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Persis Drell
Persis Drell
Persis Drell
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Persis S. Drell is the Provost Emerita and the James and Anna Marie Spilker Professor in the Stanford University School of Engineering, a professor of materials science and engineering, and a professor of physics. Prior to her appointment as provost, she was dean of the Stanford School of Engineering from 2014 to 2017 and director of the US Department of Energy’s SLAC National Acceleratory Laboratory from 2007 to 2012. In 2025, she was elected to the American Philosophical Society.[1]

Key Information

Early life and education

[edit]

The daughter of noted physicist Sidney Drell, Persis moved to Stanford when she was six months old.[2] She earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics in 1977 from Wellesley College and her Ph.D. in atomic physics in 1983 from the University of California, Berkeley, studying under Eugene Commins.[3][4]

Career

[edit]

Drell began her career as a postdoctoral research associate at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as a member of the Mark-II collaboration.[4][5]

In 1988, Drell was appointed to the physics faculty at Cornell University and joined the CLEO collaboration working on heavy flavor physics. During her tenure, she was the deputy director of Cornell's Laboratory of Nuclear Studies and served as chair of the Synchrotron Radiation Committee.[6]

In 2002, Drell joined the faculty at Stanford and was appointed associate director, particle and particle astrophysics (then known as research division) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (then known as the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center), where she oversaw the BaBar experiment.[6] She joined the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope Collaboration and participated in the construction of the Large Area Telescope. She became deputy director of the laboratory in 2005 and in 2007, she was named the fourth director of SLAC, succeeding Jonathan M. Dorfan. She stepped down from the lab director position in 2012 to return to full time research and teaching.[4]

In September 2014, Drell was named dean of the Stanford School of Engineering, the first woman to serve in that role. In February 2017, Drell became the thirteenth provost of Stanford University. Drell stepped down from the Provost role in October 2023.[7][8]

Recognition

[edit]

Drell is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and a fellow of the American Physical Society and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).  She has been the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award.[9]

Personal life

[edit]

Drell is married to a physicist. The couple has three children.[3]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Persis Drell

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from Grokipedia
Persis S. Drell (born 1955) is an American experimental physicist renowned for her contributions to , high-energy physics, and gamma-ray , as well as her leadership in academic administration at and the . Drell earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics from in 1977 and a Ph.D. in from the , in 1983, where she was the only woman in her doctoral class of 48. After completing postdoctoral research at , she shifted her focus to high-energy . In 1988, Drell joined as an assistant of physics, where she worked on the CLEO detector at the Cornell Electron , contributing to studies of decays, , and tau decays. She advanced to full and served as deputy director of the Cornell Laboratory of Nuclear Studies before moving to in 2002 as a of physics and director of research at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). From 2007 to 2012, she directed , overseeing advancements in technologies, free-electron lasers, and the , including observations of gamma-ray binaries, cosmic rays, pulsars, and the event. Drell's subsequent administrative roles at Stanford included Dean of the School of Engineering from 2014 to 2017 and Provost from 2017 to 2023, during which she advanced institutional priorities in research, education, and diversity. She currently holds the James and Anna Marie Spilker Professorship in the School of Engineering and is a of physics and and . Her research has resulted in numerous publications in leading journals, such as measurements of the B(b → sγ) branching fraction and CP asymmetry in particle decays. Drell has received prestigious honors, including a , a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award, fellowship in the , election to the , the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, and the in 2025. She also serves on the of .

Early life and education

Early years

Persis Drell was born on December 30, 1955, in , , to and his wife, Harriet Stainback Drell. At the time, her father was serving as an assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but the family relocated to when Persis was six months old, following Sidney's return to the institution as a professor of . The Drell family settled in one of the original twelve faculty houses on the Stanford campus, built by , providing Persis with an immersive environment steeped in academia from infancy. Growing up amidst this setting, she was surrounded by the vibrant intellectual life of the university, particularly influenced by her father's prominent role in high-energy physics and his leadership in establishing the theory group at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), founded in 1962. This proximity to cutting-edge research fostered an early familiarity with scientific discourse, as family dinners often featured discussions on led by her father. Her interest in physics was notably shaped by familial interactions, including her father's patient explanations during high school homework sessions, where he emphasized understanding over quick solutions. Additionally, childhood home visits from renowned scientists such as , , and T.D. Lee exposed her to the passion and collaborative spirit of the field, even if her initial engagement was more peripheral. These experiences, rooted in her parents' emphasis on education—her mother having attended —helped cultivate a foundational appreciation for that later connected to her extensive career at Stanford.

