On June 7, Chris Field, the Melvin and Joan Lane Professor for Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies, was announced as the new Perry L. McCarty Director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. Field is one of the world’s leading climate scientists and was the founding director of the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology at Stanford. He will succeed current Perry L. McCarty Directors Jeffrey Koseff and Barton “Buzz” Thompson, who have directed the institute since its establishment in 2004 as the Stanford Institute for the Environment. The institute was renamed the Stanford Woods Institute in 2006 in honor of Priscilla and Ward Woods, ’64.

In his new role, Field will lead the continued success of the Stanford Woods Institute. As the university’s hub of interdisciplinary environmental and sustainability research, the institute is the go-to place for Stanford faculty, researchers, and students to collaborate on environmental research. This interdisciplinary work has put Stanford on the map as an international leader in innovative environmental research and solutions, and created a sense of shared mission across Stanford. The Stanford Woods Institute is pursuing breakthrough solutions that link knowledge to action and solve the environmental challenges of today and tomorrow.