Rajendra K. Pachauri, Ph.D.
Rajendra K. Pachauri, Ph.D., is an internationally renowned leader on environmental and energy issues and their policy dimensions. He was chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from 2002 to 2015, and under his leadership the IPCC won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for its contributions to climate change assessment and response strategies. He is Executive Vice Chairman of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi, a 1,200-employee organization engaged in research and development of solutions to global problems in the fields of energy, environment, and current patterns of development.
Dr. Pachauri holds a Ph.D. with co-majors in industrial engineering and economics from North Carolina State University, USA. He has authored more than 130 articles and 27 books, mostly in the areas of economics and the environment, and he is the recipient of 25 honorary doctoral degrees from universities around the world.
Dr. Pachauri has held numerous academic positions in many countries. He was the founding director of the Yale (University) Climate and Energy Institute (YCEI) from 2009 to 2012 and then senior adviser and professor in the Practice of Sustainable Development at Yale. He is Honorary Professor of the University of Eastern Finland and Chancellor of TERI University. He currently serves on 15 international committees and boards of climate-change, energy, and scientific organizations. His extensive awards include Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award, for his services to science and engineering, from the President of India.
In addition to his many awards and academic positions, Dr. Pachauri conceived of and launched the “Lighting a Billion Lives Initiative” in 2005 to bring electricity to energy-starved rural areas of India through solar energy. He is also a founding member of the honor committee of Fondation Chirac, established in 2008 by former French president Jacques Chirac to promote world peace.