Leon Clarke

Dr. Clarke is the Research Director for the Center for Global Sustainability (CGS) and a Research Professor in the School of Public Policy. Dr. Clarke is an expert in energy and environmental issues, with a focus on climate change, climate change mitigation strategies, energy technology options, and integrated assessment modeling. At CGS, Dr. Clarke focuses on the use of quantitative methods and modeling in support of policy and other decisions. Current activities include low-emissions development strategies in China, India, and Latin America, energy-water-land planning in Latin America, and climate mitigation by U.S. cities, states and businesses. As Research Director, Dr. Clarke oversees the development and execution of CGS’s research portfolio.

Dr. Clarke formerly led the Integrated Human Earth System Science Group and directed a range of integrated assessment modeling activities at the Joint Global Change Research Institute, a collaboration between the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the University of Maryland. Dr. Clarke has served as an author and coordinating lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the National Climate Assessment, and the National Research Council. He is currently a coordinating lead author in the IPCC’s 6th Assessment Report. He has also led a number of multi-institution modeling studies on climate mitigation. He is the Co-Editor and Chief of the Energy and Climate Change. Dr. Clarke’s has worked at two U.S. national laboratories, in energy consulting, and at an electric and gas utility. He holds a Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Clarke enjoys backpacking, cooking, brewing beer, and following the Nationals and the 49ers.