stanford phd thesis

Doctoral Program

Program summary.

Students are required to

• master the material in the prerequisite courses ;
• pass the first-year core program;
• attempt all three parts of the qualifying examinations and show acceptable performance in at least two of them (end of 1st year);
• satisfy the depth and breadth requirements (2nd/3rd/4th year);
• successfully complete the thesis proposal meeting (winter quarter of the 3rd year);
• present a draft of their dissertation and pass the university oral examination (4th/5th year).

The PhD requires a minimum of 135 units. Students are required to take a minimum of nine units of advanced topics courses (for depth) offered by the department (not including literature, research, consulting or Year 1 coursework), and a minimum of nine units outside of the Statistics Department (for breadth). Courses for the depth and breadth requirements must equal a combined minimum of 24 units. In addition, students must enroll in STATS 390 Statistical Consulting, taking it at least twice.

All students who have passed the qualifying exams but have not yet passed the Thesis Proposal Meeting must take STATS 319 at least once each year. For example, a student taking the qualifying exams in the summer after Year 1 and having the dissertation proposal meeting in Year 3, would take 319 in Years 2 and 3. Students in their second year are strongly encouraged to take STATS 399 with at least one faculty member. All details of program requirements can be found in our PhD handbook (available to Stanford affiliates only, using Stanford authentication. Requests for access from non-affiliates will not be approved).

Statistics Department PhD Handbook

All students are expected to abide by the Honor Code and the Fundamental Standard .

Doctoral and Research Advisors

During the first two years of the program, students' academic progress is monitored by the department's Graduate Director. Each student should meet at least once a quarter with the Graduate Director to discuss their academic plans and their progress towards choosing a thesis advisor (before the final study list deadline of spring of the second year). From the third year onward students are advised by their selected advisor.

Qualifying Examinations

Qualifying examinations are part of most PhD programs in the United States. At Stanford these exams are intended to test the student's level of knowledge when the first-year program, common to all students, has been completed. There are separate examinations in the three core subjects of statistical theory and methods, applied statistics, and probability theory, which are typically taken during the summer at the end of the student's first year. Students are expected to attempt all three examinations and show acceptable performance in at least two of them. Letter grades are not given. Qualifying exams may be taken only once. After passing the qualifying exams, students must file for Ph.D. Candidacy, a university milestone, by the end of spring quarter of their second year.

While nearly all students pass the qualifying examinations, those who do not can arrange to have their financial support continued for up to three quarters while alternative plans are made. Usually students are able to complete the requirements for the M.S. degree in Statistics in two years or less, whether or not they have passed the PhD qualifying exams.

Thesis Proposal Meeting and Dissertation Reading Committee 

The thesis proposal meeting is intended to demonstrate a student's depth in some areas of statistics, and to examine the general plan for their research. In the meeting the student gives a 60-minute presentation involving ideas developed to date and plans for completing a PhD dissertation, and for another 60 minutes answers questions posed by the committee. which consists of their advisor and two other members. The meeting must be successfully completed by the end of winter quarter of the third year. If a student does not pass, the exam must be repeated. Repeated failure can lead to a loss of financial support.

The Dissertation Reading Committee consists of the student’s advisor plus two faculty readers, all of whom are responsible for reading the full dissertation. Of these three, at least two must be members of the Statistics Department (faculty with a full or joint appointment in Statistics but excluding for this purpose those with only a courtesy or adjunct appointment). Normally, all committee members are members of the Stanford University Academic Council or are emeritus Academic Council members; the principal dissertation advisor must be an Academic Council member. 

The Doctoral Dissertation Reading Committee form should be completed and signed at the Dissertation Proposal Meeting. The form must be submitted before approval of TGR status or before scheduling a University Oral Examination.

 For further information on the Dissertation Reading Committee, please see the Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures (GAP) Handbook section 4.8.

