Steer Director: Energy & Sustainability Research

Stanford University School of Medicine; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability seeks a Senior Academic Staff Researcher to serve as the managing director and leader of STEER, delivering strategic leadership of complex research with a multi‑PI team and a multi‑million-dollar funding portfolio.

You will guide frontier research, engage industry and policymakers, recruit and manage staff, and advance partnerships across Stanford and beyond to meet sponsor commitments and program milestones.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience at the intersection of academia, industry and/or government.
• Experience in frontier research and teaching in science, technology and/or social science.
• Experience leading complex scientific, engineering, or technical research programs.
• Experience leading, managing, motivating, and developing technical staff.
• Knowledge of emerging technologies, trends, methodologies, and resource management principles.
• Strategic thinker capable of connecting technological innovation with economic and policy considerations.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and cultivate strategic partnerships across academia, industry, and government.
• Strong understanding of the energy technology ecosystem, including one or more domains such as energy storage, nuclear, hydrogen, geothermal, carbon management, etc.
• Ability to formalize scalable structure around translating strategy and research into solutions.
• Ability to resolve complex issues quickly and make decisions that meet university objectives in a collaborative culture.
• Research and/or teaching experience in an academic setting.
• Exceptional ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non‑technical stakeholders, including senior government officials and corporate executives.
• Prior experience in research institutes, think tanks, or technology commercialization environments highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute frontier research strategies to advance STEER's vision of guiding what to build, where to innovate, and how to invest—focusing on directing capital toward scalable energy solutions.
• Engage external stakeholders—including industry practitioners, policymakers, and investors—to translate Stanford's analyses into actionable insights.
• Build and sustain partnerships across Stanford and with other units, faculty, and trainees.
• Develop and oversee research questions, work plans, and processes; collaborate with faculty, researchers, and staff to deliver high-quality analyses and milestones.
• Develop policies and procedures related to academic or research activities.
• Oversee day-to-day STEER operations as a multi-PI research collaborative, including coordination and staffing.
• Raise funds from government, industry, and foundations to support STEER's growth and manage funder relationships.
• Ensure funded programs are executed successfully by monitoring progress, managing risks, and meeting sponsor expectations.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder engagement

Program management

Communication

Team management

Education

PhD in a technical field

5+ years after BS

Job description

Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability seeks a Senior Academic Staff Researcher to serve as the managing director and leader of STEER, delivering strategic leadership of complex research with a multi‑PI team and a multi‑million-dollar funding portfolio.

You will guide frontier research, engage industry and policymakers, recruit and manage staff, and advance partnerships across Stanford and beyond to meet sponsor commitments and program milestones.