Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

Stanford Ecopreneurship Podcast - Stanford Ecopreneurship Some of the world’s most powerful ideas start in a university lab. These innovations drive humanity forward and make our lives on Earth more sustainable. But how do we get those ideas out of the lab a...

Cui is a professor of energy science and engineering and faculty director of the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator, based at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.

Learn more about the podcast series that highlights how scholars are translating their research into real-world impact ⬇️

Yi Cui talking at a table across from podcast host Sam McClure

What can faculty, students, and researchers learn from experiences in entrepreneurship?

In the latest episode of the Stanford Ecopreneurship podcast, Yi Cui discusses battery innovations and translating research into real-world impact: bit.ly/3MhyW0a

📸 Pasquale Vassallo, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn

Columns of bubbles rising from the ocean floor in deep blue water

Food research spotlight 🐟 As aquatic foods nourish billions of people worldwide, Stanford scientists are studying how their nutrient content may change in more acidic oceans. Learn more about the project and other food-related work at the school: stanford.io/4pZ2VbR

Learn more about the school’s food-related work: stanford.io/4pZ2VbR

📸 Courtesy of Tadashi Fukami

Researcher with a clipboard observes a green buckwheat field

A butterfly sits on a white buckwheat blossom

Food research spotlight 🌾 A team of Stanford researchers is studying interactions between pollinators, microorganisms, and buckwheat crops in Japan. They hope to better understand these fundamental ecological relationships and gather evidence to potentially improve crop yields and food security.

Is the air inside your home more dangerous than the air outside it? Gas and propane stoves emit substantial amounts of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant linked to higher risks of asthma, heart and lung disease, and other conditions. A Stanford-led study finds switching fr...

New Stanford-led research finds gas stoves expose people to dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide—linked to asthma, lung disease, and other conditions. Switching to electric could cut NO₂ exposure by half.
story + searchable NO2 exposure map: bit.ly/4rGdYIz @stanforddoerr.bsky.social @stanford.edu

Making sense of small-scale fisheries Small-scale fishers harvest 40% of wild-caught fish and support economies worldwide, but are threatened by climate change and overfishing. New research categorizes small-scale fisheries into five type...

Small-scale fisheries vary widely in their operations, market reach, and other factors, making it difficult to design policies for local benefits & sustainability.

New research categorizes small-scale fisheries into five types, offering pathways to more effective policies & better seafood guides.

YouTube video by Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment A new future for the people and wildlife of the Chagos Islands #climate #oceanconservation #shorts

In the Chagos Islands, plans are underway to establish one of the world’s largest marine protected areas – a key step toward the sustainable resettlement of a community removed from their homes decades ago.

Video: www.youtube.com/shorts/Mbeyn...
Story: bit.ly/4ppNQQ5

David Lobell quote. We can make sure everyone in the world has access to a nutritious diet without destroying the environment

David Lobell, professor of Earth system science, applies data science and AI to address challenges with food insecurity and agricultural production.

Learn more about his work: youtu.be/sugEt9ACtYc

Learn more about the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator: sustainability-accelerator.stanford.edu

The projects are part of the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator’s effort to speed the translation of Stanford research into technology and policy solutions that improve people’s lives and protect the land, water, air, soil, and organisms on which all life depends.

Wide view of event space with attendees listening to a presentation

A speaker smiles holding a microphone with a Stanford Sustainability Accelerator sign in the background

Attendees smile in conversation next to a poster

Audience members listening to talks

In October, the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator, part of @stanforddoerr.bsky.social, kicked off 44 new projects covering topics in food and agriculture, biological solutions, water, industry, and electricity and grid systems.

📸: Daniel Beck

Severe floods threaten global rice yields, study finds New research finds damage to rice crops has accelerated in recent decades due to rainstorms that increasingly submerge young plants for a week or more. Adoption of flood-resistant rice varieties in vu...

Severe flooding has slashed global rice yields in recent decades. Greater adoption of flood-resistant rice varieties in vulnerable regions could help avert future losses.

🔗 stanford.io/3X83fsg

Securing sustainable blue food futures in the face of climate change How can we address growing climate challenges while securing a sustainable food future? Thoughtful management approaches for fish, shellfish, seaweed, and other aquatic species — also known as blue foods — can be part of the solution. Research shows that under sustainable harvest practices, blue foods can support countries’ climate adaptation and mitigation efforts to lower emissions while providing vital sources of protein and nutrients to billions of people globally. In this video, meet changemakers in Mexico, Indonesia, and the Pacific Island region who are securing climate-resilient, sustainable blue foods. As members of a fishing cooperative, a government ministry, and an international development organization, they share efforts underway in their local communities, countries, and regions to leverage blue foods for climate action. Explore the latest research, tools, and resources for integrating blue foods into climate strategies: https://bit.ly/bluefoodsclimate Learn more about the Pacific Community's regional assessment: https://bit.ly/SPCassessment Learn more about the Indonesia Blue Food Assessment: https://bit.ly/IndonesiaBFA Learn more about Baja's fishing communities: https://bit.ly/IslaNatividad Video by Wienot Films Visit our website: https://oceansolutions.stanford.edu/ Subscribe to our newsletter Currents: https://bit.ly/CurrentsNews LinkedIn / center-for-ocean-solutions Bluesky / @oceansolutions.stanford.edu X / @oceansolutions

Parties to the #ParisAgreement can leverage #BlueFoods for climate action while protecting them against future climate hazards @cop30brazil.bsky.social.

