David Sailor is a Professor and Director of the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (SGSUP) at Arizona State University (ASU). He leads the Southwest Integrated Field Laboratory (SW-IFL), a DOE-funded initiative addressing urban environmental challenges through integrated observations and modeling. Previously, he held faculty positions at Tulane University (1993-2003) and Portland State University (2003-2016), where he founded the Green Building Research Laboratory and Urban Climate Research Center. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley (1993). Education: Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley (1993) M.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle Research Interests: Dr. Sailor's work focuses on the intersection of urban climate and the built environment, including: Urban heat island mitigation (materials, technologies, and policy) Building energy consumption and renewable energy integration Thermal comfort and air quality management Climate change adaptation strategies He serves on leadership boards such as the American Meteorological Society and International Association for Urban Climate, and received the 2024 Landsberg Award for his contributions. Publications & Grants: Recent works include studies on cool surfaces deployment, reflective pavements in Arizona, and heat mitigation strategies in Los Angeles. He leads major grants like the SW-IFL and KAITEKI projects focused on sustainable urban design and carbon neutrality. Over 140 peer-reviewed articles and datasets on urban climate modeling and field experiments. Labs & Teams: Directs the Urban Climate Research Center and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams on initiatives like the Cool Pavement Pilot Program in Phoenix. Active in community engagement to translate research into actionable cooling strategies.











