Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Showing 1,401-1,477 of 1,477 Results
-
Frank Wolak
Holbrook Working Professor of Price Theory and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute, at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and at the Precourt Institute for Energy
BioFrank A. Wolak is the Holbrook Working Professor of Commodity Price Studies in the Department of Economics and the Director of the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development at Stanford University. His research and teaching focuses on design, performance, and monitoring of energy and environmental markets. He served as Chair of the Market Surveillance Committee (MSC) of the California Independent System Operator and was a member of the Emissions Market Advisory Committee (EMAC) for California’s Market for Greenhouse Gas Emissions allowances.
-
H.-S. Philip Wong
Willard R. and Inez Kerr Bell Professor in the School of Engineering
BioH.-S. Philip Wong is the Willard R. and Inez Kerr Bell Professor in the School of Engineering at Stanford University. He joined Stanford University as Professor of Electrical Engineering in 2004. From 1988 to 2004, he was with the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center. From 2018 to 2020, he was on leave from Stanford and was the Vice President of Corporate Research at TSMC, the largest semiconductor foundry in the world, and since 2020 remains the Chief Scientist of TSMC in a consulting, advisory role.
He is a Fellow of the IEEE and received the IEEE Andrew S. Grove Award, the IEEE Technical Field Award to honor individuals for outstanding contributions to solid-state devices and technology, as well as the IEEE Electron Devices Society J.J. Ebers Award, the society’s highest honor to recognize outstanding technical contributions to the field of electron devices that have made a lasting impact.
He is the founding Faculty Co-Director of the Stanford SystemX Alliance – an industrial affiliate program focused on building systems and the faculty director of the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility – a shared facility for device fabrication on the Stanford campus that serves academic, industrial, and governmental researchers across the U.S. and around the globe, sponsored in part by the National Science Foundation. He is the Principal Investigator of the Microelectronics Commons California-Pacific-Northwest AI Hardware Hub, a consortium of over 40 companies and academic institutions funded by the CHIPS Act. He is a member of the US Department of Commerce Industrial Advisory Committee on microelectronics. -
Jeffrey Wong
Research and Finance Administrator, Earth & Planetary Sciences
Current Role at StanfordJeff is responsible for supporting the Earth & Planetary Sciences Department’s sponsored grants portfolio and faculty members' financial accounts. Jeff assists faculty members with budgeting and submitting sponsored research proposals, and managing the financial aspects of their sponsored awards. Additionally, Jeff serves as a department financial liaison with other university departments and schools, the Office of Sponsored Research and other academic institutions involved in collaborative research projects.
-
Gabrielle Wong-Parodi
Associate Professor of Earth System Science and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsTrained as an interdisciplinary social scientist theoretically grounded in psychology and decision science, my work has two aims. First, to understand how people make decisions to address the impacts of climate change. Second, to understand how robust interventions can empower people to make decisions that serve their lives, communities, and society.
-
Alicia Wongel
Affiliate,
BioAlicia is a Visiting Postdoc in the Sustainable Solutions Lab with Steve Davis and a Postdoctoral Fellow at Carnegie Science at Stanford. Her research focuses on modeling energy scenarios to assess the roles of various technologies that could complement wind and solar generation, ultimately facilitating the transition to a zero-emissions energy system. She firmly believes that multidisciplinary and diverse teams are essential for tackling the complex climate and energy challenges we face.
Alicia earned her doctorate in particle physics, where she explored some of nature's deepest mysteries at the smallest scales. While she found great joy in trying to advance our understanding of the universe’s fundamental principles, she is now eager to apply her expertise to drive the transition to a clean energy future. -
Tracey Woodruff
Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment
BioMy research is devoted to identify and addressing environmental pollution exposures - petrochemicals, pesticides, plastics and other toxic contaminants - and the impacts on health. I focus on filling critical gaps in knowledge that will result in structural changes that improve health and reduce inequities. I collaborate across disciplines to create systemic solutions that integrate environmental health, public policy, and healthcare for significant public health advancements. My research expertise encompasses all aspects of understanding and characterizing environmental chemical exposures and their health impacts, especially on vulnerable and susceptible populations due to life stage, such as pregnant women and children, and demographics, such as poverty and race/ethnicity. I led multidisciplinary investigations to: identify and measure human exposures to environmental contaminants via modeling and biomonitoring including advanced methods for nontargeted analysis; identify biological mechanisms using in vitro and in vivo systems; assess the impact of multiple chemical exposures on pregnancy and child outcomes via epidemiology studies; and develop and apply methods for translating research findings into improved clinical care and public policy.