Academic training

Persis Drell earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics from in 1977. She pursued graduate studies at the , where she obtained her Ph.D. in in 1983 under the supervision of Eugene Commins. She was the only woman in her entering doctoral class of approximately 48 students. Her doctoral thesis focused on precision measurements in . Following her Ph.D., Drell conducted postdoctoral research as a at from 1983 to 1987, where she shifted her focus to experimental . During this period, she contributed to the Mark II collaboration at the PEP collider, investigating electron-positron interactions.

Professional career

Early positions

Following her postdoctoral research at , Persis Drell joined the physics faculty at in 1988 as an . She advanced through the ranks, becoming associate professor from 1993 to 1997 and full professor from 1998 to 2002. During her tenure at Cornell, Drell served as deputy director of the Laboratory of Nuclear Studies starting in 2001, where she oversaw experimental programs. In this role, she contributed to the management of key experimental facilities and collaborations. Drell's research at Cornell focused on high-energy physics experiments, particularly through her involvement in the CLEO collaboration at the Cornell . She led the Cornell group working on the CLEO detector, contributing to advancements in particle detection and techniques for studying heavy flavor physics, such as B meson decays.

Leadership at SLAC

In 2002, Persis Drell returned to as a of physics and associate director for the Research Division at , where she oversaw research initiatives including contributions to the project. This role marked her transition from faculty positions at back to the Stanford community, leveraging her expertise in to support SLAC's evolving research portfolio. Drell was appointed deputy director of SLAC in 2005, a position in which she collaborated with Lab Director Jonathan Dorfan and fellow Deputy Director Keith Hodgson to manage laboratory leadership and operations, including oversight of key user facilities. Her responsibilities encompassed coordinating daily administrative functions and ensuring the smooth operation of SLAC's scientific programs amid growing demands for interdisciplinary research. From December 2007 to October 2012, Drell served as the fourth director of SLAC, succeeding Jonathan Dorfan and leading the 1,600-employee laboratory through a period of significant transformation. Under her leadership, SLAC completed construction of the $420 million Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), the world's first hard X-ray , which began operations in 2010 and enabled groundbreaking studies in atomic and across , chemistry, and . She navigated severe federal budget constraints, including 2008 cuts that necessitated the largest layoffs in SLAC's history (125 positions) and the shutdown of the B-factory experiment, while fostering international collaborations through SLAC's user facilities that attracted global researchers. Drell also advocated for sustained funding on to maintain SLAC's competitiveness in high-energy physics and photon science. In November 2011, Drell announced her decision to step down as director effective October 2012, allowing Chi-Chang Kao to assume the role on November 1, 2012; she returned to full-time faculty research and teaching at Stanford. This move enabled her to refocus on scientific contributions after five years of administrative leadership.

Roles at Stanford University

In 2014, Persis Drell was appointed as the Frederick Emmons Terman Dean of 's School of Engineering, becoming the first woman to hold the position, and she served in this role until 2017. During her deanship, she emphasized interdisciplinary initiatives through the SOE-Future planning process, which launched several collaborative projects across disciplines. She also prioritized diversity efforts, committing to expand the representation of underrepresented groups among faculty and students at both undergraduate and graduate levels to strengthen the pipeline. Drell's experience in laboratory leadership at SLAC provided a strong foundation for her transition to broader university administration. In February 2017, she became Stanford's 13th provost, the university's chief academic and budget officer, responsible for overseeing academic affairs, faculty appointments, and the overall budget. As provost, she managed the university's response to the , including issuing updates on health protocols, coordinating decision-making on campus operations, and addressing budgetary impacts from the crisis. She also advanced , notably leading the initiative to promote inclusion, diversity, equity, and access across Stanford's academic programs. Drell stepped down as provost in October 2023 after serving for over six years, assuming the title of Provost Emerita. She currently holds the James and Anna Marie Spilker Professorship in the School of , with joint appointments as a professor of and and a professor of physics. Additionally, she serves on the for , a position she has held since 2015, and for the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, since 2017.

