Research Donations

With your philanthropic partnership, we will develop a more comprehensive understanding of the circuitry that regulates sleep, including its molecular, genetic, and neurobiological basis. We aim to discover blood biomarkers that will help to diagnose sleep disorders. And, with advanced sensor technology, our goal is to create a new non-intrusive at-home sleep monitoring tool that records multiple biosignals, allowing for a highly accurate interpretation of normal and abnormal sleep.

Sleep Sciences Research Funds | Gifts of any size

These funds are designed to jumpstart the most creative research ideas, allowing investigators to pursue promising avenues of inquiry and ultimately develop effective new diagnostic techniques and therapies. These funds will fuel innovative early-stage research projects that don’t yet have the preliminary data to receive federal grants in today’s conservative funding environment.

Postdoctoral Training Fellowships | $1.2 million (endowed) or $100,000 per year (expendable)

Postdoctoral fellows play a vital role in the execution of research. Named fellowships help Stanford to attract the most talented graduate students and post-graduate trainees. Nurturing the research of young investigators allows the center to recruit and train the next generation to the field of sleep medicine.

Professorship | $4 million

Established as permanent funds that provide an annual payout, this endowment would play a vital role in recruiting and retaining a world-renowned leader to help make major advances in the field. The endowment supports a portion of the holder’s salary in perpetuity and helps defray research costs, making it possible to focus on rapidly translating laboratory research into improved diagnosis, treatments, and prevention.

Professorship Honoring William Dement, MD, PhD | $4 million

Endowed professorships help Stanford attract and retain top faculty. They are the highest honor the university can bestow upon its most distinguished faculty. As a pioneer in sleep medicine and one of the founders of the field, William Dement, MD, PhD, has made extraordinary contributions to our knowledge of sleep and sleep disorders. The establishment of this named professorship would honor his legacy in perpetuity.