I have extensive expertise and experience in translating science into clinical and policy decision-making. I led the development of the Navigation Guide Systematic Review Methodology, the first systematic review method for environmental health science, developed in collaboration with multiple collaborators from international, national, and state governments, community groups, and the clinical community, integrates best practices from clinical medicine and environmental health evaluation. I continue to collaborate on systematic reviews including pesticides and Parkinson’s, and methodological improvements. I am widely recognized for my expertise in the use of science in decision making for environmental chemicals. I’ve been invited to testify before Congress and the State of California multiple times and I lead our Science Action Network that engages in bring best available science to regulatory decision-making. I have also collaborated with other faculty on empirical research to identify how industries adversely influence the scientific process.
Before Stanford, I was a Professor at UCSF and Director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment. I now with UCSF co-lead the UCSF/Stanford Environmental Research and Translation for Health Center funded by a NIEHS P30 mechanism. Prior to UCSF I served for over 10 years in the Office of Policy at the US Environmental Protection Agency. -
Jane Woodward
Adjunct Professor, Atmosphere and Energy
BioJane Woodward is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Stanford University where she has taught classes on energy and environment since 1991. She currently serves on the teaching teams for Understand Energy and Stanford Climate Ventures. Jane also serves on Stanford's Precourt Institute for Energy Advisory Council and has founded and continues to fund multiple sustainable energy education initiatives at the university.
Jane is a Founder and Managing Partner of WovenEarth Ventures, a US early-stage climate venture fund of funds. Additionally, she is an investor in several early-stage sustainable energy companies and funds, as well as an advisor and director for some of them.
Jane is a Founding Partner at MAP Energy, an energy investment firm currently focused on oil and gas royalty interests. MAP began investing in natural gas mineral rights in 1987, wind energy in 2004, utility scale solar in 2015, and energy storage in 2017. In December 2020, MAP sold its renewable energy and energy storage assets under management to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). The company remains one of the longest-standing private energy investment fund management firms in the US.
In 2016, Jane created The Foster Museum, a 14,000-square-foot art venue in Palo Alto, to share artist-explorer Tony Foster’s powerful exhibitions of watercolor journeys with an intention to inspire connection to the natural world.
Prior to founding MAP in 1987, Jane worked as an exploration geologist with ARCO Exploration Company and later as a petroleum engineering consultant to Stanford University’s endowment. Jane has a BS in Geology from UC Santa Barbara, an MS in Engineering and Petroleum Geology, and an MBA, both from Stanford University. -
Katie Wu
Ph.D. Student in Environment and Resources, admitted Autumn 2022
Ph.D. Minor, Civil and Environmental EngineeringBioKatie's research explores how community-driven social interventions and infrastructure development impact community and climate resilience in informal settlements. Her work advances how we operationalize resilience to better inform community-based strategies, policy, and investments that support urban transformation for vulnerable populations. She incorporates participatory methods essential for driving community-led efforts, ensuring a community's deep participation in every step of the iterative analysis, planning, and decision-making processes, in collaboration with multi-sectoral partners and decision-makers. Katie integrates advanced data science techniques, including network science and graph neural networks (GNNs), with community-generated, ground-truthed data to redefine how resilience is measured and applied for more equitable, community-driven strategies for sustainable development. She uses unconventional data sources, such as satellite imagery and citizen-sourced data, to model the built and natural environment in areas with limited conventional data.
Prior to Stanford, Katie studied data science and AI for Product Innovation at Duke University, where she obtained a Master of Engineering Management (MEM). She was a Sustainability Graduate Intern at Lyft, Inc., where she completed and rebuilt their 2020 Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory and Report and designed an air quality model forecasting potential health benefits of EV adoption for underserved communities. She received an M.S. in Medical Science from the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a B.S. in Animal Science with Distinction in Research from Cornell University. Katie is a Dean's Graduate Scholar in the Doerr School of Sustainability, an Emerson Consequential Scholar with the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), a Graduate Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI), and a Stanford Dalai Lama Fellow. -
Flora Jiaxuan Xu
Ph.D. Student in Environment and Resources, admitted Autumn 2023
BioFlora Jiaxuan Xu is a PhD candidate in the Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER) at Stanford University, working at the intersection of environmental psychology, civil and environmental engineering, urban design, and behavioral science. Her research investigates how people define, experience, and internalize “nature” as part of the self, and how psychological, cultural, and built-environment factors shape human–nature relationships in contemporary cities.
