Boston University Appoints New Leadership of Institute for Sustainable Energy

Leading scholar on global energy and climate policy named new director of institute

BOSTON, MA, January 19, 2022—Boston University (BU) is further strengthening its university-wide commitment to sustainability and climate change research with the appointment of internationally recognized social scientist Dr. Benjamin Sovacool as the new director of its Institute for Sustainable Energy (ISE). Dr. Sovacool, a leading scholar on global energy and climate policy, will play a key role in advancing the university’s strategic priority to address society’s biggest challenges through groundbreaking and impactful research across interconnecting disciplines. In the coming year, he will lead the ISE’s transition to a broader research focus beyond energy and environment to sustainability as a whole—a bold initiative to bring together over 100 world-class faculty in nearly all the university’s schools and colleges.

Gloria Waters, Boston University’s Vice President and Associate Provost for Research, said, “I’m tremendously excited by the addition of Dr. Sovacool to our faculty. He steps into an institute that’s poised for expansion and leadership in the sustainability space, advancing our strategic priority to support impactful research that ultimately results in solutions to the most pressing sustainability challenges facing the world. Dr. Sovacool’s vision and scholarship promises to further BU’s efforts to broaden its current work and to support the work our faculty members are doing to understand, investigate, and explore our rapidly changing world.”

Dr. Sovacool, who also joins the Boston University College of Arts & Sciences as a professor in the Department of Earth & Environment, comes to BU from the University of Sussex Business School in the UK, where he was formerly director of the Sussex Energy Group and the Center on Innovation and Energy Demand at the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex. His success securing more than $28.2 million in federal, European, and foundation research grants strongly positions him to support major, outcome-oriented sustainability initiatives at a transformative scale while expanding the university’s reputation for research excellence.

Dr. Sovacool’s widely published research champions equity and social justice in energy transitions, examining topics that span renewable energy and energy efficiency, the politics of large-scale energy infrastructure, designing public policy to improve energy security and access to electricity, and building adaptive capacity to the consequences of climate change. He is the founding editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed journal Energy Research & Social Science, served on the editorial advisory panel of Nature Energy, and was an Advisor on Energy to the European Commission’s Directorate General for Research and Innovation.

Additionally, Dr. Sovacool is the author of numerous scientifically refereed articles, book chapters, and reports, as well as the author or editor of 22 books, and is a lead author of the upcoming Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report. Among other honors, he received the 2019 Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN) Prize for his work on “Social Justice in an Era of Climate Change and Energy Scarcity” and the “Dedication to Justice Award” given by the American Bar Association. Dr. Sovacool’s work has been recognized by President Bill Clinton, the former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, and the late Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom.

Dr. Sovacool received his PhD and MsC from Virginia Tech, MA from Wayne State University, and dual BAs from John Carroll University.

“Professor Sovacool’s breadth and impact of scholarship, visionary leadership, skill in supporting broad-based interdisciplinary collaborations, proven ability to lead and win major grants, and experience in building and directing major research centers make him ideally suited to lead the Institute for Sustainable Energy’s growth and expansion, as well as an outstanding addition to the faculty of the Department of Earth & Environment,” said Stan Sclaroff, Professor and Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “His international visibility and stature as a leading expert on energy and energy policy will surely help to further advance BU’s position as a major player in research and policy on energy, sustainability, and climate change mitigation. He will also contribute substantially to expanding the curricular offerings and research training opportunities in the Department of Earth & Environment.”

The ISE has a solid foundation for its next stage of growth under Dr. Sovacool. Since it was founded in 2016, the ISE has engaged with partners and funders around the world, solidifying its reputation as an expert voice on impact-focused and equitable solutions that encompass sustainable energy and water systems, city climate action, and sustainable investing. As part of its research portfolio, the institute has spearheaded several major, multi-year projects, including Carbon Free Boston analysis to advise the City of Boston’s climate action plan, sustainable water management planning with a Texas utility to implement a new rate structure, and a premier international research partnership with China’s largest state energy utility to support the transition of global energy systems and large-scale electrification.

“Joining the esteemed Boston University research community is an exceptional opportunity to build on the Institute for Sustainable Energy’s legacy while leading efforts to more fully integrate the university’s sustainability and climate change solutions,” said Benjamin Sovacool, Director of the Boston University Institute for Sustainable Energy and Professor, Earth & Environment. “Our work in sustainability puts us on the front lines of the climate crisis, giving incredible urgency to creating a highly collaborative, interdisciplinary research environment that connects faculty across technology, society, business, and policy with local and global partners for real-world action.”

As the ISE readies to expand its sustainability mission, the institute’s founding director and clean energy visionary, Dr. Peter Fox-Penner, has stepped down from his leadership role and professorship in the Questrom School of Business to return to his home in Washington, DC. A much-cited expert on the global energy transition, Dr. Fox-Penner has been instrumental in growing BU’s research influence in sustainable energy and will continue to work with the university as a senior fellow of both the ISE and BU’s Impact Measurement & Allocation Program for sustainable finance at Questrom.

About the Institute for Sustainable Energy
The Boston University Institute for Sustainable Energy (ISE) translates sustainable energy research into urgent action. The ISE is a university-wide center dedicated to developing energy systems that will provide abundant, universally accessible, and sustainable energy sources for emerging and advanced economies. Our approach combines interdisciplinary research, policy analysis, and collaborative engagement with partners at every level—from individual energy and water utilities to cities, states, and countries. Learn more at bu.edu/ise.

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