Stephen Streiffer named Stanford vice president for SLAC

Stephen Streiffer (PhD ’93), deputy laboratory director for science and technology at Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, takes on the role of Stanford vice president for SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in June.

Stephen Streiffer has been named Stanford vice president for SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. (Image credit: Mark Lopez, Argonne National Laboratory)

SLAC is a national science laboratory managed and operated by Stanford for the Department of Energy (DOE). The vice president for SLAC leads the development and implementation of Stanford’s oversight and governance role and advises SLAC management on strategy and operations. The position reports to Stanford’s president and chairs the SLAC Board of Overseers, a group composed of senior Stanford officials, knowledgeable external laboratory managers and leaders from Stanford and around the world.

“I’m delighted to welcome Stephen to Stanford and to SLAC,” said President Marc Tessier-Lavigne. “Stephen brings deep familiarity with the national lab system – and he knows Stanford well, too, having completed his doctorate here. He is well positioned to support SLAC’s leadership in advancing the innovation and discovery underway at the laboratory and to continue to strengthen ties between Stanford, SLAC and the DOE.”

“This is really a homecoming for me,” said Streiffer. “SLAC is at the forefront of so many areas that are extremely important to the nation and world in research. I look forward to working with the laboratory management team to continue to advance SLAC’s mission and to create even greater scientific ties between the university and SLAC.”

At Argonne, a DOE multidisciplinary science and engineering research center, Streiffer helped develop and guide its scientific and technical portfolio, articulate the lab’s strategic priorities and collaborate with DOE colleagues to address issues impacting the DOE and the national research and development enterprise.

Streiffer also previously served as Argonne’s associate laboratory director for photon sciences and director of the Advanced Photon Source (APS), one of the world’s most productive hard X-ray light sources. Additionally, he has held several leadership roles in Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials.

“Since his time as director of APS, I’ve known Stephen to be a strong leader and advocate for basic science and the capabilities of the national labs,” said SLAC Director Chi-Chang Kao. “I look forward to working closely with him to strengthen the partnership between DOE, Stanford and SLAC, and expand the lab’s impact.”

Streiffer earned his bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering from Rice University in 1987 and his doctoral degree from Stanford in 1993.

Streiffer’s scientific expertise is in nanostructured complex oxides and structural characterization of materials, in particular using transmission electron microscopy and X-ray scattering techniques. He is a member of the Materials Research Society and IEEE as well as a fellow of the American Physical Society.

SLAC is one of 17 DOE national laboratories. Founded in 1962, the multi-program laboratory explores how the universe works at the biggest, smallest and fastest scales and invents powerful tools used by scientists around the globe. Its research spans particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology, materials, chemistry, bio- and energy sciences and scientific computing.