Drawing on theories of identity, perception, cultural psychology, and ecological systems, Flora proposes Nature Identity as a new interdisciplinary framework for understanding how nature becomes woven into self-concept and everyday meaning-making. She employs a broad mixed-methods approach—including qualitative interviews, quantitative modeling, ecological momentary assessment, photovoice, and human-centered design—to examine how urban nature influences wellbeing, identity formation, and environmental behavior. In parallel, she develops creative, design-driven solutions such as immersive installations, biophilic illusions, narrative and sensory interventions, and technology-enabled building features that aim to strengthen nature connection and promote climate engagement in urban settings.
Flora works with the Social Ecology Lab and the Billington Lab, as well as external partners in urban design, behavioral science, and immersive storytelling. Her work seeks to bridge scientific research with real-world application, advancing strategies that integrate psychology, culture, and design to foster healthier and more nature-responsive cities.
Prior to Stanford, Flora completed an M.S. in Environmental Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and holds B.A. degrees in Sustainable Environmental Design and Cognitive Science from the University of California, Berkeley. -
Sandeep Yadav
Postdoctoral Scholar, Energy Science and Engineering
BioSandeep Yadav is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Energy Resources Engineering at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. His research focuses on advancing sustainable energy systems, with an emphasis on techno-economic analysis and modeling of carbon capture retrofits for industrial decarbonization and energy efficiency. He earned his Ph.D. in Energy Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, where he specialized in the techno-economic assessment of carbon capture technologies, data center cooling, and combined cooling and power systems. Sandeep is committed to supporting the global transition to low-carbon energy and is passionate about mentoring the next generation of scientists and engineers.
-
Da Yang
Assistant Professor Geophysics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research focuses on atmospheric convection and clouds—the major sources of uncertainty in predicting future climate change. Key questions in this field include: What makes air rise to form clouds? How do individual convective clouds organize into expansive rainstorms? How does convection work in warmer climates? I combine theory, observations, numerical models, and machine learning methods to address these most fundamental yet challenging questions.
-
Audrey Yau
Director, Stanford Energy Postdoctoral Fellowship, Precourt Institute for Energy
BioAs a Director in the Precourt Institute for Energy in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Audrey is responsible for the overall strategic and operational leadership for the Stanford Energy Postdoctoral Fellowship. In her role, Audrey develops educational experiences that connect academic learning with real world impact for postdoctoral scholars in Stanford's newest school.
-
David Zhen Yin
Senior Research Scientist - Physical
BioDavid Zhen Yin is the co-founder and program director of Stanford Mineral-X, a research innovation hub on creating resilient mineral supply chains for energy transitions. He is also the principal scientist at Stanford Center for Earth Resources Forecasting. Since 2024, David has been serving on the US National Academies Committee on optimizing the USGS Mineral Resources Program.
David develops data-scientific approaches for prediction, uncertainty quantification, and decision-making in critical earth resources exploration and development. He has broad experience with complex projects involving academia and industry and has broad knowledge of the fields. His research delivered several key technologies transferred as in-house technologies in Chevron, Equinor, and KoBold. Over the past decade, his research developments have been implemented on various subjects, from Antarctica bed topography modeling, North Sea and Gulf of Mexico energy projects, and numerous critical mineral exploration projects across five continents.
Before joining Stanford, David was a Research Associate at the Edinburgh Time-Lapse Project in Scotland, leading a geophysical monitoring research project in collaboration with Equinor from 2016 to 2018. He was also a technology consultant at Equinor's Research Center in Bergen, Norway. Then, he was a Chevron CoRE Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford from 2018 to 2021. He was the Co-PI of the Stanford-KoBold collaboration from 2020 to 2022 which led to a $192.5 million Series B fundraising.
David received his Ph.D. in Geosciences from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK, in 2016. His research interests include data science for geosciences, geological uncertainty quantification, and decision-making under uncertainty. He has authored one book and tens of articles in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences. -
Eric Yin
Temp - Non-Exempt, Human and Planetary Health
BioEric is a MS student in the Epidemiology and Clinical Research Program working under the supervision of Dr. Ashley Styczynski and Dr. Stephen Luby. His thesis explores how natural ventilation can be used to reduce airborne disease transmission in LMIC hospitals and the cost effectiveness of these strategies. Eric is also a Stanford CARE Team Science Fellow, helping undergraduate students develop quantitative skills for applications in Asian precision medicine research.
Prior to graduate school, Eric received his undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto with a major in neuroscience and a double minor in statistics and computer science. His previous research endeavors have involved the exploration of novel MRI biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease, the localization of hippocampal engram neurons, and the cognitive impacts of surgically induced menopause. -
Miki Yu
Assistant Director, Strategic Outreach, Precourt Institute for Energy
BioMiki Yu joined Precourt Institute for Energy (PIE) as an Event and Outreach Program Planner. In this role she will help shape the programs that PIE, TomKat Center and GCEP offer as they build greater visibility within the Stanford community, the energy community at large, and throughout the world.
