Brian Lowery, Professor of Organizational Behavior, talking with students. Credit: Elena Zukhova

Faculty Mentors

Our faculty members are uncompromisingly committed to student success

Sarah Soule, Professor of Sociology, teaches a classroom of students. | Elena Zhukova

Fields of Study

Students pursue an intensely focused, highly energized academic experience in their chosen discipline

Sarah Soule, Professor of Sociology, gives a lecture in class. Credit: Elena Zhukova

Thought Leaders

Recognized experts in their fields, our faculty continually publish groundbreaking research

PhD students having coffee together

Living and Learning Together

Our collaborative culture enables students to support one another, and most students live on campus

Students walking around outside on campus. Credit: Elena Zukhova

Learn How to Apply

Learn more about our application materials and what we look for in a candidate

Erica Plambeck, Professor of Operations, Information, and Technology, hugging a student during a commencement ceremony. Credit: Saul Bromberger

Success

Our graduates pursue tenure-track academic placements at top institutions around the world

Stanford GSB PhD Program

Discover a focus and intensity greater than you may have thought possible. As a PhD student at Stanford Graduate School of Business, you will be inspired and challenged to explore novel ideas and complex questions.

Fall 2025 applications are now open. The application deadline is December 1, 2024 at 5:00 PM PST.

Apply Now

Fields of Study

Fields of Study

Academic Experience in the PhD Program

Academic Experience

Admission to the PhD Program

How to Apply

Become an Outstanding Scholar

Our PhD Program is designed to develop outstanding scholars for careers in research and teaching at leading academic institutions throughout the world. You will embark on a challenging and meaningful experience, focusing your academic study in one of seven distinct fields within the PhD degree program.

Is a PhD Right for You?

Strong PhD candidates are full of ideas and curiosity, with a passion and aptitude for research. If you’re prepared to embark on a rigorous career in research and develop your full potential, we invite you to explore the possibilities of a PhD in business. Admitted students receive full fellowships for their doctoral studies.

Faculty Publications

Publication Search

Reserves Were Not So Ample after All

Adam Copeland, Darrell Duffie, Yilin (David) Yang

Quarterly Journal of Economics 2025

Collecting Digital Footprints in the Wild

Michal Kosinski

Handbook of Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology, 3rd Ed. (in press) Cambridge University Press 2025

Letters of Recommendation as Institutionalized Gossip: Tie Strength and the Advocacy-Accuracy Tradeoff in Brokering

Britt Hadar, Nir Halevy

Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 2025 Vol. 116

See All Publications

PhD Student Voices

Voices

Benjamin Tremblay-Auger

I’m very interested in analyzing how institutional and cultural changes work together.

Benjamin Tremblay-Auger

Pauline Liang

None of my family or friends had ever done a PhD and I wasn’t sure if I should do it.

Pauline Liang

Mohamed Hussein

I feel it’s a moral obligation. We need to protect this democratic system.

Mohamed Hussein

Lina Lukyantseva

We can develop solutions that are not perfect, but practical, and offer guarantees for those solutions.

Lina Lukyantseva

See All PhD Student Voices

School News

Stanford Economist Guido Imbens Wins Nobel in Economic Sciences

Guido W. Imbens shares the Nobel Prize for his contributions to the analysis of causal relationships.

Susan Athey Named President of American Economic Association

Stanford scholar Caroline Hoxby selected as vice president.

Teaching Through a Pandemic: Students Recognize Two Faculty Members for Their Efforts

Students in the MBA and PhD programs honored Rebecca Lester and Anne Beyer, respectively, for their outstanding teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Diversifying the Pool of PhD Students Will Require Systemic Change

Underrepresented PhD students from around the country gathered at the inaugural Rising Scholars Conference to claim their place in academia.

Research Fellows Program

Research Fellows Program

Gain valuable research experience and training in a two-year, pre-doctoral opportunity at Stanford University.

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