University Oral Examinations

The oral examination consists of a public, approximately 60-minute, presentation on the thesis topic, followed by a 60 minute question and answer period attended only by members of the examining committee. The questions relate to the student's presentation and also explore the student's familiarity with broader statistical topics related to the thesis research. The oral examination is normally completed during the last few months of the student's PhD period. The examining committee typically consists of four faculty members from the Statistics Department and a fifth faculty member from outside the department serving as the committee chair. Four out of five passing votes are required and no grades are given. Nearly all students can expect to pass this examination, although it is common for specific recommendations to be made regarding completion of the thesis.

The Dissertation Reading Committee must also read and approve the thesis.

For further information on university oral examinations and committees, please see the Graduate Academic Policies and Procedures (GAP) Handbook section 4.7 .

Dissertation

The dissertation is the capstone of the PhD degree. It is expected to be an original piece of work of publishable quality. The research advisor and two additional faculty members constitute the student's dissertation reading committee.

Email forwarding for @cs.stanford.edu is changing. Updates and details here . CS Commencement Ceremony June 16, 2024.  Learn More .

PhD | Thesis Proposal

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The student must present an oral thesis proposal and submit the form to their full reading committee by Spring quarter of their fourth year. The thesis proposal form  must be filled out, signed, and approved by all committee members. Then, submitted to the CS PhD Student Services ( [email protected] ). 

The thesis proposal allows students to obtain formative feedback from their reading committee that'll guide them into a successful and high-quality dissertation. The thesis proposal (a private session only with the student's advisor/co-advisor and reading committee members) should allow time for discussion with the reading committee about the direction of the thesis research. The suggested format should include:

• A description of the research problem and its significance;
• A description of previous work in the area and the "state of the art" prior to the student's work; 
• A description of preliminary work the student has done on the problem, and any research results of that work; 
• An outline of remaining work to be done and a timeline for accomplishing it.

