Arun Majumdar

Arun Majumdar. An Indian-American scientist and engineer renowned for his pioneering work in nanoscale heat transfer and energy technology. He is a key architect of U.S. energy innovation policy, having served as the founding director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and in senior roles at the United States Department of Energy and the White House. A distinguished academic, he holds professorships at Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, and is a member of both the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences.

Early life and education

Arun Majumdar was born in Kolkata, India, and developed an early interest in the sciences. He pursued his undergraduate education at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, where he earned a Bachelor of Technology degree in mechanical engineering. Following this, he moved to the United States for graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley. At UC Berkeley, he completed a Master of Science and subsequently a Doctor of Philosophy in mechanical engineering, conducting foundational research that would lead to his expertise in thermal science and microelectromechanical systems.

Academic career

Majumdar began his academic career as a professor at Arizona State University before joining the faculty at the University of California, Berkeley. At UC Berkeley, he held the Almy and Agnes Maynard Professorship in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and served as the associate laboratory director for Energy and Environment at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He later joined Stanford University as the Jay Precourt Provostial Chair Professor, with appointments in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. His academic leadership includes serving as the Vice President for Energy at Google, where he focused on renewable energy projects.

Government and policy roles

In 2009, Majumdar was appointed by the Obama administration as the inaugural director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) within the United States Department of Energy. In this role, he was instrumental in shaping the agency's mission to advance high-potential, high-impact energy technologies. He later served as the Acting Under Secretary of Energy and as a senior advisor to the Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu. In 2021, he returned to federal service under the Biden administration, first as the Deputy Director for Energy and Chief Investment Officer at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and later as the nominee for Under Secretary of Energy for Infrastructure.

Research and scientific contributions

Majumdar's research has fundamentally advanced the understanding of energy conversion and transport phenomena at small scales. He is a pioneer in the field of nanoscale heat transfer, making significant contributions to scanning thermal microscopy and the development of microfluidic devices for biological analysis. His work on thermoelectric materials and energy-efficient buildings has bridged basic science with applied technology. His research portfolio, supported by agencies like the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy, also encompasses solar energy, electrochemical storage, and the water-energy nexus.

Awards and honors

Arun Majumdar has received widespread recognition for his scientific and leadership contributions. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2005 and a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2012. He is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. His other honors include the Nanoscience Prize from the International Society for Nanoscale Science, Computation and Engineering, the Mildred S. Dresselhaus Lecture Award, and the Distinguished Scientist Award from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Category:American mechanical engineers Category:American materials scientists Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni Category:Stanford University faculty