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Jennifer R. Cochran
Vice President for SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and for Strategic Initiatives, Addie and Al Macovski Professor, Professor of Bioengineering and, by courtesy, of Chemical Engineering
Jennifer Cochran is the Addie and Al Macovski Professor of Bioengineering and, by courtesy, of Chemical Engineering. She is also a member of the Cancer Biology, Biophysics, and Immunology graduate programs at Stanford. She was recruited in 2005 as one of the founding faculty members of Stanford’s Bioengineering department and served as its chair from 2017-2022. In addition to her faculty role, she is currently Vice President for SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and for Strategic Initiatives at Stanford.
Professor Cochran’s research and translational interests focus on protein-based drug discovery for applications in oncology, immunology, and regenerative medicine. Her work also encompasses designer protein inputs and biochemical circuits for engineered cell therapies and new tools for high throughput protein engineering and analysis. Her work has led to clinical trials, commercial applications, and several biotech startups.
Other leadership roles Professor Cochran has held at Stanford include senior associate vice provost for research (2023-2026), faculty director of the Protein Therapeutics Initiative of the Stanford Innovative Medicines Accelerator (2021-2026), co-director of the Stanford/NIH Biotechnology pre-doctoral training program (2014-2026), and Director of Graduate Studies (2014-2017).
Professor Cochran holds a PhD in biological chemistry from MIT and completed postdoctoral fellowships at MIT and the University of Pennsylvania in biological engineering and molecular biophysics, respectively. 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.”
Professor Cochran’s research and translational interests focus on protein-based drug discovery for applications in oncology, immunology, and regenerative medicine. Her work also encompasses designer protein inputs and biochemical circuits for engineered cell therapies and new tools for high throughput protein engineering and analysis. Her work has led to clinical trials, commercial applications, and several biotech startups.
Other leadership roles Professor Cochran has held at Stanford include senior associate vice provost for research (2023-2026), faculty director of the Protein Therapeutics Initiative of the Stanford Innovative Medicines Accelerator (2021-2026), co-director of the Stanford/NIH Biotechnology pre-doctoral training program (2014-2026), and Director of Graduate Studies (2014-2017).
Professor Cochran holds a PhD in biological chemistry from MIT and completed postdoctoral fellowships at MIT and the University of Pennsylvania in biological engineering and molecular biophysics, respectively. 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.”
Education
Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT, Biological Engineering
Ph. D., MIT, Biological Chemistry (2001)
B.S., University of Delaware, Biochemistry (1995)