Main navigation

• Wang, Y. (2023). A beautiful marriage between POMDPs and subsurface applications : decision making for subsurface systems [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/in00000019458
• Kanfar, R. (2023). Stochastic geomodelling and analysis of karst morphology [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/in00000033193
• Kashefi, K. (2023). Deep learning algorithms for computational mechanics on irregular geometries [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/14732781
• Hall, T. (2023). Efficient greenfield mineral exploration [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/in00000019459
• Wang, L. (2023). Integrating data and models for sustainable decision-making in hydrology [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/14641244
• Miltenberger, A. (2022). A measure-theoretic approach to Bayesian hypothesis testing and inversion with geophysical data [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/14233991
• Yang, L. (2021). Quantifying and visualizing uncertainty of 3D geological structures with implicit methods [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/14641244
• Petrov, S. (2021). Seismic image segmentation with deep learning [MS Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/qf836dh0076
• Athens, N. (2021). Stochastic inversion of gravity data in fault-controlled geothermal systems [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/13826071
• Pollack, A. (2020). Quantifying Geological Uncertainty and Optimizing Technoeconomic Decisions for Geothermal Reservoirs [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/13680060
• Pradhan, A. (2020). Statistical learning and inference of subsurface properties under complex geological uncertainty with seismic data [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/13753880
• Nesvold, E. (2019). Building informative priors for the subsurface with generative adversarial networks and graphs [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/13423377
• Muradov, R. (2019). Inference of Sub-Resolution Stacking Patterns from Seismic Data in Spatially Coupled Models [MS Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/km001pf4033
• Al Ibrahim, M. (2019). Petroleum System Modeling of Heterogeneous Organic-Rich Mudrocks [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/13250212
• Park, J. (2019). Uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analysis of geoscientific predictions with data-driven approaches [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/13250154
• Mendes, J. (2018). Morphdynamic Analysis and Statistical Synthesis of Geomorphic Data [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/12746435
• Dutta, G. (2018). Value of Information Analysis for Time-Lapse Seismic Data in Reservoir Development [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/12742067
• Li, L. (2017). A Bayesian Approach to Causal and Evidential Analysis for Uncertainty Quantification throughout the Reservoir Forecasting Process [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/12137330
• Aydin, O. (2017). A Bayesian Framework for Quantifying Fault Network Uncertainty Using a Marked Point Process Model [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/11950552
• Grujić, O. (2017). A Subsurface Modeling with Functional Data [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/12212152
• Yang, G. (2017). Holistic Strategies for Prediction Uncertainty Quantification of Contaminant Transport and Reservoir Production in Field Cases [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/12123097
• Tong, Y. (2016). Basin and Petroleum System Modeling with Uncertainty Quantification: a Case Study on the Piceance Basin, Colorado [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/11685974
• Luebbert, L. (2016). Quantitative Analysis of Dissimilarities Between Different Methods of Seismic Inversion to Facies Realizations [MS Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/11956907
• Shin, Y. (2016). Reservoir Modeling with Multiple Geological Scenarios for Deformation of Reservoir Structure and Evolution of Reservoir Properties [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/11616857
• Xue, C. (2016). The Application of OPTSPACE Algorithm and Comparison with LMAFIT Algorithm in Three dimensional Seismic Data Reconstruction via Lowrank Matrix Completion [MS Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/11700910
• Lee, J. (2015). Joint Integration of Time-Lapse Seismic, Electromagnetic, and Production Data for Reservoir Monitoring and Management [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/11391864
• Satija, A. (2015). Reservoir Forecasting Based on Statistical Functional Analysis of Data and Prediction Variables [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/11061336
• Wang, Y. (2015). Rule-Based Reservoir Modeling by Integration of Multiple Information Sources: Learning Time-Varying Geologic Processes [MS Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/11085541
• Xu, S. (2014). Integration of geomorphic experiment data in surface-based modeling: from characterization to simulation [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/10403736
• Jeong, C. (2014). Quantitative Reservoir Characterization Integrating Seismic Data and Geological Scenario Uncertainty [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/10530921
• Suman, A. (2013). Joint inversion of production and time-lapse seismic data: application to Norne field [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/9959027
• Bertoncello, A. (2011). Conditioning surface-based models to well and thickness data [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/9274420
• Park, K. (2011). Modeling Uncertainty in Metric Space [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/9100156
• Honarkhah, M. (2011). Stochastic simulation of patterns using distance-based pattern modeling [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/9238345
• Wang, J. (2010). A Metropolis sampling method to assess uncertainty of seismic impedance inverted from seismic amplitude data [MS Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/ch090ff5484
• Haugen, M. (2010). Exploring direct sampling and iterative spatial resampling in history matching [MS Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/dn958js5816
• Jia, B. (2010). Linking geostatistics with basin and petroleum system modeling: Assessment of spatial uncertainties [MS Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/mv127hj3223
• Trainor-Guitton, W. (2010). On the value of information for spatial problems in the Earth sciences [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/8652432
• Kuralkhanov, D. (2010). Study of pattern correlation between time lapse seismic data and saturation changes [MS Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/xj886by3185
• Leiva, A. (2009). Construction of hybrid geostatistical models combining surface based methods with object-based simulation: use of flow direction and drainage area [MS Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/8390172
• Suman, A. (2009). Uncertainties in rock pore compressibility and effects on seismic history matching [MS Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/8390194
• Polyakova, E. (2008). A general theory for evaluating joint data interaction when combining diverse data sources [PhD Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/7860490
• Fadaei, S. (2008). Streamline assisted history matching of naturally fractured reservoirs using the probability perturbation method [MS Thesis, Stanford University]. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/7814802

Dissertation Defense

Things to consider before you defend.

Have you completed your coursework and do you have at least a 3.0 GPA? Additional requirements met (RP's), if applicable? You may consider requesting N grades be changed to letter grades. This can be done with the Student Services Manager.

Find a Chair for your Oral Defense Committee. The Chair is a non-reader. This must be a faculty member outside of the Chemistry Department and outside your advisor's department if you work for a non-chemistry professor.  It can be a Professor Emeritus outside of chemistry or a Courtesy Professor as long as they don't have a joint appointment (e.g., like Chaitan Khosla). If you need help with this, ask your advisor for assistance. The Chair is doing you a favor, be sure to extend courtesy to him/her (e.g., a thank you note). You also need a second non-reader -- the fifth member of your oral exam committee. This could be a faculty member inside or outside of the chemistry department. Please have this person be outside your immediate field (e.g., an organic chemist should get physical or inorganic chemist).

