Office of the Vice Provost and Dean of Research

A typical research lifecycle at Stanford consists of three stages: Plan & Propose, Do & Discover, and Conclude & Translate. The graph portrayed below is a simplification of the necessary steps a Principal Investigator would need to take to bring a research idea to life. VPDoR supports the entire research lifecycle and researchers at every stage of their careers.

To provide guidance and support to facilitate, nurture, and safeguard a thriving research ecosystem.

We, as the members of the VPDoR Dean’s Office, will: 

• Encourage and facilitate interdisciplinary and disciplinary research and innovation; 
• Ensure Stanford’s research community earns and maintains the public trust;
• Sustain a culture of integrity and operational excellence; and 
• Celebrate diversity of individuals and ideas.

This office recommends and promulgates new research policies and oversees implementation.  The office also provides financial and operational oversight for independent academic units and research support offices under the auspices of the VPDoR organization. As a university officer, the vice provost and dean acts as a senior advisor to the president and provost in a broad array of academic issues beyond research. As the cognizant dean, s/he oversees the program scope, direction, administration, and resources for the independent laboratories, institutes, and centers which operate outside school boundaries.

The VPDoR organization comprises sixteen independent academic units, five shared facilities and platforms, and six support offices that provide university-level oversight for research compliance and administration, as well as health and safety issues. For questions about the VPDoR organization, please contact Serena Rao, Senior Associate Dean for Finance and Administration.

Vice Provost and Dean of Research David Studdert oversees Stanford's fifteen independent labs, institutes, and centers, which span the life sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, humanities, engineering, and medicine. He also oversees offices that support the university’s research enterprise, including the offices of Environmental Health and Safety, Research Administration, Research Policy and Integrity, Research Development, and Technology Licensing. In addition, he directs the Office of the Vice Provost and Dean of Research and its many functions, including the cognizant dean's office for the independent labs, institutes, and centers.

David Studdert is an expert in the fields of health law, health policy, and torts.  His research explores how the legal system influences the health and well-being of populations.  He has a special interest in injury and has studied causes of medical error, suicide, road accidents, and firearm violence. Among other honors, Professor Studdert has received Alice S. Hersh New Investigator Award from Academy Health and Federation and Laureate Fellowships from the Australian Research Council. He received B.A. and LL.B. (Law) degrees from the University of Melbourne, Australia, as well as a masters degree in public health and a doctoral degree in health policy from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.