Research contributions

Atomic and nuclear physics

Drell's doctoral research at the , centered on precision measurements of parity violation in atomic thallium, providing key experimental tests of the electroweak sector of the . Working under Eugene Commins, she employed spectroscopy on the 293-nm 6P1/2→7P1/26P_{1/2} \to 7P_{1/2} transition, utilizing the Stark interference technique to detect the tiny parity-nonconserving amplitude induced by neutral weak currents. Her Ph.D. thesis detailed the experimental setup, including a frequency-doubled and modulation of atomic and helicities to isolate the parity-violating signal from systematic effects, yielding a measured asymmetry consistent with theoretical predictions within uncertainties. This work, published in , represented one of the earliest high-precision atomic parity violation experiments and helped constrain parameters of the in heavy atoms. Following her Ph.D. in 1983, Drell conducted postdoctoral research at as part of the Mark II collaboration, focusing on detector development for the PEP electron-positron collider at SLAC. The Mark II detector, a large solid-angle magnetic spectrometer with tracking chambers and , enabled detailed studies of e+^+e−^- processes at center-of-mass energies up to 29 GeV, probing and production in multi-hadron events and confirming aspects of . Drell contributed to the refinement of vertex reconstruction and particle identification systems, which were crucial for analyzing exclusive channels involving charmed and bottom s, as well as leptonic decays. These efforts supported early measurements of quark fragmentation and lepton universality, bridging atomic-scale precision tests with high-energy particle interactions. In 1988, Drell joined the Cornell University faculty and became a key contributor to the CLEO experiment at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR), an e+^+e−^- collider optimized for studies near the charm and bottom quark thresholds. Her research emphasized spectroscopy of heavy quarkonia states, such as the Υ\Upsilon and ψ\psi families, through analyses of radiative decays and production cross-sections, which provided insights into quarkonium binding dynamics and tests of potential models in quantum chromodynamics. Drell also led investigations into tau lepton decays, measuring branching fractions for semileptonic and hadronic modes with the CLEO detector's high-resolution tracking and particle-flow calorimetry, achieving precisions that constrained the tau's weak couplings and searched for non-Standard-Model contributions. By the late 1990s, she had risen to leadership roles in CLEO, overseeing upgrades to enhance sensitivity for heavy flavor physics, including silicon vertex detectors for improved b-tagging in quarkonia and tau studies. These contributions advanced understanding of heavy quark systems and lepton flavor physics before her transition to SLAC in 2002.

Accelerator and astrophysics projects

During her tenure as director of from 2007 to 2012, Persis Drell oversaw the final development and commissioning of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), the world's first hard , which achieved first lasing in April 2009. This facility utilizes SLAC's linear accelerator to generate ultrafast, coherent pulses, enabling time-resolved studies of atomic-scale dynamics in and biological systems, such as and chemical reactions. Under Drell's leadership, LCLS transitioned from construction to operational status, producing beams a billion times brighter than previous sources and supporting breakthroughs in ultrafast science. Drell played a pivotal role in the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope mission, launched in June 2008, serving as deputy project manager from 2004 to 2005 and director of SLAC's Particle Astrophysics Division during its construction. As part of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) collaboration, she contributed to the instrument's design and testing, including environmental qualification of tracker towers for high-energy gamma-ray detection above 20 MeV. The LAT, a pair-conversion , has facilitated observations of gamma rays from astrophysical phenomena, including active galactic nuclei near black holes and potential annihilation signals in dwarf spheroidal galaxies. Following her directorship, Drell shifted focus to research in technologies and astrophysics, continuing as a on Fermi LAT data analysis. Her post-2012 work includes studies of gamma-ray emissions from galaxy clusters, such as the detection of extended emission in the , providing insights into processes and cosmic ray acceleration. She also co-authored analyses of cosmic ray electron and positron spectra using Fermi data, revealing anisotropies and energy dependencies that inform models of galactic propagation and contributions. These efforts leverage LCLS-derived techniques for complementary ground-based validations in high-energy .

Awards and honors

Scientific recognitions

In recognition of her contributions to , particularly in areas such as heavy quark fragmentation and experimental advancements at particle accelerators, Persis Drell has been elected to several prestigious scientific academies and awarded key fellowships. Drell was elected to the in 2010 as one of 72 new members selected for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. She became a of the in 1997, honored for her many important contributions to elementary , including a systematic program to understand semileptonic decays of b quarks and measure the CKM matrix element Vcb. Drell was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007. In 2022, Drell was elected a of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her distinguished contributions to , emphasizing her work on experimental techniques and theoretical insights in accelerator-based research. Drell was elected a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2023, joining the section on physics in acknowledgment of her international impact on high-energy physics and technology development. She also received a in 1997 to work on experimental prospects for strong electroweak symmetry-breaking.

Leadership accolades

In recognition of her early career promise and potential leadership in physics, Persis Drell received the Presidential Young Investigator Award for the period 1988–1993. This award, granted to outstanding young faculty demonstrating exceptional potential to become leaders in their field, supported her research while highlighting her emerging administrative capabilities. Drell's tenure as director of the from 2007 to 2012 and as provost of from 2017 to 2023 marked significant milestones in her administrative career, during which she oversaw major scientific and educational initiatives. For her contributions as provost, particularly in advancing faculty development and gender equity, she was awarded the Deborah Rhode Lifetime Achievement Award by Stanford's Faculty Women's Forum in 2023. In 2025, Drell was elected to membership in the , one of the oldest learned societies in the United States, in acknowledgment of her broad intellectual contributions spanning scientific research, education, and institutional leadership. This honor, bestowed upon distinguished individuals for their impact across disciplines, underscores her role in fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and advancing higher education.

