Gilbert Michaud

Gilbert Michaud, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy at Loyola University Chicago’s School of Environmental Sustainability, where he coordinates the “Climate & Energy” Focus Area. He holds adjunct roles as Faculty Affiliate at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy (University of Michigan) and Senior Research Fellow at Global Law Initiatives for Sustainable Development (gLAWcal). His research focuses on renewable energy policy, electricity markets, and sustainable economic development, with emphasis on energy transition impacts like workforce dynamics, tax implications, and pollution mitigation.

Michaud earned his PhD in Public Policy and Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and a Data Analytics certificate from Cornell University. He leads the Michaud Energy Policy Research Group at Loyola and has secured major grants, including a U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) grant studying community acceptance of large-scale solar projects.

His work spans over 90 technical reports and peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Journal of Environmental Planning and Management and Renewable Energy Focus. He chairs the national policy division of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) and serves as associate editor of Frontiers in Sustainable Energy Policy.

Notable awards include the 2023 VCU 10 Under 10 Award and 2022 Midwest Energy Innovator of the Year. His research collaborations involve organizations like the Natural Resources Defense Council, The Nature Conservancy, and utility-scale solar coalitions. Michaud teaches courses on energy law, policy design, and sustainable systems at Loyola.

Current projects include analyzing solar energy’s community impacts, policy barriers to equitable clean energy transitions, and workforce development strategies for energy sector shifts. His interdisciplinary approach combines policy analysis with quantitative methods like machine learning and GIS modeling.