The student experience

Three students work in a lab with a professor overseeing

A thriving campus and global community

Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability students have opportunities to conduct high-impact research, work with local communities, engage in field learning around the world, and join a campus community with a culture of collaboration, inclusion, respect, and excellence. 

Meet our students

  • Economic development with a climate lens: an internship perspective

    Sustainability science and practice master's student Kaitlyn Sanchez spent the summer with Auckland Council, a local government body in New Zealand, as part of an internship through the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. She researched approaches to economic development within a changing climate and environment while learning about climate issues and initiatives in the region.

  • Building bridges

    Passionate about “social-ecological leadership,” master’s student Fatoumata Barrie is working to bring more voices into sustainability conversations.

Read more people spotlights

Course close-ups

  • The world in a tidepool

    Ninety years of tidepool observations in Monterey Bay have taught Stanford researchers about climate change impacts on the ocean and the evolution of science.

  • Student spotlight: Aria Grossman on turning research into real-world impact

    Stanford students are getting a head start on careers with education and leadership programs offered by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. In the first of a new student spotlight series, we talk with Aria Grossman, a junior who gained valuable research and on-the-job experience through the Mentoring Undergraduates in Interdisciplinary Research (MUIR) program. 

    Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment

Explore stories about our courses and learning experiences

Group of smiling students arranged in rows

Members of the Sustainability Student Advisory Council that was active in 2024. (Image credit: Cayden Gu/Ethography)

Tools to take action

Join a growing community of individuals creating a more sustainable campus.

Learn how to become part of Sustainable Stanford

Student sustainability groups

Students are a driving force in improving campus sustainability and promoting change.

Find sustainability groups

Research, internships & professional development

We offer programs to support success in both your personal and professional life.

Ecopreneurship

Students at orientation

Building on Stanford’s strengths in both sustainability and entrepreneurship, Stanford Ecopreneurship programs take aspiring sustainability entrepreneurs (or “ecopreneurs”) from idea to launch.

Learn about ecopreneurship

Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment

Fiorenza Micheli at Hopkins Marine Station

Education and leadership programs focus on skills, knowledge, and networks to move ideas into action and support informed decision-making.

Learn more about Stanford Woods Institute

Precourt Institute for Energy

Yi Cui, director of Precourt Institute, holds up an experimental battery

Student offerings include energy courses, experiential learning opportunities, and events, in addition to mentoring and advising. 

Learn more about Precourt Institute

Explore our campus

Located 35 miles south of San Francisco and 20 miles north of San Jose on the ancestral land of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, Stanford University’s 8,180-acre campus sits at the heart of Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Peninsula.

Beyond campus

Our scholars and students conduct research or engage in field learning on all seven continents and oceans. Opportunities for hands-on learning and research experience outside the classroom range from two-day field courses to a quarter-long field course in social and biophysical systems in Hawaii.

A man smiles as he leans over a railing overlooking a sandy beach filled with penguins

Sustainability Commons

The people and programs in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability will be brought together in a new Sustainability Commons, located on the west side of 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 Commons will also include the existing Green Earth Sciences Research Building and the Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2). A promenade will connect the academic buildings, rooftop garden, and multiple outdoor gathering spaces.

Sustainable living at Stanford

Sustainability is a core value and way of life at Stanford and the university’s Residential & Dining Enterprises. 

Learn about Stanford’s commitment to being a living lab for sustainability solutions

Explore Energy HouseRoble Living Laboratory for Sustainability at Stanford