Kathryn A. “Kam” Moler

Stanford’s Vice President for SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
The Marvin Chodorow Professor at Stanford
Professor of Applied Physics, Physics and Energy Science & Engineering

Kam Moler is an experimental physicist who develops tools to image the nanoscale magnetic fields produced by quantum materials and devices. She earned her undergraduate degree and PhD from Stanford University and conducted postdoctoral work at IBM and Princeton University, where she held the R.H. Dicke Postdoctoral Fellowship. Her research group advances the use of Scanning Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) microscopy, a technique that enables precise measurements of magnetic fields, magnetic susceptibility, and the magnetic fields produced by currents, allowing for detailed analysis of magnetic properties in materials and devices. Her research has focused on investigating novel superconductors and topological materials. In particular, her group’s development of methods to measure the current-phase relation in small rings revealed transport through a single high-transmission Andreev bound state in a semiconducting nanowire.

Moler has received numerous honors for her work, including a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, a Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering, the William L. McMillan Award for outstanding contributions to condensed matter physics, and the Richtmyer Award for outstanding leadership in physics education. She is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and co-chair of the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee.

Moler’s interest in academic administration began when she co-founded the Center for Probing the Nanoscale, an NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, as a relatively new professor. Among other roles, she previously served Stanford as the senior research officer in the role of vice provost and dean of research. During her tenure as vice provost and dean of research, Moler championed strong investments in people and facilities in support of not only SLAC and Stanford researchers but the country. In November 2024, Moler will assume the role of Stanford’s Vice President for SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, motivated by her belief that the Department of Energy and its national lab system play a pivotal role in maintaining American leadership in scientific discovery, fostering innovation, and tackling the critical energy, environmental, and nuclear challenges of our time.