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Stanford’s first new school in 70 years will launch this fall as the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, recognizing a $1.1 billion gift from John and Ann Doerr, the largest in the university’s history. The commitment, together with gifts from other generous donors, will extend the university’s scholarship and dramatically amplify its impact in tackling the urgent climate and sustainability challenges facing all people. Arun Majumdar appoint as the school’s inaugural dean.
Ann and John Doerr contributed $1.1 billion towards the creation of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. The school will focus on solving sustainability problems facing people all over the world. (Image credit: Edward Caldwell)
The $1.69 trillion in combined gifts will support the creation a new school that is focused on deep knowledge and high impact solutions to urgent planetary challenges. The school will include academic departments that promote subject understanding, interdisciplinary centers that innovate across disciplines, and an accelerator that focuses on the development of near-term policy solutions and technology solutions. New faculty, new facilities, and a new institute will round out the school, bringing exceptional breadth and scale to the university’s work in addressing the future of the planet.
“These gifts will help Stanford bring its full effort to bear on solving the most complex problems in climate and sustainability, and on training the next generation of students who are eager and driven to address these challenges,” said Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne. “We have designed a school for the future combining knowledge generation and impact, building on the strong foundation established through Stanford’s history of scholarship in Stanford Earth and our other schools and interdisciplinary institutes. We are deeply grateful to John and Ann for partnering with us to realize the school’s mission, as well as to the other generous lead donors who are leveraging their resources to help us create a more livable future.”
“Stanford is making a bold, actionable, and enduring commitment to tackle humanity’s greatest challenge, and we have deep conviction in its ambition and abilities,” said John and Ann Doerr. “We believe the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability will be a model for the interdisciplinary collaboration required to solve this existential challenge – and set a new standard for scholarship in the 21st century. Today’s real and pressing challenges – not least, solving our climate crisis – require that knowledge be channeled toward the building of practical, implementable solutions. Stanford is well-positioned to make a difference in climate change and sustainability. This is the decisive decade, and we must act with full speed and scale.”
Additional philanthropic investments have been made by Jerry Yang, ’90, MS ’90, and Akiko Yamazaki, ’90; David, MS ’90, and Angela Filo, ’93; and Other donors.
A unique approach
The new school was created to foster excellence in eight areas of scholarship that are essential for the long-term success of the planet. These include climate change, Earth and Planetary Sciences, energy technology and sustainable cities.
The school is designed to make an impact and will feature a unique three-part structure. It includes rigorous academic departments, interdisciplinary centers, and an accelerator for policy and technology solutions.
- The academic departmentsWe will launch with around 90 faculty members from Stanford, and add 60 faculty in the next 10 years to give strength and breadth to all eight areas. The existing faculty will include those who are currently in the School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences(Stanford Earth), and other faculty will also be moving to the new school. Early faculty hires will concentrate on energy, climate science and sustainable development and justice.
- The Institutes of InterdisciplinarityThe university has several areas of scholarship that can be used to bridge the gap between disciplines in order to help with knowledge acquisition and solution development. The existing Stanford Woods Institute for the EnvironmentThe Precourt Institute for EnergyThe school will be joined by the Institute for Sustainable Societies, which adds critical new attention and resources to issues of economic and institutional infrastructure and politics of transitioning towards more sustainable ways of living.
- The new Sustainability AcceleratorThis will be the driving force behind policy and technology solutions. It will provide laboratories, tools and domain expertise to aid researchers in developing prototypes and scaling them up. The accelerator will also help with interdisciplinary policy design as well as engagement with external stakeholders. The accelerator will offer competitive grants that will be used to develop sustainable technologies, policies and innovations. It will also emphasize measurable impacts through partnerships with the external community. These connections directly connect to the needs of government and industry.
The school will also offer project-funding opportunities, curriculum, research and training opportunities for students in all academic areas. In addition, the new school will collaborate closely with the university’s leading professional schools to generate essential insights and solutions that can be rapidly deployed to mitigate and better respond to climate and sustainability challenges. Professional education will be offered in addition to help professionals develop sustainable solutions in real-world settings.
The choice of the word “Sustainability” in the school’s name signals the urgent need for scholarship and new, high-impact solutions to foster a sustainable future. The school will be focused on three broad areas: Earth and Climate, and Society. Its creation reflects the Stanford community’s deep ambition to lead in this domain, building on the university’s decades of foundational work. Hundreds of people from the Stanford community participated in town halls and contributed ideas to the creation of the school.
A new Sustainability Commons will bring together the people and programs of the new school. It is located on the west campus. The Commons will be anchored by two new flagship buildings that will follow Stanford’s history of creating sustainable, LEED Platinum certified buildings. The existing Green Earth Sciences Research Building, and the Jerry Yang-Akiko Yamazaki Environment & Energy Building (Y2E2) will be included in the Commons. A promenade will connect academic buildings, rooftop gardens, and multiple outdoor gathering places.