View research and resources ➡️ bit.ly/bluefoodclimate

Hear from changemakers who are securing sustainable blue foods 🎥 ▶️ bit.ly/bluefoodvideo

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.

Generations of ocean insights: Learn about the Hewatt-Sagarin transect, an ongoing visual survey dating back to 1931 to monitor marine life along the shores of @stanfordhopkins.bsky.social, part of the Doerr School of Sustainability.

Students talking with attendees in front of research posters outside

Group photo of alumni smiling together

Alumni Award recipient smiling with Dean Majumdar

A student talks about their research with attendees listening

Earlier this quarter, we honored 2025 Alumni Award recipients for their significant contributions to civil, business, and academic communities. Attendees also connected with current undergrads who shared findings from their summer research projects. Congrats to the awardees & student researchers!

Overhead view of Amazon rainforest with Belem skyline in background

The global climate summit known as #COP30 begins today in Belém, Brazil. Explore insights from scholars attending the conference, related events, and more: sustainability.stanford.edu/stanford-cop30

@cop30brazil.bsky.social

Profile photos of three Stanford faculty members

Next week is the start of the UN climate summit known as COP30. Ahead of this year’s conference, three Stanford experts discuss climate progress, leadership, and topics to watch: stanford.io/4oAi96O

@woods.stanford.edu

Learn more about the new series: ecopreneurship.stanford.edu/ecopreneursh...

Three podcast participants talk around a table

Introducing the Stanford Ecopreneurship Podcast, a new series that highlights how university research moves beyond the lab to shape real-world impact.

In the first episode, a materials scientist and startup co-founder discuss batteries, AI, and entrepreneurship. bit.ly/496OmxE

Survival of the blandest: Unusual sharks face highest extinction risk An analysis of shark tooth shapes, a proxy for body size and diet, reveals species with specialized traits are most at risk of extinction. The findings are the latest example of the biodiversity crisi...

According to new research, shark species with specialized traits are at most risk of extinction.

But if threats like overfishing are addressed, scientists say the trend toward extinction could still likely be reversed.

Slow progress on burying power lines leaves U.S. grid vulnerable to extreme weather Analysis by Stanford researchers shows how strategic investment in undergrounding power lines could shave hours off some long lasting blackouts tied to extreme weather.

A new analysis shows how having more power lines buried underground could help shorten blackouts tied to extreme weather. Explore the data: stanford.io/3WOWqvH

Uncovering policy lessons from the rise of clean energy industries in China Stanford economist Shanjun Li models how policy choices in the U.S., China, and around the world shape the energy transition and give rise to clean energy leaders.

“I’m most excited to decipher the key drivers behind the emerging dominance of China in clean energy industries during the last decade. We’re working to understand how lessons from China’s experience may inform the energy transition process in other countries.” Meet new professor Shanjun Li:

Researchers solve model that can improve sustainable design, groundwater management, nuclear waste storage, and more Scientists can now accurately determine where randomly distributed components appear in concrete, soil, and other common materials using a statistical model. The findings could enable the design of be...

“Quite remarkable”: By solving the famous Poisson statistical model, new research could enable the design of better, stronger, cheaper materials.

To reduce emissions while increasing profit, aim for efficiency Delta Electronics leader Yancey Hai and energy efficiency expert Amory Lovins shared advice for companies, countries, and students in Stanford’s Big Ideas in Sustainability series.

At a recent event at Stanford, two energy leaders described an often overlooked step that organizations can take to reduce their environmental impact: improving energy efficiency.

@stanfordenergy.bsky.social

Charting the journey of sacred Sáttítla to national monument status The Environmental Law Clinic’s case for the Pit River Tribe culminated in the designation of Medicine Lake Highlands as a national monument, reflecting decades of commitment from students and tribal a...

A Stanford law clinic’s case for the Pit River Tribe has culminated in the designation of Sáttítla Highlands as a national monument, reflecting decades of commitment from tribal members, advocates, and scholars. stanford.io/46Q19TF

@law.stanford.edu

Scientists seek to turbocharge a natural process that cools the Earth Terradot, a carbon removal company, is using “enhanced rock weathering” to sequester carbon by spreading crushed volcanic rock over farmland.

“We need to think about how we take our solutions to the world and how we do that fast.” –Scott Fendorf, professor of Earth system science, on turning research into real-world solutions

Read about carbon removal company Terradot, which grew out of work between Fendorf and a Stanford undergrad:

4 key facts about climate change and human migration How does climate change affect human migration and what does it mean for border policies? Learn about the complex relationship between weather and cross-border migration across different demographic g...

How does climate change impact human migration? What efforts can reduce climate vulnerability?

Explore insights based on research from Hélène Benveniste, assistant professor of environmental social sciences: stanford.io/4h5ulJS

Congratulations to William Tarpeh, assistant professor of chemical engineering and of civil and environmental engineering, who has been recognized as a 2025 MacArthur Fellow 🌟