Stanford Names Jonathan Levin, Business School Dean, as Its New President

Jonathan Levin, dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, will be the next president of Stanford University, according to an April 4 announcement.

Levin has been a member of the Stanford faculty since 2000 and has served as the dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business since 2016.

Levin graduated from Stanford University in 1994 with a bachelor of arts in English and a bachelor of science in mathematics. He also holds a master’s in economics from Oxford University and a doctorate in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

His tenure will begin Aug. 1, 2024.

“I am grateful and humbled to be asked to lead Stanford — a university that has meant so much to me for more than three decades,” Levin said in a press release. “… As I look to Stanford’s future, I’m excited to strengthen our commitment to academic excellence and freedom; to foster the principles of openness, curiosity, and mutual respect; and to lead our faculty and students as they advance knowledge and seek to contribute in meaningful ways to the world.”

The seven-month search for a new president included over 800 individuals nominated and listening sessions and surveys of the Stanford community by the 20-member Presidential Search Committee.

“Jon brings a rare combination of qualities: a deep understanding and love of Stanford, an impressive track record of academic and leadership success, the analytical prowess to tackle complex strategic issues, and a collaborative and optimistic working style,” Jerry Yang, chair of the board of trustees, said in the release.

“He is consistently described by those who know him as principled, humble, authentic, thoughtful, and inspiring. We are excited about Stanford’s future under Jon’s leadership.”

Levin was the unanimous choice of the search committee and of the trustees to succeed interim President Richard Saller, who took over in September after former President Marc Tessier-Lavigne resigned following allegations of research misconduct.

The Stanford Daily, the university’s student newspaper, first covered the allegations, reporting that several papers co-authored by Tessier-Lavigne contained altered images.

Following reactions to the allegations, particularly from faculty, the Stanford University Board of Trustees assembled a committee to review the claims, conducting interviews and reviewing over 50,000 documents.

While the committee concluded that Tessier-Lavigne did not personally take part in research misconduct and did not have “actual knowledge” of misconduct before the papers were published, it found evidence that members of labs directed by Tessier-Lavigne either “engaged in inappropriate manipulation of research data or engaged in deficient scientific practices,” leading to “significant flaws” in those papers.

“I expect there may be an ongoing discussion about the report and its conclusions, at least in the near term, which could lead to debate about my ability to lead the university into the new academic year,” Tessier-Lavigne said in a July 2023 message to the Stanford community.

“Stanford is greater than any one of us. It needs a president whose leadership is not hampered by such discussions. I, therefore, concluded that I should step down before the start of classes.”