Stanford University


Showing 1-50 of 99 Results

  • Yonatan Winetraub

    Yonatan Winetraub

    Instructor, Structural Biology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy interests span non-invasive imaging for early cancer diagnosis and space exploration.
    I'm focusing on utilizing Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and machine learning to create virtual histology tools to image cancer non invasively at a single cell resolution, allowing physicians to skip biopsy (read more about the research). Prior to my PhD at Stanford, I co-founded SpaceIL, a non-profit organization that launched the first private interplanetary robotic mission to the Moon launched 2019.

  • Jeff R. Wade

    Jeff R. Wade

    Network and Systems Security Manager, KIPAC

    Current Role at StanfordNetwork and Security Manager for Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology or KIPAC. Responsible for network, security, servers, switches and clusters for select faculty, with KIPAC, LIGO, Fermi, Gemini Planet Imager, and HEPL.

  • Anthony Wagner

    Anthony Wagner

    Lucie Stern Professor in the Social Sciences

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsCognitive neuroscience of memory and cognitive/executive control in young and older adults. Research interests include encoding and retrieval mechanisms; interactions between declarative, nondeclarative, and working memory; forms of cognitive control; neurocognitive aging; functional organization of prefrontal cortex, parietal cortex, and the medial temporal lobe; assessed by functional MRI, scalp and intracranial EEG, and transcranial magnetic stimulation.

  • Soichi Wakatsuki

    Soichi Wakatsuki

    Professor of Photon Science and of Structural Biology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsUbiquitin signaling: structure, function, and therapeutics
    Ubiquitin is a small protein modifier that is ubiquitously produced in the cells and takes part in the regulation of a wide range of cellular activities such as gene transcription and protein turnover. The key to the diversity of the ubiquitin roles in cells is that it is capable of interacting with other cellular proteins either as a single molecule or as different types of chains. Ubiquitin chains are produced through polymerization of ubiquitin molecules via any of their seven internal lysine residues or the N-terminal methionine residue. Covalent interaction of ubiquitin with other proteins is known as ubiquitination which is carried out through an enzymatic cascade composed of the ubiquitin-activating (E1), ubiquitin-conjugating (E2), and ubiquitin ligase (E3) enzymes. The ubiquitin signals are decoded by the ubiquitin-binding domains (UBDs). These domains often specifically recognize and non-covalently bind to the different ubiquitin species, resulting in distinct signaling outcomes.
    We apply a combination of the structural (including protein crystallography, small angle x-ray scattering, cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) etc.), biocomputational and biochemical techniques to study the ubiquitylation and deubiquitination processes, and recognition of the ubiquitin chains by the proteins harboring ubiquitin-binding domains. Current research interests including SARS-COV2 proteases and their interactions with polyubiquitin chains and ubiquitin pathways in host cell responses, with an ultimate goal of providing strategies for effective therapeutics with reduced levels of side effects.

    Protein self-assembly processes and applications.
    The Surface layers (S-layers) are crystalline protein coats surrounding microbial cells. S-layer proteins (SLPs) regulate their extracellular, self-assembly by crystallizing when exposed to an environmental trigger. We have demonstrated that the Caulobacter crescentus SLP readily crystallizes into sheets both in vivo and in vitro via a calcium-triggered multistep assembly pathway. Observing crystallization using a time course of Cryo-EM imaging has revealed a crystalline intermediate wherein N-terminal nucleation domains exhibit motional dynamics with respect to rigid lattice-forming crystallization domains. Rate enhancement of protein crystallization by a discrete nucleation domain may enable engineering of kinetically controllable self-assembling 2D macromolecular nanomaterials. In particular, this is inspiring designing robust novel platform for nano-scale protein scaffolds for structure-based drug design and nano-bioreactor design for the carbon-cycling enzyme pathway enzymes. Current research focuses on development of nano-scaffolds for high throughput in vitro assays and structure determination of small and flexible proteins and their interaction partners using Cryo-EM, and applying them to cancer and anti-viral therapeutics.

    Multiscale imaging and technology developments.
    Multimodal, multiscale imaging modalities will be developed and integrated to understand how molecular level events of key enzymes and protein network are connected to cellular and multi-cellular functions through intra-cellular organization and interactions of the key machineries in the cell. Larger scale organization of these proteins will be studied by solution X-ray scattering and Cryo-EM. Their spatio-temporal arrangements in the cell organelles, membranes, and cytosol will be further studied by X-ray fluorescence imaging and correlated with cryoEM and super-resolution optical microscopy. We apply these multiscale integrative imaging approaches to biomedical, and environmental and bioenergy research questions with Stanford, DOE national labs, and other domestic and international collaborators.

