On behalf of the Department of Earth System Science, I would like to welcome you to our website and, through it, invite you to explore our department. We are the newest department in the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences, about to have our second anniversary as an approved academic program. Presently, we have 21 regular and affiliated faculty members having a wide yet interactive range of interests and specializations. Our goal is to understand and solve problems related to environmental sustainability, human interactions with the environment, and global environmental change. We approach Earth surface processes as dynamic interactions between the atmosphere, oceans, and land surface (including fresh water bodies).

We are proud of our growing population of motivated and talented students pursuing Master’s and Ph.D. degrees, and of the highly successful interdisciplinary undergraduate program known as Earth Systems. There are wonderful opportunities available for our students in Stanford classrooms and laboratories, as well as at associated facilities and field sites that range from throughout the U.S. to nearly every point on the globe.

I hope you enjoy your investigation of our activities and programs. Feel free to contact us for more information related to your interests and potential academic plans!

Scott Fendorf
Professor and Chair, Earth System Science