Personal life

Drell is married to SLAC accelerator physicist Jim Welch. They have three children. A cellist, she has played for decades and met her husband through their shared interest in music.

References

  1. https://profiles.stanford.edu/persis-drell
  2. https://www.mercurynews.com/2007/12/17/persis-s-drell-biography/
  3. https://engineering.stanford.edu/about/history/persis-s-drell
  4. https://www.captechu.edu/blog/dr-persis-drell-life-long-education-and-contributor-field-of-physics
  5. https://www.leopoldina.org/en/members/list-of-members/list-of-members/member/Member/show/persis-s-drell/
  6. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2023/05/persis-drell-step-stanford-provost
  7. https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/about-nvidia/board-of-directors/persis-drell/
  8. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/05/scholars-elected-american-philosophical-society
  9. https://history.aip.org/phn/11506035.html
  10. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2017/01/persis-drells-prepared-remarks-reinvigorating-community-inauguration-day-gathering-event
  11. https://paw.princeton.edu/memorial/sidney-drell-47
  12. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2016/12/sidney-drell-theoretical-physicist-national-security-expert-stanford-dies-90
  13. https://engineering.stanford.edu/news/meet-persis-drell
  14. https://stanfordmag.org/contents/key-change
  15. http://biographicalmemoirs.org/pdfs/drell-sidney.pdf
  16. https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/breaking/2011/11/01/persis-drell-to-step-down-as-slac-laboratory-director
  17. https://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/spring-2011-articles-of-faith/high-energy-physicist/
  18. https://escholarship.org/content/qt9fn8v6tf/qt9fn8v6tf.pdf
  19. https://www6.slac.stanford.edu/about/our-people/persis-s-drell
  20. https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2000/02/physicist-persis-drell-named-lead-cleo-particle-detector-group
  21. https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/marchapril-2008/persis-drell-new-slac-director-grapples-change
  22. https://www.science.org/content/article/persis-drell-step-down-director-slac-national-accelerator-laboratory
  23. https://www.interactions.org/node/12520
  24. https://docs.house.gov/meetings/SY/SY20/20140610/102328/HHRG-113-SY20-Bio-DrellP-20140610.pdf
  25. https://www6.slac.stanford.edu/about/our-people/persis-s-drell-past-deputy-director
  26. https://www6.slac.stanford.edu/news/2011-11-01-persis-drell-step-down-slac-laboratory-director
  27. https://stanfordmag.org/contents/there-s-good-news-and-bad-news
  28. https://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/october-2012/slac-gets-a-new-director
  29. https://stanforddaily.com/2014/06/04/persis-drell-new-dean/
  30. https://stanfordmag.org/contents/engineering-dean-appointed
  31. https://engineering.stanford.edu/we-must-increase-diversity-field-engineering-heres-what-were-doing-make-it-so
  32. https://stanforddaily.com/2017/01/18/new-provost-targets-academic-diversity/
  33. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2021/03/university-leaders-discuss-decision-making-time-covid-19
  34. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2020/10/recap-trustees-october-meeting
  35. https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-names-michael-mccaffery-persis-drell-to-board-of-directors
  36. https://hewlett.org/people/persis-s-drell/
  37. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/10895/chapter/10
  38. https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevA.32.2196
  39. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6125865
  40. https://www.slac.stanford.edu/pubs/slacreports/reports15/slac-r-399.pdf
  41. https://escholarship.org/content/qt5mr4w4p4/qt5mr4w4p4.pdf
  42. https://inspirehep.net/literature/451577
  43. https://www6.slac.stanford.edu/news/2019-04-19-slac-celebrates-10-years-innovative-science-linac-coherent-light-source
  44. http://merton.physics.ox.ac.uk/notes/drell.pdf
  45. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.091103
  46. https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2010/04/72-new-members-chosen-by-academy
  47. https://print.aps.org/pdf/1998-03.pdf
  48. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2022/01/nine-named-aaas-fellows-stanford-slac
  49. https://news.cornell.edu/stories/1997/04/two-cornell-faculty-members-are-selected-guggenheim-fellows
  50. https://cap.stanford.edu/profiles/viewCV?facultyId=56056&name=Persis_Drell
  51. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2023/06/faculty-womens-forum-announces-2023-award-winners
  52. https://www.amphilsoc.org/news/aps-elects-new-members-2025
  53. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2016/11/campus-announcement
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