energy.
Katie collaborates across campus to develop curriculum and connect resources that advance human and planetary health initiatives. She also holds additional affiliations, serving on the Board of Dean’s Advisers at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, the Harvard Data Science Initiative, and Conservation International’s Science and Leadership Councils. -
Oleg Volkov
Sr Res Scientist-Physical, Energy Science & Engineering
BioDr. Volkov has over sixteen years of experience in constrained optimization applied research.
After receiving his M.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering (Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal) and
a Ph.D. degree in Applied Mathematics (University of Montreal), he then worked on industrial
contracts related to the optimal control of phase transition systems and optimal design of porous
media. Subsequently, Dr. Volkov served a one-year fixed term at the rank of an Assistant Professor
in Physics at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. His current research interests include
the implementation and refinement of gradient-based optimization methods in application to hydrocarbon
field development.
