Dr. Nir Krakauer Named 2026 Fellow of the American Solar Energy Society

CUNY CREST Faculty Affiliate and Associate Co-Director of the Research and Applications & International Collaborations Pillar, Dr. Nir Y. Krakauer, has been selected as a 2026 Fellow of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES), an honor recognizing his contributions to the advancement of renewable energy and his longstanding engagement with the organization. 

Dr. Krakauer said, “ASES’ mission of advocating for a society that uses only renewable energy has never been more relevant. I’m pleased to have been able to contribute to renewable energy research and education at CUNY, and I will look for more opportunities to get involved as an ASES Fellow.” 

Dr. Krakauer is a Professor of Civil Engineering at The City College of New York (CCNY) and a Faculty Affiliate at the UNU Hub on Remote Sensing and Sustainable Innovations for Resilient Urban Systems (R-SIRUS) at CCNY, where his research spans climate science, water resources, renewable energy, remote sensing, and data-driven environmental analysis. His work brings together observations of the Earth system, climate information, and computational approaches to address challenges related to energy, water, agriculture, and climate resilience.

Dr. Krakauer is among ten individuals named to the 2026 ASES Fellows. His relationship with ASES extends beyond his research interests. A life member of the organization, Dr. Krakauer led its Technical Divisions from 2019 through 2024. He is involved in the technical review process for ASES conferences, contributing his expertise to the development of the organization’s scientific and professional programming.

Throughout his career, Dr. Krakauer has pursued research that connects environmental science with practical societal needs. His studies have applied machine learning alongside satellite and climate information to questions ranging from renewable energy integration and water-resource planning to extreme-event forecasting and sustainable agriculture. His international work has also addressed agricultural development and water-management challenges in countries including Nepal and Pakistan.

Dr. Krakauer earned his doctorate in geochemistry from the California Institute of Technology and later conducted research at the University of California, Berkeley, as a NOAA Climate and Global Change Postdoctoral Fellow.