On December 22, the United States Senate confirmed Dr. Evelyn N. Wang as the next Director of ARPA-E. Dr. Wang comes to ARPA-E from MIT where she served as the Ford Professor of Engineering and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. During her time at MIT, she focused on thermal management, nanoengineered surfaces and materials, and water harvesting and purification.

Dr. Wang was previously the Associate Director of the MIT Solid-State Solar-Thermal Energy Conversion Center, which is a DOE Energy Frontiers Research Center. She worked as a Technology Expert and Researcher for Advanced Technologies and Projects at Google and as a consultant for DARPA’s Defense Science Study Group, where she advocated for collaboration between academia and national defense to solve issues of national security.

Dr. Wang has published over 180 journal papers, holds over 15 patents, and has received over 25 awards and honors in her field. Dr. Wang has conducted groundbreaking work in heat transfer technology and its applications to clean water and energy technology. Dr. Wang is especially known for her work on solar-power devices that extract drinkable water from the air in dry climates.

In response to Dr. Wang’s confirmation, Secretary of Energy Granholm stated, “I am so grateful to the Senate for confirming Dr. Evelyn Wang to serve as Director of DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. Now more than ever, we rely on ARPA-E to support early-stage energy technologies that will help us tackle climate change and strengthen American competitiveness. Dr. Wang’s experience and expertise with groundbreaking research will ensure that ARPA-E continues its role as a key engine of innovation and climate action. I am deeply grateful for Dr. Wang’s willingness to serve the American people, and we’re so excited to welcome her to DOE.”

During her confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Dr. Wang highlighted both carbon capture and storage and expanding the scope of commercialization of ARPA-E funded technology as areas she would like to improve upon during her time at ARPA-E.

Dr. Wang earned her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and her M.S. and Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University.