You will need to set-up a time for your defense and reserve a room with the chemistry receptionist 3-2501, e.g., the Gazebo or Sapp Center. You must be registered the quarter you defend.

Complete the Oral Examination form. This form must be signed by the Chair of the Graduate Study Committee, Professor Cegelski. Roger will obtain her signature for you. Along with the orals form, submit a one or two-page abstract at least a week prior to your defense date . Let the External Relations group ( chemistry-events [at] stanford.edu (chemistry-events[at]stanford[dot]edu) ) know about your defense early so they can publicize it in  This Week in Chemistry . Roger will distribute copies of your oral form and abstract to members of your oral committee. The original will be sent to the chair of your orals committee in a special folder. However, it is your responsibility to let your committee know when and where your defense will be held.

Apply to graduate. Go into Axess and indicate the quarter you want your degree conferred (i.e., the quarter you submit your dissertation). Keep in mind, you must have valid candidacy through your conferral date. See Axess or Directions for Preparing Doctoral Dissertations for specific deadline dates.

If you use the Graduation Quarter to submit your thesis/dissertation, then you must complete the Petition for Graduation Quarter form by the first day of the term designated to be your Graduation Quarter. You may defend and submit your dissertation during a Graduation Quarter or you may defend and use the Graduation Quarter in a future quarter. You get only one Graduation Quarter with a lower tuition rate, $150. Among the pre-requisites for submitting the Graduation Quarter form, are enrolling in chem 802 and applying to graduate in Axess. Students on Graduation Quarter are registered at Stanford and, therefore, have the rights and privileges of registered students. Students will be assessed University health insurance (unless waived), campus health services fee, and ASSU fees (except during summer).

Please give a draft of your dissertation to your reading committee at least two weeks prior to your defense. Be mindful of faculty travel schedules, especially when looking for your readers to sign off on your dissertation! Make sure your reading committee is accurately reflected in Axess. If a member has been replaced, you must submit a Change of Reader form to Roger. 

The Academic Calendar  has many useful deadlines including the quarterly deadline to apply to graduate and the dissertation submission deadline.

If you have CardinalCare, it is for the entire academic year regardless of the quarters you are enrolled. If you leave before the end of the academic year, you will be charged for CardinalCare unless you waive it. Contact Vaden Health Center if you have other arrangements for health insurance (e.g., from your new employer).

Keep your address up-to-date in Axess because diplomas may be mailed to the last address given. Also, indicate in Axess whether or not you will participate in the department commencement exercises. You will receive a degree in chemistry; no subspecialty will appear on your diploma. If you want to assure that your name is in the University commencement program, then the Axess deadline is usually the third week of February.

Let Roger know your forwarding address, include job information. Please send this information via e-mail to  roger.kuhn [at] stanford.edu (roger[dot]kuhn[at]stanford[dot]edu)  and complete the Alumni Update Form .

Letter of completion: Students will receive email confirmation once the dissertation submission is approved by the Registrar's Office.  This email confirmation will provide instructions for obtaining the letter by essentially logging on to Axess, and going to the eDissertation/eThesis Center, where it should be ready and available as a link to the student.

Submit your dissertation electronically to the Registrar's Office . (See steps below.) There are two critical issues you need to be aware of:

• The electronic version is put on the internet soon after submission. This can be a huge problem for time-sensitive material and future publications. To protect your science and to permit future work to be published in a journal, you and your advisor must agree on an appropriate embargo period, up to two years. As part of the submission process, you declare via Axess your embargo period.
• Your advisor will not get a hard copy of your dissertation. Ask if she/he would like a copy. If yes, then you need to get one bound at a private printer.

Submitting Your Dissertation

See the Registrar’s Office website for all dissertation information.

The following steps are required, in order, to complete the dissertation submission process:

Go to the e-dissertation/thesis center in  Axess  (see the Registrar’s website for instructions).

Select your final reader.  They will need to log in to Axess and approve your dissertation before the deadline once you’ve uploaded your dissertation.