Miki started at Stanford working for the Office of Development in 2002, where she reported to the Vice President’s office. She then joined the Stanford Challenge Campaign as an initial team member, working with OOD partners and engaging volunteers and donors at every stage to build and direct momentum for The Stanford Challenge campaign. She was instrumental in executing the Leading Matters component of the campaign, which achieved record breaking attendance and engagement results. -
Yifan Yu
Ph.D. Student in Geophysics, admitted Autumn 2022
BioYifan is a PhD student in Geophysics, advised by Prof. Greg Beroza. His research interests include earthquake source study, location, and machine learning. He received bachelor degree in geophysics from Nanjing University.
-
Richard Zare
Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor of Natural Science and Professor, by courtesy, of Physics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research group is exploring a variety of topics that range from the basic understanding of chemical reaction dynamics to the nature of the chemical contents of single cells.
Under thermal conditions nature seems to hide the details of how elementary reactions occur through a series of averages over reagent velocity, internal energy, impact parameter, and orientation. To discover the effects of these variables on reactivity, it is necessary to carry out studies of chemical reactions far from equilibrium in which the states of the reactants are more sharply restricted and can be varied in a controlled manner. My research group is attempting to meet this tough experimental challenge through a number of laser techniques that prepare reactants in specific quantum states and probe the quantum state distributions of the resulting products. It is our belief that such state-to-state information gives the deepest insight into the forces that operate in the breaking of old bonds and the making of new ones.
Space does not permit a full description of these projects, and I earnestly invite correspondence. The following examples are representative:
The simplest of all neutral bimolecular reactions is the exchange reaction H H2 -> H2 H. We are studying this system and various isotopic cousins using a tunable UV laser pulse to photodissociate HBr (DBr) and hence create fast H (D) atoms of known translational energy in the presence of H2 and/or D2 and using a laser multiphoton ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer to detect the nascent molecular products in a quantum-state-specific manner by means of an imaging technique. It is expected that these product state distributions will provide a key test of the adequacy of various advanced theoretical schemes for modeling this reaction.
Analytical efforts involve the use of capillary zone electrophoresis, two-step laser desorption laser multiphoton ionization mass spectrometry, cavity ring-down spectroscopy, and Hadamard transform time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We believe these methods can revolutionize trace analysis, particularly of biomolecules in cells. -
Howard Zebker
Kwoh Ting Li Professor in the School of Engineering and Professor of Geophysics
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsResearch
My students and I study the surfaces of Earth and planets using radar remote sensing methods. Our specialization is interferometric radar, or InSAR. InSAR is a technique to measure mm-scale surface deformation at fine resolution over wide areas, and much of our work follows from applying this technique to the study of earthquakes, volcanoes, and human-induced subsidence. We also address global environmental problems by tracking the movement of ice in the polar regions. whose ice mass balance affects sea level rise and global climate. We participate in NASA space missions such as Cassini, in which we now are examining the largest moon of Saturn, Titan, to try and deduce its composition and evolution. Our work includes experimental observation and modeling the measurements to best understand processes affecting the Earth and solar system. We use data acquired by spaceborne satellites and by large, ground-based radar telescopes to support our research.
Teaching
I teach courses related to remote sensing methods and applications, and how these methods can be used to study the world around us. At the undergraduate level, these include introductory remote sensing uses of the full electromagnetic spectrum to characterize Earth and planetary surfaces and atmospheres, and methods of digital image processing. I also teach a freshman and sophomore seminar course on natural hazards. At the graduate level, the courses are more specialized, including the math and physics of two-dimensional imaging systems, plus detailed ourses on imaging radar systems for geophysical applications.
