Stanford bioengineering Professor Jennifer Cochran has been appointed the university’s vice president for SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and for strategic initiatives, overseeing Stanford’s partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory.
Cochran, who is the Addie and Al Macovski Professor of Bioengineering in the schools of Engineering and Medicine, began the role on Feb. 9. She is stepping down from the role of senior associate vice provost for research in the Office of the Vice Provost and Dean of Research (VPDoR). Cochran brings more than two decades of experience with SLAC, first as a researcher using its facilities to study protein structures, then as a member of its Board of Oversight.
“My previous interactions with SLAC expanded my horizons and reinforced the value of collaboration with our national labs,” said Cochran. “I’m excited to deepen my understanding of the lab’s groundbreaking work while continuing to strengthen the partnership between SLAC and Stanford, enabling us to leverage our collective expertise, ideas, and world-class resources for greater impact.”
As one of 17 Department of Energy national labs, SLAC explores how the universe works at the biggest, smallest, and fastest scales, and builds the tools that make those discoveries possible. Its world-leading X-ray and ultrafast science facilities draw thousands of researchers from around the globe each year.
“SLAC’s success is grounded in the tri-party partnership among Stanford, the Department of Energy, and the laboratory. Stanford’s support and commitment to SLAC, including through our shared values and priorities, as well as, for example, our joint institutes and centers, are essential to our success,” said SLAC Director John Sarrao. “We welcome Jennifer’s leadership in her new role and look forward to further strengthening our partnership. We’re also grateful to Kam Moler, Jennifer’s predecessor, for her many contributions to SLAC.”
Stanford manages the lab for the DOE Office of Science – an arrangement dating to 1962 that forms the basis of Cochran’s role.
Cochran is succeeding Kathryn Ann “Kam” Moler, the Marvin Chodorow Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences, professor of applied physics, of physics, and of energy science and engineering. Moler was tapped by the DOE to focus on national strategic initiatives, including the Genesis Mission, which aims to rethink how science is conducted in the age of AI and dramatically increase the productivity and impact of American research and development.
“Jennifer brings a rare combination of scientific leadership, administrative experience, and entrepreneurial insight, and she is well-positioned to build on Stanford’s longstanding partnership with SLAC,” said Stanford President Jonathan Levin. “I also want to thank Kam Moler for her outstanding leadership in the role. She not only strengthened the Stanford-SLAC relationship but also generously lent her leadership to university-wide priorities, from chairing key searches to guiding task forces on our future. We are thrilled she will continue to advise the university as she takes on this new national role.”
Moler will continue to serve as a special advisor to President Levin.
“Jennifer is a great choice for the next VP for SLAC because she’s an experienced university leader, and she also has a footprint in innovation, technology transfer, and the biotechnology world,” Moler said. “That combination of skills and experience is especially valuable for the university and for SLAC right now.”
Strengthening a key partnership
The vice president for SLAC role was created in 2008 to deepen the partnership between the university, the lab, and the DOE, and to identify new opportunities across the university-national lab ecosystem. The person in the role reports directly to Stanford’s president and chairs the SLAC Board of Oversight, on which Cochran previously served as a member.
Moler described the VP for SLAC role as spanning three core areas: ensuring compliance with the DOE contract, advising university and lab leadership, and managing relationships with the DOE and other contractors. When President Levin offered the position to Moler, he asked her to take on additional special projects and advisory roles. As examples, over time these included helping to define the new senior vice president for finance and administration position and chairing the search to fill that position; chairing the Undergraduate Sustainability Education Working Group; and co-chairing the Task Force on Undergraduate Expansion.
Cochran’s title has been expanded to include “strategic initiatives,” formalizing the broader role she hopes to play in advancing partnerships both internal and external to Stanford.
A career in bioengineering and leadership
Cochran earned her PhD in biological chemistry from MIT in 2001. She completed postdoctoral fellowships at MIT in biological engineering and at the University of Pennsylvania in molecular biophysics. She was inducted as a fellow to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and the National Academy of Engineering, the latter with a citation for “contributions to biopharmaceutical protein discovery and development, biotechnology entrepreneurship, and leadership in academic bioengineering.”
Recruited to Stanford in 2005 as a founding member of the bioengineering department, Cochran has since held a range of leadership roles in addition to senior associate vice provost for research, including chair of bioengineering (2017-2022), faculty director of the Stanford Innovative Medicines Accelerator Protein Therapeutics Initiative (2021-2026), and co-director of the Stanford-NIH Biotechnology Predoctoral Training Program (2014-2026).
Her research interests span protein-based drug discovery and development for applications in oncology, immunology, and regenerative medicine, and development of new technologies for high-throughput protein analysis and engineering. Her work has led to clinical trials, commercial applications, and several biotech startups.
Looking ahead, Cochran sees opportunities to continue advancing collaboration between Stanford and SLAC, including in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence.
What draws her most to the role, she said, is the broad scope of research at SLAC and the team she’ll be working with.
“The lab is a premier nexus for particle physics, astrophysics, photonics, energy sciences, and beyond,” said Cochran. “Paired with visionary leadership and exceptional researchers, SLAC offers an unparalleled environment for breakthrough innovation. I’m grateful to Kam for her leadership and honored to help advance a partnership with the potential to drive transformative discoveries for SLAC, Stanford, the DOE, and the broader scientific community.”