In lieu of actual paper signatures approving your dissertation from your reading committee, the process changed because of the pandemic. Now your readers must send you an e-mail from their @stanford.edu email address stating that they approve your dissertation. Those e-mails can be saved as PDFs and uploaded as part of the submission process.  **Only your reading committee should be included on your signature page. Do NOT include your defense chair or any committee members only present for the defense.

Upload/Submit dissertation.

Useful Websites

• Registrar's Office Directions for Preparing Doctoral Dissertations
• UMI: Publishing Your Dissertation
• Registrar's Office Website

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• Junjie Qin (2017):  Distributed energy resource networks: planning, control and market design
• Jungsuk Kwac (2015):  Data mining for demand management: segmentation, targeting, and analytics visualization
• Adrian Albert (2014):  Problems, models, and algorithms in data-driven energy demand management
• Amir Kavousian (2014):  Data-driven ranking of building energy efficiency utilizing stochastic energy efficiency frontiers

Checklist: Submitting My Dissertation or Thesis

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The following checklist includes all items that should be prepared in order to complete the submission of your dissertation or thesis, using the Axess Dissertation and Thesis Center  

We recommend that you take all necessary steps in order to upload your dissertation or thesis in time to meet all of the applicable posted deadlines and give your Final Reader plenty of time to approve the dissertation or thesis once it has been uploaded.

Prior to Online Submission

• Enroll in the quarter for which you intend to submit
• File online “Application to Graduate” through Axess by the appropriate deadline.
• Submit Reading Committee Signature Page requirement online.
• If a committee member is missing, or has been assigned an incorrect role, meet with your department who maintains reading committees and changes permitted within policy.
• For thesis: The name of your Thesis Advisor and designate them as your Final Reader.
• Confirm with your department that your candidacy is valid through your degree conferral date.
• Confirm with your department that you have completed all required university Milestones .
• Review Copyright Considerations for Authors of Electronic Theses and Dissertations . Discuss embargo and other release options with your co-authors and advisor before preparing the submission online.
• For students submitting a dissertation: Complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates .

During Online Submission 

Ensure your electronic dissertation or thesis is formatted following these guidelines:

• One electronic copy of the dissertation or thesis in PDF format.
• For D.M.A Composition students, score page size is 11" x 17".
• Type size 10, 11, or 12 point. Smaller fonts are acceptable for tables, captions, etc. 
• Font style is New Times Roman. If applicable, mathematic/scientific notation fonts are embedded in the PDF file.
• Line spacing of dissertation or thesis text is 1.5 or 2.
• Margins are 1.5 inches on the binding edge and 1 inch on all other sides.
• Text is divided correctly.
• Title page is formatted correctly.
• No signature page or copyright page is included.
• Pagination begins with the first page of the Abstract (page “iv” or if formatted for double-sided printing with the Abstract to appear on the right page, then pagination begins with a blank page as page "iv"). Pagination is continuous and placement of numbers is consistent throughout the manuscript.
• Dissertation contains no multimedia or large images embedded into the PDF file.
• The dissertation or thesis is ready-for-publication in appearance. All pages and sections are in order.
• The dissertation or thesis contains no unnumbered pages, except for the title page which is unpaginated, but is assumed page 'i'.
• PDF file size does not exceed 1 GB.
• PDF file has no encryption or other security measures applied.
• One version of the abstract, containing no special text formatting or HTML, entered into an online submission form.
• File size(s) do not exceed 1 GB. 
• Short description or label is applied to each file after upload. 
• Maximum 20 supplemental files.
• Agree to Stanford University publication license.
• Optional: Limit amount of dissertation or thesis content available via third-party distributors.
• Optional: Creative Commons license selected and applied.
• Optional: Delayed release (embargo) of the dissertation or thesis.
• Written permission from the appropriate copyright holder(s) to reproduce any copyrighted material in the dissertation or thesis. Each letter is formatted and uploaded as a single PDF file. Maximum 10 permission files.

After Online Submission

• Confirm via Axess that your designated Final Reader certifies the submission by noon of the final submission deadline date .
• For students submitting a dissertation, if you haven't done so already: Complete the Survey of Earned Doctorates .

Honors Theses