Professional Activities
InSAR Review Board, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2006-present); editorial board, IEEE Proceedings (2005-present); NRC Earth Science and Applications from Space Panel on Solid Earth Hazards, Resources, and Dynamics (2005-present); Chair, Western North America InSAR (WInSAR) Consortium (2004-06); organizing committee, NASA/NSF/USGS InSAR working group; International Union of Radioscience (URSI) Board of Experts for Medal Evaluations (2004-05); National Astronomy and Ionospheric Center, Arecibo Observatory, Visiting Committee, (2002-04; chair, 2003-04); NASA Alaska SAR Facility users working group (2000-present); associate editor, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing (1998-present); fellow, IEEE (1998) -
Aidi Zhang
Postdoctoral Scholar, Geophysics
BioI am interested in the fluid dynamics in geophysical and astrophysical systems. You can find more details on my website (https://aidi-zhang.github.io/)
-
Zhenglin Zhang
Postdoctoral Scholar, Earth System Science
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsClimate change mitigation and sustainable nutrient management in agroecosystems
-
Xiaolin Zheng
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, of Energy Science Engineering, Senior Fellow at the Precourt Institute for Energy and Professor, by courtesy, of Materials Science and Engineering
BioProfessor Zheng received her Ph.D. in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University (2006), B.S. in Thermal Engineering from Tsinghua University (2000). Prior to joining Stanford in 2007, Professor Zheng did her postdoctoral work in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University. Professor Zheng is a member of MRS, ACS and combustion institute. Professor Zheng received the TR35 Award from the MIT Technology Review (2013), one of the 100 Leading Global Thinkers by the Foreign Policy Magazine (2013), 3M Nontenured Faculty Grant Award (2013), the Presidential Early Career Award (PECASE) from the white house (2009), Young Investigator Awards from the ONR (2008), DARPA (2008), Terman Fellowship from Stanford (2007), and Bernard Lewis Fellowship from the Combustion Institute (2004).
-
Mengye Zhu
Social Science Research Scholar, Doerr School; Senior Scientist, NatCap
BioDr. Mengye Zhu (she/her) is a Senior Scientist at the Natural Capital Alliance and a Social Science Research Scholar at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Her research is focused on climate and environmental policy and political economy, with a particular emphasis on the science–policy interface. She examines key climate discourses, including energy transitions and methane mitigation, with special attention to the roles of “keystone actors,” such as state-owned enterprises. Her work also combines policy analysis with sectoral technical assessments, including leading the development of Global Methane Abatement Solutions Tracker (G-MAST). She has extensive policy engagement experience, supporting high-level climate and environmental dialogues and advancing international collaboration. Before joining Stanford, she worked as an Assistant Research Professor and China Program Co-Director at the Center for Global Sustainability, University of Maryland. She received a Ph.D. in Public Administration from Tsinghua University and a Master's in Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh.
-
Mark Zoback
Benjamin M. Page Professor in Earth Sciences, Emeritus
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsResearch
I conduct research on in situ stress, fault mechanics, and reservoir geomechanics with an emphasis on shale gas, tight gas and tight oil production, the feasibility of long-term geologic storage of CO2 and the occurrence of induced and triggered earthquakes. I was one of the principal investigators of the SAFOD project in which a scientific research well was successfully drilled through the San Andreas Fault at seismogenic depth. I am the author of a textbook entitled Reservoir Geomechanics published in 2007 by Cambridge University Press, now in its sixth printing. I served on the National Academy of Energy committee investigating the Deepwater Horizon accident and the Secretary of Energy’s committee on shale gas development and environmental protection. I currently serve on a Canadian Council of Academies panel investigating the same topic.
Teaching
I teach both undergraduate and graduate students. Reservoir Geomechanics is a graduate class for students in the departments of Geophysics, GES, and ERE, and Tectonophysics, a graduate class for students principally in Geophysics and GES. I co-teach a Freshman class entitled Sustainability and Collapse with Professor Ursula Heise of the English Department. I also help lead two graduate seminars each week and frequently attend and participate in other seminars.
Professional Activities
Member, Canadian Council of Academies Committee on Shale Gas Development (2012-2013); Member, Secretary of Energy Committee on Shale Gas Development (2011-2012); Member, NAE Committee Investigating Deepwater Horizon Accident (2010-2011); President, American Rock Mechanics Association (2011-2013); Member of Board of RPSEA (2010-); Chair, Scientific Earthquake Studies Advisory Group of USGS (2007-2011); Advisory Board, Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona (2008-2013); Chair, Stanford Faculty Senate (1999-2000); Chair, Department of Geophysics (1991-97); Chair, Science Advisory Group, ICDP (1999-2006); President, Tectonophysics Section, AGU (1988-89) -
Andrea Zorzi
Ph.D. Student in Geological Sciences, admitted Autumn 2020
BioBorn in Venice, Italy, I earned my BSc in Aerospace Engineering at Università degli Studi di Padova in 2017. For my MSc degree, I moved to the Netherlands and graduated in Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft in 2019, focusing on space flight, planetary sciences and radiative transfer modeling. Afterwards, I spent a year at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen (Germany), conducting research on neural network applications for cometary gas expansion studies.
I've joined Stanford as a GS graduate student in Fall 2020 and I am part of the Planetary Modeling Group led by Prof. Schaefer.
My focus is on planetary impacts, how they affect the climate and chemical evolution of the atmospheres of planets in their early stages.
Personal website: https://azorzi.github.io/
