Costa Samaras is the Trustee Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University . He is also affiliated with the Department of Engineering and Public Policy and Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy . From 2021–2024, he served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as Chief Advisor for the Clean Energy Transition. Education: Joint Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy (Carnegie Mellon University), MPA (New York University), BS (Bucknell University) His research bridges engineering, systems analysis, and public policy to address climate change mitigation, electric and automated transportation, energy system decarbonization, and national security . He focuses on climate-resilient infrastructure, AI ethics, and policy frameworks for equitable energy transitions. Recent work with his students explores drone delivery systems, hydropower in Africa, and grid emissions tracking . The 15 most recent articles span decarbonization of transportation , climate-resilient infrastructure , AI applications in adaptation , home electrification equity , and power sector emissions . These appear in journals like Nature , Nature Climate Change , Environmental Research Letters , and Patterns . Scientific leadership includes founding the Center for Engineering and Resilience for Climate Adaptation and the Power Sector Carbon Index . His team has been recognized with dissertation awards at Carnegie Mellon University. He regularly advises federal agencies, utilities, automotive companies, and technology firms , and has been featured in The New York Times , NPR , PBS , and WIRED .









