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Stephen Quake

ADW-PAL Stephen Quake
Stephen Quake

Stephen Quake
Full visit: October 23-27, 2023
Full visit: October 7-11, 2019

  • Lee Otterson Professor of Bioengineering, Stanford University
  • Professor of Applied Physics, Stanford University
  • Head of Science, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
  • Former Co-President, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, 2016-22
  • ADW-PAL term: 2018-24
  • Subject Area: Life Sciences
  • Faculty host: Iwijn De Vlaminck (Associate Professor, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering)
  • Faculty co-host: Marjolein van der Meulen (Director of the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering)

Stephen Quake is the Lee Otterson Professor of Bioengineering and Applied Physics at Stanford University and the Head of Science at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Dr. Quake served as the co-president of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub from 2016-22. 

Dr. Quake is a world-leading bioengineer with an extraordinary track record of accomplishments in biomedical engineering and genomic medicine. Dr. Quake’s current research focuses on developing new approaches to biological measurement and applying these approaches to problems of both fundamental and medical interest. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Inventors, National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has received many national and international awards, including most recently the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize for Convergence Research, the Max Delbruck Prize in Biological Physics, the Gabbay Prize for Biotechnology and Medicine, and the Nakasone Prize of the Human Frontiers of Science program. In recognition of his exceptional record as an inventor, he received the Lemelson-MIT Prize for outstanding mid-career inventors.

Dr. Quake has authored and co-authored more than 80 patents. His inventions include a microfluidic pneumatic valve, a microscopy-based technology for high-throughput DNA sequencing, and non-invasive blood tests to screen for fetal chromosomal abnormalities, organ transplant rejection, and a broad range of pathogens in blood. He has founded or co-founded several companies, including Fluidigm, Helicos Biosciences, Verinata Health, Quanticel Pharmaceuticals, Moleculo, Cellular Research, Immumetrix and Karius DX. This nominee will be of great interest to many different constituents in the university. Dr. Quake’s visits to our University as A.D. White professor will inspire our students and faculty and will bring new ideas and momentum to our research programs in biophysics, biology, and genomic medicine.