  • Virginia Walbot

    Virginia Walbot

    Professor of Biology, Emerita

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur current focus is on maize anther development to understand how cell fate is specified. We discovered that hypoxia triggers specification of the archesporial (pre-meiotic) cells, and that these cells secrete a small protein MAC1 that patterns the adjacent soma to differentiate as endothecial and secondary parietal cell types. We also discovered a novel class of small RNA: 21-nt and 24-nt phasiRNAs that are exceptionally abundant in anthers and exhibit strict spatiotemporal dynamics.

  • Russell Wald

    Russell Wald

    Deputy Director, HAI, Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI)

    BioRussell Wald serves as the deputy director for the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI). In this role he oversees HAI's research, education, communications, administrative activities, industry programs, and policy and society hub. Wald works with HAI's co-directors and faculty leaders to help shape the strategic vision and human-centered mission of HAI. From 2020 - 2022 he served as HAI's first Director of Policy and later Managing Director for Policy and Society.

    He is the co-author of various publications on AI including, Building a National AI Research Resource (2021), Enhancing International Cooperation in AI Research: The Case for a Multilateral AI Research Institute (2022), The Centrality of Data and Compute for AI Innovation: A Blueprint for a National Research Cloud (2022, Notre Dame Journal of Emerging Technologies). Currently he is part of a HAI seed grant research project titled, Addicted by Design: An Investigation of How AI-fueled Digital Media Platforms Contribute to Addictive Consumption. Additionally, he serves as a member of the AI Index Steering Committee, hosted by HAI.

    Wald has held various policy program and government relations positions at Stanford University for over a decade. He also served as special assistant to Amy Zegart and Ashton Carter at Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC). In 2014, he co-designed and led the inaugural Stanford congressional boot camp, and has since created numerous tech policy boot camps, establishing a strong and effective tradition of educating policymakers at Stanford and enhancing the collaboration between governments and academic institutions.

    Prior to his work at Stanford, he held numerous roles with the Los Angeles World Affairs Council. He is a Visiting Fellow with the National Security Institute at George Mason University, and a former Term Member with the Council on Foreign Relations and the Truman National Security Project. Wald is a graduate of UCLA.

  • Ken Waldron

    Ken Waldron

    Professor (Research) of Mechanical Engineering, Emeritus

    BioKenneth J. Waldron is Professor of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering at UTS. He is also Professor Emeritus from the Design Group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Stanford University. He holds bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Sydney, and PhD from Stanford. He works in machine design, and design methodology with a particular focus on robotic and mechatronic systems.

  • Rebecca D. Walker

    Rebecca D. Walker

    Clinical Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsInterests include international development in emergency care, healthcare disparities, wilderness medicine, human rights, administration

  • Dennis Wall

    Dennis Wall

    Professor of Pediatrics (Clinical Informatics), of Biomedical Data Science and, by courtesy, of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsSystems biology for design of clinical solutions that detect and treat disease

  • Guenther Walther

    Guenther Walther

    Professor of Statistics

    BioGuenther Walther studied mathematics, economics, and computer science at the University of Karlsruhe in Germany and received his Ph.D. in Statistics from UC Berkeley in 1994.

    His research has focused on statistical methodology for detection problems, shape-restricted inference, and mixture analysis, and on statistical problems in astrophysics and in flow cytometry.

    He received a Terman fellowship, a NSF CAREER award, and the Distinguished Teaching Award of the Dean of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford. He has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics, the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, the Annals of Statistics, the Annals of Applied Statistics, and Statistical Science. He was program co-chair of the 2006 Annual Meeting of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and served on the executive committee of IMS from 1998 to 2012.

  • Greg Walton

    Greg Walton

    Professor of Psychology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research examines the nature of self and identity, often in the context of academic motivation and achievement. I'm interested in social factors relevant to motivation, in stereotypes and group differences in school achievement, and in social-psychological interventions to raise achievement and narrow group differences.

  • Luwen Wan

    Luwen Wan

    Postdoctoral Scholar, Earth System Science

    BioLuwen is a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, working with Dr. Kate Maher, Professor at Stanford University in the Department of Earth System Science. Her postdoctoral research focuses on developing tools for tracking the recovery and activity of the North American beaver from a computer version and evaluating beaver as a tool for fostering sustainable waterways. She received her Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Science from Michigan State University, where she worked on nutrient transport modeling across the Great Lakes Basin and agricultural tile drainage mapping across the US Midwest region.