Arun Majumdar will be the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability’s inaugural dean. He is the Jay Precourt Professor of Mechanical Engineer, a senior fellow, and former codirector of Precourt Institute for Energy. (Image credit: Edward Caldwell)
The inaugural dean will direct the school. Arun MajumdarJay Precourt Professor, professor, co-director of Precourt Institute for Energy. Majumdar is also a senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution where he chairs the George Shultz Energy & Climate Task Force. Majumdar’s career has spanned academic research and experience in industry, national laboratories, and government, where he led efforts implementing energy technology initiatives that included being founding director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). Majumdar is currently the chair of the U.S. Secretary of Energy’s advisory board.
“The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability will not only harness the intellectual horsepower of our students, faculty, and staff across our campus, but also partner with external organizations around the world to co-develop innovative solutions and identify new insights through research and education,” said Majumdar. “As is often said, we do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. We must create a future in which humans and nature thrive together.”
A bold, actionable plan
The Doerrs’ gift will secure the school’s ability to make a measurable impact by increasing financial support for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows – tomorrow’s leading climate and sustainability scientists, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and advocates. Funding will also support initiatives in vital areas of study, including energy, behavior and communications, as well as bringing in new, skilled faculty.
John Doerr is an engineer and venture capitalist. He is also chair of Kleiner Perkins and author of bestsellers. Measure What MattersAnd Speed & Scale: An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis Now. John is a mentor to entrepreneurs, helping them to build innovative teams and companies. As a pioneer of Silicon Valley’s cleantech movement, John has invested in zero-emissions technologies since 2006. He has been a guest speaker at Stanford’s schools of Engineering, Business and Law.
Ann Doerr, who is also chair of Khan Academy and a former board member and advisory board member of Environmental Defense Fund, is a former trustee of Rice University. At Stanford, she has served as a member of Stanford Medicine’s Cancer Council and Under One Umbrella Steering Committee. Together, the Doerrs have generously supported Stanford priorities such as Stanford Medicine, Stanford Cancer Center School of Engineering, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and Stanford Live.
Ambitious hiring goals
One of the school’s first priorities will be hiring faculty, with plans to expand from about 90 faculty members in the founding units of the school to 150 faculty members in 10 years.
Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki gave a foundational gift to help us hire new faculty who are focused on climate science, sustainable development, and environmental justice.(Image credit: Courtesy Jerry Yang & Akiko Yamazaki
A foundational gift from Yamazaki and Yang is launching the school’s search for its first cadre of new faculty focused on climate science, and sustainable development and environmental justice.
“Growing our faculty is critical as we are creating wholly new departments, expanding areas of scholarship, and ensuring that diverse voices and experiences are informing our scholarship,” said Provost Persis Drell. “I’m tremendously grateful to Akiko and Jerry for enabling us to move quickly on our ambitious hiring goal, which will be essential to addressing the full gamut of climate and sustainability challenges.”
With this gift, Yamazaki and Yang are building on their longstanding support for environment and sustainability initiatives as some of Stanford’s most dedicated volunteers and philanthropists. Yang was appointed chair of Stanford’s Board of Trustees in April 2021 and Yamazaki chaired its volunteer Sustainability Task Force for 2020-21. The couple gave the initial gift to build the Jerry Yang & Akiko Yamazaki Energy and Building (Y2E2) in 2007. This helped to establish the foundation for the new school.
“The ability to attract, hire, and promote expert faculty is one of the superpowers of a school,” Yamazaki said. Yang added, “Akiko and I believe that the new school will be a magnet for scholars dedicated to sustaining our planet and human life.”
A new school for sustainability
Underpinning the new school’s ability to fulfill its unique vision is a foundational, unrestricted gift from Angela and David Filo. These funds can be used to support any aspect of the school that is prioritized by the dean. These funds can be used for faculty hires, education programs, and the acceleration of the Sustainability Accelerator. They could also support new initiatives within Woods or Precourt institutes or the Institute for Sustainable Societies.
Angela and David Filo gave an unrestricted gift which can be used to support any aspect of Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability that is prioritized by the dean.(Image credit: Courtesy Angela Filo & David Filo
“David and I believe that by equipping the new school’s leaders with flexible support, we can accelerate progress on the challenging issues that need to be addressed to transition to a clean energy future,” Angela Filo said. “We believe the school will demonstrate how universities can create new knowledge and solutions to advance a more equitable, sustainable planet.”
The Filos have been long-standing supporters of Stanford. Their generosity has helped to strengthen multiple parts of the university with professorships at the Graduate School of Education, the School of Engineering, foundational funding for the Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship program, gifts for the Haas Center for Public Service, and gifts for Stanford Athletics. Angela currently serves on the Stanford University Board of Trustees. Angela also previously served on several advisory committees, including the Sustainability Task Force, Undergraduate Cabinet, as well as other committees. David is the co-founder and CEO of Yahoo!, Inc. The Yellow Chair Foundation was co-founded by David and the Filos. This family foundation grants grants in areas such as education equity, climate change, civil rights, and many other areas.
“Just as the world needs lots of different schools of medicine, the world is going to need lots of schools of sustainability,” said Kathryn “Kam” MolerThe transition dean of the school was Judith. “The scale and urgency of the challenges we face are too great for a single institution to tackle. It will take us all working together to solve urgent problems. I’m so grateful to Angela and David for placing their trust in Stanford, and to all the lead donors for sharing our vision for this new kind of school.”
