Sharon R. Long is the William C. Steere, Jr.-Pfizer Inc. Professor in Biological Sciences and Dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University. Dr. Long is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Professor long earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the California Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. from Yale University. She carried out postdoctoral training at Harvard. She is a world-renowned expert in the interactions of microbes and plants. Her research has led to numerous advances in understanding the process of nitrogen fixation and the signaling pathways used by nitrogen-fixing bacteria and plants. She has identified and cloned the genes in R. meliloti that are required for nodulation of alfalfa, characterized their protein products, and demonstrated that these genes are regulated by the host plant. Her work has been recognized by numerous honors, including a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award and a Mac Arthur Prize Fellowship. A popular and highly regarded teacher, she has twice received the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching. Professor Long has been involved in designing multidisciplinary courses for non-science majors and in developing freshmen science courses. She began her Deanship at Stanford in September, 2001.