  • Brian A. Wandell

    Brian A. Wandell

    Isaac and Madeline Stein Family Professor and Professor, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering, of Ophthalmology and of Education

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsModels and measures of the human visual system. The brain pathways essential for reading development. Diffusion tensor imaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging and computational modeling of visual perception and brain processes. Image systems simulations of optics and sensors and image processing. Data and computation management for reproducible research.

  • Tom Wandless

    Tom Wandless

    Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe employ an interdisciplinary approach to studies of biological systems, combining synthetic chemistry with biochemistry, cell biology, and structural biology. We invent tools for biology and we are motivated by approaches that enable new experiments with unprecedented control. These new techniques may also provide a window into mechanisms involved in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Protein quality control is a particular interest at present.

  • Adam Wang

    Adam Wang

    Assistant Professor of Radiology and, by courtesy, of Electrical Engineering

    BioMy research group develops technologies for advanced x-ray and CT imaging, including artificial intelligence for CT acquisition, reconstruction, and image processing; spectral imaging, including photon counting CT (PCCT) and dual-layer flat-panel detectors; novel system and detector designs; and their applications in diagnostic imaging and image-guided procedures. I am also the Director of the Photon Counting CT Lab, Zeego Lab, and Tabletop X-Ray Lab.

    I completed my PhD in Electrical Engineering at Stanford, developing strategies for maximizing the information content of dual energy CT and photon counting detectors. I then pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins in the I-STAR Lab, developing reconstruction and registration methods for x-ray based image-guided surgery. I was then a Senior Scientist at Varian Medical Systems, developing x-ray/CT methods for image-guided radiation therapy, before returning to Stanford in 2018, where I now lead a comprehensive research program in advanced x-ray and CT imaging systems and methods, with funding from NIH, DOD, DOE, and industry partners.

  • Bo Wang

    Bo Wang

    Assistant Professor of Bioengineering and, by courtesy, Developmental Biology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsResearch interests:
    (1) Systems biology of whole-body regeneration
    (2) Cell type evolution through the lens of single-cell multiomic sequencing analysis
    (3) Quantitative biology of brain regeneration
    (4) Regeneration of animal-algal photosymbiotic systems

  • C. Jason Wang, MD, PhD

    C. Jason Wang, MD, PhD

    LCY: Tan Lan Lee Professor and Professor of Pediatrics (General Pediatrics) and of Health Policy

    BioDr. Wang is the Director of Center for Policy, Outcomes and Prevention. Prior to coming to Stanford in 2011, he was a faculty member at Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health. His other professional experiences include working as a management consultant with McKinsey and Company and serving as the project manager for Taiwan's National Health Insurance Reform Task-force. His current interests include: 1) COVID-19 related policies; 2) developing tools for assessing and improving the value of healthcare; 3) facilitating the use of mobile technology in improving quality of care; 4) supporting competency-based medical education curriculum, and 5) engaging in healthcare delivery and payment reforms.

  • Ge Wang

    Ge Wang

    Associate Professor of Music, Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for HAI and Associate Professor, by courtesy, of Computer Science

    BioGe Wang is an Associate Professor at Stanford University in the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). He specializes in the art of design and computer music — researching programming languages and interactive software design for music, interaction design, mobile music, laptop orchestras, expressive design of virtual reality, aesthetics of music technology design, and education at the intersection of computer science and music. Ge is the author of the ChucK music programming language, the founding director of the Stanford Laptop Orchestra (SLOrk). Ge is also the Co-founder of Smule (reaching over 200 million users), and the designer of the iPhone's Ocarina and Magic Piano. Ge is a 2016 Guggenheim Fellow, and the author of ARTFUL DESIGN: TECHNOLOGY IN SEARCH OF THE SUBLIME—a book on design and technology, art and life‚ published by Stanford University Press in 2018 (see https://artful.design/)

  • Kevin Wang, MD, PhD

    Kevin Wang, MD, PhD

    Member, Bio-X

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsThe Wang lab takes an interdisciplinary approach to studying fundamental mechanisms controlling gene expression in mammalian cells, and how epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, chromatin modifications, and RNA influence chromatin dynamics to affect gene regulation.

  • Paul  J. Wang, MD

    Paul J. Wang, MD

    John R. and Ai Giak L. Singleton Director, Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine) and, by courtesy, of Bioengineering

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Wang's research centers on the development of innovative approaches to the treatment of arrhythmias, including more effective catheter ablation techniques, more reliable implantable devices, and less invasive treatments. Dr. Wang's clinical research interests include atrial fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, syncope, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Dr. Wang is committed to addressing disparities in care and is actively involved in increasing diversity in clinical trials.

