Department: Environmental Earth System Science

Contacts

Office: Yang and Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building, Room 140
Mail Code: 94305-4216
Phone: 650-723-6027
Email: essgradprogram@stanford.edu
Web Site: https://earthsystemscience.stanford.edu/

Courses offered by the Department of Earth System Science are listed under the subject code ESS on the Stanford Bulletin's ExploreCourses web site.

On April 16, 2015, the Senate of the Academic Council approved the change of name for the department to become the Department of Earth System Science. Prior to April 16, the department was named the Department of Environmental Earth System Science.

Earth System Science studies the planet's oceans, lands, and atmosphere as an integrated system, with an emphasis on changes occurring during the current period of overwhelming human influence, the Anthropocene. Faculty and students within the department use the principles of biology, chemistry, and physics to study problems involving processes occurring at the Earth's surface, such as climate change and global nutrient cycles, providing a foundation for problem solving related to environmental sustainability and global environmental change.

Graduate Programs in Earth System Science

The University's basic requirements for the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are discussed in the Graduate Degrees section of this bulletin.  The Department of Earth System Science does not offer coterminal admission to the master’s in Earth System Science.

Learning Objectives (Graduate)

The objectives of the doctoral program in Earth System Science are to enable students to develop the skills needed to conduct original investigations in environmental and earth system sciences, to interpret the results, and to present the data and conclusions in a publishable manner. Graduates should develop strong communication skills with the ability to teach and communicate effectively with the public.

The objectives of the master's program in Earth System Science is to continue a student's training in one of the earth science disciplines and to prepare students for a professional career or doctoral studies.

Faculty

Chair: Noah Diffenbaugh

Directors of Graduate Studies: Alexandra Konings

Professors: Kevin Arrigo, Karen Casciotti, Page Chamberlain, Giulio De Leo, Noah Diffenbaugh, Rodolfo Dirzo, Robert Dunbar, Scott Fendorf, Christopher Field , Christopher Francis, Tafashi Fukami, Steven Gorelick, Liz Hadly, Robert Jackson, Rosemary Knight, Eric Lambin, David Lobell , Kate Maher, Pamela Matson (Emeritus) , Leif Thomas, Peter Vitousek

Associate Professors:  Alexandra Konings, Kabir Peay, Paula Welander

Assistant Professors:  Anne Dekas, Alison Hoyt, Morgan O'Neill, Aditi Sheshadri, Elliott White Jr, Earle Wilson, Gabrielle Wong-Parodi, Yuan Wang

Courtesy Professors:  Kevin Boyce, Jeffrey Dukes, Elena Litchman, Anna Michalak, Kari Nadeau, Roz Naylor, Lorenzo Rosa, Jane Willenbring, Emily Zakem

Social Science Division

Environmental Behavioral Science

Area Director: William Barnett

Professors: Anat Admati, Michelle Anderson, Willian Barnett, Jonathan Bendor, David Cohen, Zephyr Frank, James Jones, Jon Krosnick, Ken Shotts, Deborah Sivas, Buzz Thompson

Associate Professors:  Nicole Ardoin, Patricia Bromley, Krish Seetah

Assistant Professors: Gabrielle Wong-Parodi

Global Environmental Policy

Area Director: Marshall Burke

Professors: Hunt Allcott, Bruce Cain, Jenna Davis, Larry Goulder, Roz Naylor

Associate Professors: Ines Azavedo, Marshall Burke, Meagan Mauter