Jonathan Levin

Jonathan Levin
Born	Template:Birth year and age
Nationality	American
Occupation	Economist, university administrator
Title	President of Stanford University
Employer	Stanford University
Known for	13th President of Stanford University
Education	Doctorate (economics)
Spouse(s)	Este Haim (m. 2025)

Jonathan Levin (born 1972) is an American economist and academic administrator serving as the 13th president of Stanford University. An established scholar in the fields of industrial organization, market design, and the economics of technology, Levin rose through the ranks at Stanford over the course of more than two decades, holding positions as a faculty member, department chair, and dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business before being appointed to the university's presidency. His tenure as president has coincided with a period of significant institutional transition at Stanford, where he became the third president to serve the university in a relatively short span of time. Beyond his academic career, Levin has contributed to public discourse on matters of law, economics, and policy, including commentary on the intersection of executive power and international trade. In his personal life, Levin married musician Este Haim in a private ceremony on New Year's Eve 2025.

Career

Academic Career at Stanford

Jonathan Levin built his academic career at Stanford University, where he became a member of the economics faculty and established himself as a researcher in industrial organization, market design, and the economics of technology and information. Over the course of his tenure at Stanford, Levin held a succession of leadership roles within the university. He served as chair of the Department of Economics before being appointed dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, one of the most prominent business schools in the United States. His administrative experience across both the academic and professional school sides of the university positioned him as a candidate for higher institutional leadership.

Presidency of Stanford University

Levin was appointed the 13th president of Stanford University, assuming the role during a period of notable leadership turnover at the institution. According to The Stanford Daily, a senior at the university in the fall of 2025 had experienced a different university president in each of his three years at Stanford, with Levin being described as "the first in this time period" to have an extended opportunity to define his presidency. This rapid succession of leadership transitions placed particular scrutiny on Levin's ability to provide stability and a coherent vision for the university.

On September 16, 2025, Levin delivered remarks at Stanford's 135th Opening Convocation Ceremony, marking a formal public address at the start of the academic year. The convocation address served as an opportunity for Levin to articulate his priorities and vision for Stanford under his leadership. The speech was published in full by Stanford's official news service, reflecting the university's practice of making presidential addresses publicly available.

Commentary in The Stanford Daily noted that Levin's presidency would be closely watched by the university community. An opinion column published on September 30, 2025, framed the moment as a test of Levin's leadership, with the headline "Now we'll see what President Levin is made of" capturing the expectant tone of the campus discourse. The column acknowledged the challenges inherent in leading a major research university during a period of rapid institutional change, and suggested that Levin's background in economics and his long history at Stanford could inform his approach to governance.

Public Commentary on Law and Policy

In addition to his role as a university president, Levin has contributed to public policy discussions, drawing on his expertise as an economist. In February 2026, Levin authored commentary published by Bloomberg Tax and Bloomberg.com regarding the legal and economic implications of tariff policy enacted by President Donald Trump. In his analysis, Levin addressed a Supreme Court decision that found Trump had illegally imposed tariffs on U.S. trading partners under certain legal authorities. Levin argued that the Supreme Court could not fully reverse the economic consequences of the tariff actions, even if the legal basis for the tariffs was struck down.

The commentary reflected Levin's engagement with questions at the intersection of economics, law, and executive power. His argument centered on the idea that the disruption caused by trade policy decisions — including shifts in supply chains, altered business expectations, and market uncertainty — could not simply be undone by a judicial ruling. The pieces were published in prominent financial and legal news outlets, indicating the level of public attention given to Levin's analysis.

Personal Life

Jonathan Levin married musician Este Haim, a founding member of the rock band HAIM, during a private New Year's Eve ceremony on December 31, 2025, in Ojai, California. The ceremony was described as intimate, consistent with the couple's preference for privacy regarding their personal relationship. According to ELLE magazine, Haim had kept the relationship largely out of the public eye, though the couple had "some public history" prior to the wedding announcement.

Some media coverage of the wedding described Levin as a "tech CEO," reflecting his connections to the technology and business world through his academic work at Stanford and his expertise in the economics of technology. The marriage attracted media attention in part because of Haim's celebrity status as a Grammy-nominated musician and the couple's connections to both the entertainment and academic worlds.

Disambiguation

The name Jonathan Levin is shared by several notable individuals. Jonathan Levin (born 1972), the subject of this article, is an economist and the president of Stanford University. He is distinct from:

• Jonathan Levin (teacher), the son of Gerald M. Levin, the former chairman and CEO of Time Warner. The younger Levin was a public school teacher in New York City who was murdered by one of his former students. As reported by Oxygen, Jonathan Levin the teacher "could have had a life filled with riches" as the son of one of New York City's most powerful businessmen, but instead chose a career in education. He was tied up, tortured, and killed in his apartment; a former student named Corey Arthur was convicted of the crime.

• Jonathan Levin (born 1993), a Mexican footballer.

• Jon Levin (born 1966), a guitarist.

These individuals should not be confused with one another.

Recognition

As the 13th president of Stanford University, Levin holds one of the most prominent positions in American higher education. Stanford is consistently ranked among the top universities in the world, and the presidency carries significant influence in academic, policy, and business circles. Levin's selection for the role followed a career of increasing responsibility at Stanford, from faculty member to department chair to dean of the Graduate School of Business.

Levin's public commentary has been featured in major financial and legal publications including Bloomberg Tax and Bloomberg.com, reflecting recognition of his expertise in economics and public policy. His remarks at Stanford's 135th Opening Convocation were published by the university and covered by the campus press, underscoring his role as a public-facing leader of the institution.