EcoRAMP Position - [FOOD-056-Gardner-2]
Applications are open until the due date: 9:00 AM PST December 1, 2025 for Winter Quarter
The Ecopreneurial Research for Accelerating Market Pathways (EcoRAMP) program offers an experiential learning opportunity for Stanford undergraduates to work with a research team on an active Sustainability Accelerator project. Throughout the engagement, the student will learn about both the development of sustainable solutions and the approaches for their externalization for real-world impact. At the end of the quarter, the student will deliver a short presentation highlighting their key learnings. This program is funded by Stanford Ecopreneurship and the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator.
Project Tagline: Chef-driven Redesign of Institutional Food for Health and Sustainability
Primary Mentor(s): Christopher Gardner, (PI), Jennifer Robinson, Associate Director, Erin O’Dwyer, Postdoctoral Scholar
Project Overview:
Food systems are one of the largest contributors to climate change, responsible for about one-third of all global greenhouse-gas emissions. To keep the planet livable, billions of people will need to eat in ways that are healthier for both people and the planet, but asking people to alter their eating habits is notoriously difficult and slow.
The SHIFT project (Sustainable, Healthy, Institutional Food Transformation) takes a different approach: instead of asking every person to change their diet, it focuses on changing what’s offered in large institutions like hospitals, K–12 schools, and universities. In partnership with chefs at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), major institutional food partners (e.g., Kaiser Permanente), and leading advocacy organizations (e.g., Greener By Default, Eat Real, Coolfood) the project aims to redesign menus in collaboration and alter procurement systems so that sustainable, tasty options become the easiest and most appealing choice for everyone who eats meals in these settings. The vision of the SHIFT project is to cut one gigaton of carbon emissions by 2035 (about the same as taking 200 million cars off the road for a year!) while improving nutrition and human health.
The EcoRAMP Student Will Do:
- Support a scoping review on institutional food-system initiatives or a qualitative synthesis on facilitators and barriers to institutional menu and procurement change.
- Translate findings into practical or entrepreneurial “gap areas” (e.g., unmet needs in data systems, procurement software, or speed-scratch foods) that, if filled, could help accelerate sustainable menu changes.
- Assist in developing communication materials that share insights with external partners and the broader food-systems community.
- Collaborate with the Gardner Lab team and external partners such as the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), business leaders, and innovation-focused organizations to connect research to real-world action.
The EcoRAMP Student Will Learn:
- Understand how research on food systems can inform real-world institutional and entrepreneurial solutions.
- Gain hands-on experience in evidence synthesis, systems thinking, and science communication.
- Learn to identify and articulate opportunities for innovation within sustainability and health fields.
- Strengthen professional collaboration skills across academic, culinary, and entrepreneurial/business contexts.
Qualifications/Skills Required:
- Interest in food systems, climate solutions, nutrition, and/or public health.
- Curiosity and motivation to learn about translational research and institutional sustainability.
- Strong organizational and analytical skills; ability to synthesize information from diverse sources.
- Experience with project management software, qualitative analysis, and/or relational databases (similar to Excel/Google Sheets) is helpful, but not required.
Time Commitment and Compensation:
- By participating in EcoRAMP, you commit 10 hours per week per quarter. We are looking for anticipated engagement across multiple quarters through Spring 2026.
- The student will receive a $2,000 stipend per quarter. Please note: stipends, prizes, or awards to students who are receiving other forms of financial aid for any purpose are a form of financial assistance and may require adjustment to your scholarship eligibility and /or adjustment to your overall cost of attendance. The Financial Aid Office has the responsibility to determine if these funds can be applied to meet your Student Responsibility and if other adjustments are necessary. Please contact the Financial Aid office before applying to ensure you are fully informed before making any decisions about your experiential learning opportunity.
Eligibility:
- Stanford Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors are eligible for this position. Note: co-terms who are in their first 4 years or 12 quarters of attendance and have not conferred their undergraduate degree are considered undergraduate students and are eligible for this position.