Developing and directing scholarship on energy systems and emerging technologies
Brent works as a Senior Program Officer at the National Academies
Brent supports a variety of projects across the energy, environment, and innovation spaces
These currently include a standing National Academies forum on grid modernization for the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity, and a Congressionally-mandated evaluation of ARPA-E.
Brent’s work has addressed topics including:
The Electricity System
Organized a 2025 workshop on grid operability, directed the National Academies consensus study The Role of Net Metering in the Evolving Electricity System, and co-directed the Future of Electric Power study. Authored the recent academic article: Drawing power from a patchwork: Harnessing a decentralized electricity grid
Life-Cycle Assessment
Authored the article Lifecycle Thinking for Next-Generation Chemical Engineering in CEP Magazine, co-directed the National Academies consensus study on Current Methods for Life Cycle Analyses of Low-Carbon Transportation Fuels, and is co-organizing and speaking at the 2025 CRC workshop on LCA of Transportation Fuels
Energy Innovation
Organized the 2020 National Academies workshop series on Enhancing Federal Clean Energy Innovation and authored the academic article Beyond A Single Stimulus: How to Leverage the Federal Government to Advance Clean Energy Innovation
Environmental Economics
Co-directed the National Academies Roundtable on Macroeconomics and Climate-related Risks and Opportunities, and was a two-time student instructor for a graduate-level University of Michigan Environmental Economics course
Refrigeration & Food Systems
Wrote a PhD dissertation on the Sustainability Implications of Expansions and Innovations in Refrigerated Food Supply Chains, in addition to co-authoring academic articles on topics including the environmental outcomes of food e-commerce
Emerging Technologies
Contributed to the National Academies consensus study on research for atmospheric methane removal, and developed scholarship on the environmental impacts of meal kits and autonomous vehicles
All publications and projects detailed in CV below
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Brent R. Heard 