Stewart Isaacs, PhD

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, I am an Assistant Research Professor at Carnegie Mellon University Africa. I hold a PhD and SM in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.

My research tackles climate change by developing decentralized energy systems that advance energy sovereignty for under-resourced communities. My group takes a "full-stack" approach to this work. We develop the data and sensing systems to characterize energy-atmosphere interactions, which then feed computational models that assess tradeoffs in energy system architectures, that we then use to design novel clean energy technologies well-suited to a local context. This work draws on techniques from remote sensing, atmospheric science, and energy systems modeling to generate the insights and tools needed for a just and sustainable energy transition.

My research has been supported by the Martin Family Society of Fellows for Sustainability, the Hugh Hampton Young Memorial Fund Fellowship, and the NASA Strategic University Research Program (SURP). Through direct collaborations with community partners, local researchers and NGOs, I have established locally-built solar-powered systems in rural areas within several countries in Asia and Africa.

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Research Interests: Decentralized energy systems, photovoltaic system modeling, energy-atmosphere interactions, energy sovereignty, community-engaged engineering