Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

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The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability is Stanford University’s newest school, opened on September 1, 2022. It focuses on climate change and sustainability and is one of the largest climate‑related schools in the United States. The school brings together Stanford’s work in earth, energy and environmental science with other institute programs to support research, teaching and real‑world impact.

The Doerr School includes six academic departments:
- Civil and Environmental Engineering (a joint department with the School of Engineering)
- Earth System Science
- Energy Science and Engineering
- Geological Sciences
- Geophysics
- Oceans

It also has three interdisciplinary programs:
- Earth Systems Program
- Sustainability Science and Practice Program
- Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER)

In addition, the school runs a startup accelerator and includes the Hopkins Marine Station. It is built on the earlier School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences and incorporates the Woods Institute for the Environment and the Precourt Institute for Energy. Its history also ties back to Stanford’s oldest academic department, geology.

Size and plans
The school began with about 90 faculty members and plans to add about 60 more over ten years. Two new buildings are planned next to the existing Green Earth Sciences and Jerry Yang–Akiko Yamazaki Environment and Energy buildings. The Doerr School continues to draw on Stanford’s long tradition of earth science research.

History and leadership
The Doerr School was formed by combining the former School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences (which used to be called the School of Earth Sciences). Stanford’s first faculty member, John Casper Branner, was a geologist, underscoring the deep roots of earth science at the university. In 2023, the school set up an Advisory Council co‑chaired by John Hennessy and John Doerr, with members from academia, industry and philanthropy.

Research, industry partnerships and projects
The school conducts research across many disciplines and runs about 14 industry‑funded affiliate programs. These programs cover areas such as oil and gas exploration, methane leak detection, carbon capture and sequestration, and other energy topics. The Doerr School works with organizations like the U.S. Geological Survey and policy makers at state and federal levels.

A notable project is the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD), which studies earthquakes and rock behavior near the fault to improve understanding of seismic processes and earthquake engineering.

Funding and critics
The Doerr School has raised about $1.69 billion, led by a $1.1 billion gift from John Doerr and his wife Ann. Other major donors include Jerry Yang and David Filo, and Akiko Yamazaki and Angela Filo. Money from several oil and gas companies supports affiliate programs. The school has said it will continue to accept fossil fuel funding, which has drawn criticism from students, faculty and alumni. Some funders sit on advisory boards, gain early access to research, and mentor students; some helped shape the first Flagship Destination.

Library and student body
The Branner Earth Sciences Library houses more than 125,000 volumes, a large map collection and a Stanford GIS lab. Most students are graduate students, including many coterminal master’s students from E-IPER. Students come from six continents, making the program highly diverse. In 2022, about 360 graduate students and 100 undergraduates were enrolled in the school.

Rankings
In 2023, the Doerr School was ranked as the fourth‑best Earth Sciences program in the United States (tied with Columbia) and the top environmental science program, according to U.S. News & World Report.