Founding Dean

Stanford University

Founding Dean

Stanford University invites applications and nominations for the position of Founding Dean of a School focused on climate and sustainability. The mission of the School is to develop the knowledge, talent and leadership to create a future in which humans and nature thrive in concert and in perpetuity.

The ideal candidate must possess an exceptional scholarly record and have the capacity to provide intellectual and visionary leadership for the Stanford community. The Dean should demonstrate the ability to manage a complex organization, understand the academic process, connect with students, and lead the community in the building of a diverse, globally connected institution. The Dean will need to be able to forge links with the other six Stanford schools, the alumni and, more generally, the climate, earth and sustainability communities outside of Stanford. 

In building the School, the Founding Dean will be responsible for the merger of existing units, as well as the creation of new departments and programs. The new School will most likely include departments from the former School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences, a joint civil and environmental engineering department with the School of Engineering, two existing institutes, the Woods  Institute for the Environment and the Precourt Institute for Energy and the merged facilities of the Hopkins Marine Station.

The new School will be will be the key platform at Stanford for educating the next generation of scholars of the earth’s environment and the Schools’ expertise will include:

• Climate change
• Earth and Planetary Sciences
• Energy Technology
• Sustainable Urban Development
• The Natural Environment
• Ocean Science, Technology and Policy
• Food and Water Security
• Human Society and Behavior
• Human Health and the Environment

As the senior officer of the School, the Dean is responsible for both the School’s academic strategy and its fiscal management. The Dean works closely with and provides leadership for faculty in planning and implementing academic programs, administers the School’s resources, communicates the School’s mission and goals to internal and external constituencies, and raises funds from alumni, friends, corporations and foundations. The dean also promotes a just, equitable, and respectful workplace. 

The Dean reports to the Provost of the University and serves on the Executive Cabinet.

Stanford University is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty. It welcomes nominations of and applications from women, members of minority groups, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities, as well as others who would bring additional dimensions to the university’s research, teaching and clinical missions.

Please address inquiries, nominations, and applications by October 29, 2021 to:

deansearch@stanford.edu