  • Shan X. Wang

    Shan X. Wang

    Leland T. Edwards Professor in the School of Engineering and Professor of Electrical Engineering and, by courtesy, of Radiology (Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsShan Wang was named the Leland T. Edwards Professor in the School of Engineering in 2018. He directs the Center for Magnetic Nanotechnology and is a leading expert in biosensors, information storage and spintronics. His research and inventions span across a variety of areas including magnetic biochips, in vitro diagnostics, cancer biomarkers, magnetic nanoparticles, magnetic sensors, magnetoresistive random access memory, and magnetic integrated inductors.

  • Sui Wang, PhD

    Sui Wang, PhD

    Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur research focuses on unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying retinal development and diseases. We employ genetic and genomic tools to explore how various retinal cell types, including neurons, glia, and the vasculature, respond to developmental cues and disease insults at the epigenomic and transcriptional levels. In addition, we investigate their interactions and collective contributions to maintain retinal integrity.

    1. Investigating retinal development:
    We utilize genetic tools and methods such as in vivo plasmid electroporation and CRISPR to dissect the roles of cis-regulatory elements and transcription factors in controlling retinal development.

    2. Understanding diabetes-induced cell-type-specific responses in the retina:
    Diabetes triggers a range of multicellular responses in the retina, such as vascular lesions, glial dysfunction, and neurodegeneration, all of which contribute to retinopathy. We delve into the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying these diabetes-induced cell-type-specific responses and the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy.

    3. Developing molecular tools for labeling and manipulation of specific cell types in vivo:
    Cis-regulatory elements, particularly enhancers, play pivotal roles in directing tissue- and cell-type-specific expression. Our interest lies in identifying enhancers that can drive cell type-specific expression in the retina and brain. We incorporate these enhancers into plasmid or AAV-based delivery systems, enabling precise labeling and manipulation of specific cell types in vivo.

  • Taia T. Wang, MD, PhD, MSCI

    Taia T. Wang, MD, PhD, MSCI

    Assistant Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and of Microbiology and Immunology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsLaboratory of Mechanisms in Human Immunity and Disease Pathogenesis

    Antibodies are a critical component of host defense. While the importance of humoral immunity has been recognized for decades, substantial gaps in knowledge remain around how antibodies function, and how their function is regulated, in vivo. Our laboratory performs studies designed to fill in these gaps, with the goal of enabling new vaccine and therapeutic strategies to prevent human disease. My interest in this area culminated from training in medicine, RNA virus biology (PhD), and molecular antibody biology (postdoctoral training). The intersection of these topics, viral immunity and disease pathogenesis, is the focus of our work. The essential question driving our research is why a small subset of people develop severe or fatal disease during viral infection while most infections result in a subclinical or mild outcome, even in at-risk populations. Our hypothesis is that the antibody signaling pathways that are engaged during viral infection through Fc gamma receptors (FcγRs) are a key driver of these distinct outcomes. We are focused on several major unknowns to address this hypothesis: How are antibody effector functions regulated in vivo and does this change in disease? How do distinct signaling pathways engaged by IgG immune complex-FcγR interactions impact host cell genetic regulation and the ultimate inflammatory/immune response? What are the tissue-specific functions that antibodies engage? How does the heterogeneity in post-translational modifications (PTMs) of human antibodies contribute to heterogeneity in viral immunity?



    Current clinical studies:
    Recruiting:

    An Open Label Study of IgG Fc Glycan Composition in Human Immunity
    Principal Investigator: Taia T. Wang, MD, PhD
    ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
    NCT01967238

  • Xinnan Wang

    Xinnan Wang

    Associate Professor of Neurosurgery

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMechanisms underlying mitochondrial dynamics and function, and their implications in neurological disorders.

  • Zhecheng Wang

    Zhecheng Wang

    Postdoctoral Scholar, Civil and Environmental Engineering

    BioI am a HAI (Human-Centered AI) Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University. Here is my website: https://wangzhecheng.github.io

  • Victoria Ward

    Victoria Ward

    Clinical Associate Professor, Pediatrics

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsGlobal child health, digital health, preterm birth, human trafficking

  • Robert Waymouth

    Robert Waymouth

    Robert Eckles Swain Professor of Chemistry and Professor, by courtesy, of Chemical Engineering

    BioRobert Eckles Swain Professor in Chemistry Robert Waymouth investigates new catalytic strategies to create useful new molecules, including bioactive polymers, synthetic fuels, and sustainable plastics. In one such breakthrough, Professor Waymouth and Professor Wender developed a new class of gene delivery agents.

