 During his career he also held several scientific leadership positions, such as the director of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL) and he was the founding director of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), the world's first x-ray free electron laser.Stöhr was born in Meinerzhagen, Germany.His university education was at Bonn University and Washington State University, where he spent two years as a Fulbright scholar and received a Master of Science degree.