Private company

Stanford University

Private university in California, US

Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and then-incumbent United States senator representing California) and his wife, Jane, in memory of their only child, Leland Stanford Jr., who died from typhoid at the age of 15.² From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 16, 2026.

Overview

1885Founded¹

Industryhigher education¹
HeadquartersStanford¹
Websitestanford.edu
Slogan“The wind of freedom blows”¹

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

The story

Founded by Jane Stanford and Leland Stanford in 1885.¹

Leadership

Who has led Stanford University, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Chair

President

197019801990200020102020

FounderJane Stanford¹
FounderLeland Stanford¹
ChairKari Christine Nadeau Jan 13, 2023 to now¹
ChairMarc Tessier-Lavigne Sep 1, 2016 to Mar 31, 2023¹
ChairMichael P. Snyder Jan 1, 2009 to Sep 1, 2016¹
ChairJohn L. Hennessy 2000 to 2016¹
ChairGerhard Casper 1992 to 2000¹
ChairDonald Kennedy 1980 to 1992¹
ChairRichard Wall Lyman 1970 to 1980¹
ChairKenneth Pitzer 1968 to 1970¹
ChairWallace Sterling 1949 to 1968¹
ChairDonald Tresidder 1943 to 1948¹
ChairRay Lyman Wilbur 1916 to 1943¹
ChairJohn C. Branner 1913 to 1915¹
ChairDavid Starr Jordan 1891 to 1913¹
PresidentMarc Tessier-Lavigne 2016 to now¹
PresidentJohn L. Hennessy 2000 to 2016¹

Board members and other officers (6)

ProvostPersis Drell 2017 to now¹
ProvostJohn Etchemendy 2000 to 2017¹
Board memberRenee Reijo Pera 2012 to 2014¹
Board memberRenee Reijo Pera 2010 to 2014¹
Board memberSteve Jones Jan 1, 1999 to now¹
Board memberMichael P. Snyder¹

Subsidiaries and ownership

Subsidiaries

Baxter Laboratory in Stem Cell Biology
Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine
Bill Lane Center for the American West
Bipolar Disorders Clinic
Black Community Services Center
Blood Center (Stanford Medical School)
Blume Earthquake Engineering Center
Brains in Silicon
Brown Institute for Media Innovation
Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics
Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine
Center for Deliberative Democracy
Center for Education & Research in Family & Community Medicine
Center for Education Policy Analysis
Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
Center for Health Policy
Center for Integrated Facility Engineering, Stanford University
Center for International Security and Cooperation
Center for Medieval and Early Modern Studies
Center for Neuroscience in Women's Health
Center for Ocean Solutions
Center for Social Innovation

All 136 subsidiaries

Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis
Center for Turbulence Research
Center for Work, Technology and Organization
Center for the Study of Language & Information
Center on China’s Economy and Institutions
Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law
Center on Food Security and the Environment
Clayman Institute for Gender Research
Clinical Excellence Research Center
Computer Assisted Research in the Humanities at Stanford University
Cyber Policy Center
Department of Plant Biology
Energy Modeling Forum
Feldman Lab
Ford Dorsey Program in International Policy Studies
Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Frydman Lab
Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials
Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation
Gravity Probe-B Project
HIV Drug Resistance Database
Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory
Hasso Plattner Institute of Design
Ho Center for Buddhist Studies
Hoover Institution
Hopkins Marine Station
Immigration Policy Lab
Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence
Institute for Research in the Social Sciences
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
John S. Knight Fellowships for Professional Journalists
Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology
Luo Lab
Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute
Max Planck Center for Visual Computing and Communication
McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society
Media and Personality Lab
Metaphysics Research Lab
Molecular and Genetic Medicine Program
Morrison Institute for Population and Resource Studies
Nanocharacterization Laboratory
Nanofabrication Facility at Stanford
Nanoscale Prototyping Laboratory
Narcolepsy Center
Political Communication Lab
Program in African and African American Studies
Re-inventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure
Richard M. Lucas Center for Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Imaging
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Spectrum: The Stanford Center for Clinical and Translational Research & Education
Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
Stanford Bio-X
Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign
Stanford Cancer Institute
Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics
Stanford Center for Biomedical Informatics Research
Stanford Center for Comparative Studies in Race & Ethnicity
Stanford Center for East Asian Studies
Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health
Stanford Center for Latin American Studies
Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education
Stanford Center for Position, Navigation and Time
Stanford Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies
Stanford Center on Adolescence
Stanford Center on International Conflict & Negotiation
Stanford Center on Longevity
Stanford Center on Philanthropy & Civil Society
Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality
Stanford ChEM-H
Stanford Computer Graphics Laboratory
Stanford Concussion and Brain Performance Center
Stanford Diabetes Research Center
Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Stanford Genome Technology Center
Stanford Graduate School of Business
Stanford Humanities Center, Stanford University
Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
Stanford Institute for Theoretical Economics
Stanford Internet Observatory
Stanford Joint Program in Design
Stanford King Center on Global Development
Stanford Language Center
Stanford Law School
Stanford Literary Lab
Stanford Music Library
Stanford Office of Religious & Spiritual Life
Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy
Stanford Prevention Research Center
Stanford Recreation & Wellness
Stanford Sleep Medicine Center
Stanford Social Media Lab
Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource
Stanford Taube Center for Jewish Studies
Stanford Technology Ventures Program
Stanford Transportation
Stanford University Centers and Institutes
Stanford University Computer Science Department
Stanford University Libraries
Stanford University Mechanical Engineering Department
Stanford University School of Engineering
Stanford University School of Humanities and Sciences
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment
Stanford/VA Aging Clinical Research Center
Stanford/VA Alzheimer's Center
Stroke Center of Stanford
Systems Optimization Laboratory
The Europe Center
Theriot Lab
TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy
Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center
Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute

Also owns

Frenchman's Tower
KZSU
Klein Field at Sunken Diamond
Maples Pavilion
Stanford Cardinal
Stanford Field
Stanford Research Park
Stanford Stadium
Taube Tennis Center

From Wikidata.¹

Employees over time

202016,673¹

Timeline

1885Founded Founded¹

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataStanford University on Wikidata
2
WikipediaStanford University on Wikipedia