    Born in 1960 in Warner Robins, Georgia, Robert Waymouth studied chemistry and mathematics at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia (B.S. and B.A., respectively, both summa cum laude, 1982). He developed an interest in synthetic and mechanistic organometallic chemistry during his doctoral studies in chemistry at the California Institute of Technology under Professor R.H. Grubbs (Ph.D., 1987). His postdoctoral research with Professor Piero Pino at the Institut fur Polymere, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, focused on catalytic hydrogenation with chiral metallocene catalysts. He joined the Stanford University faculty as assistant professor in 1988, becoming full professor in 1997 and in 2000 the Robert Eckles Swain Professor of Chemistry.

    Today, the Waymouth Group applies mechanistic principles to develop new concepts in catalysis, with particular focus on the development of organometallic and organic catalysts for the synthesis of complex macromolecular architectures. In organometallic catalysis, the group devised a highly selective alcohol oxidation catalyst that selectively oxidizes unprotected polyols and carbohydrates to alpha-hyroxyketones. In collaboration with Dr. James Hedrick of IBM, we have developed a platform of highly active organic catalysts and continuous flow reactors that provide access to polymer architectures that are difficult to access by conventional approaches.

    The Waymouth group has devised selective organocatalytic strategies for the synthesis of functional degradable polymers and oligomers that function as "molecular transporters" to deliver genes, drugs and probes into cells and live animals. These advances led to the joint discovery with the Wender group of a general, safe, and remarkably effective concept for RNA delivery based on a new class of synthetic cationic materials, Charge-Altering Releasable Transporters (CARTs). This technology has been shown to be effective for mRNA based cancer vaccines.

  • Katja Gabriele Weinacht, MD, PhD

    Katja Gabriele Weinacht, MD, PhD

    Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine)

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsPediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
    DiGeorge Syndrome
    Genetic Immune Diseases
    Immune Dysregulation

  • Barry R. Weingast

    Barry R. Weingast

    Ward C. Krebs Family Professor and Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and, by courtesy, at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies

    BioBarry R. Weingast is the Ward C. Krebs Family Professor, Department of Political Science, and a Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution. He served as Chair, Department of Political Science, from 1996 through 2001. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

    Weingast’s research focuses on the political foundation of markets, economic reform, and regulation. He has written extensively on problems of political economy of development, federalism and decentralization, legal institutions and the rule of law, and democracy. Weingast is co-author of Violence and Social Orders: A Conceptual Framework for Interpreting Recorded Human History (with Douglass C. North and John Joseph Wallis, 2009, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) and Analytic Narratives (1998, Princeton). He edited (with Donald Wittman) The Oxford Handbook of Political Economy (Oxford University Press, 2006). Weingast has won numerous awards, including the William H. Riker Prize, the Heinz Eulau Prize (with Ken Shepsle), the Franklin L. Burdette Pi Sigma Alpha Award (with Kenneth Schultz), and the James L. Barr Memorial Prize in Public Economics.

  • Jeremy Weinstein

    Jeremy Weinstein

    Kleinheinz Family Professor of International Studies and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsCivil War, Ethnic Politics, Political Economy of Development, Democracy and Accountability, Africa

  • William Weis

    William Weis

    Member, Bio-X

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur laboratory studies molecular interactions that underlie the establishment and maintenance of cell and tissue structure. Our principal areas of interest are the architecture and dynamics of intercellular adhesion junctions, signaling pathways that govern cell fate determination, and determinants of cell polarity. Our overall approach is to reconstitute macromolecular assemblies with purified components in order to analyze them using biochemical, biophysical and structural methods.

  • Irving Weissman

    Irving Weissman

    Virginia & D.K. Ludwig Professor of Clinical Investigation in Cancer Research, Professor of Pathology, and of Developmental Biology

    Current Research and Scholarly InterestsStem cell and cancer stem cell biology; development of T and B lymphocytes; cell-surface receptors for oncornaviruses in leukemia. Hematopoietic stem cells; Lymphocyte homing, lymphoma invasiveness and metastasis; order of events from hematopoietic stem cells [HSC] to AML leukemia stem cells and blood diseases, and parallels in other tissues; discovery of tumor and pathogenic cell 'don't eat me' and 'eat me' signals, and translation into therapeutics.