Nihar Shah is the Deputy Head of the International Energy Analysis Department and holder of the Presidential Directorship of the Global Cooling Efficiency Program at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, leading research on alternate refrigerants and energy efficiency for Heating, Ventilation, Airconditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC&R) equipment. He is also co-leader of Berkeley Lab's Emerging Economies Program. His other research interests include advanced manufacturing, circular economy, water technology and policy and corporate disclosure of climate and energy transition risk.
Nihar's work has been featured in various media including the New York Times, Washington Post, Economist, Forbes Magazine, NPR, and numerous other publications. He regularly advises multilateral institutions, governments, regulators and industry on a variety of energy technology and policy issues.
Prior to joining Berkeley Lab, Nihar worked at the California Public Utilities Commission. He received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.Tech. in Thermal and Fluids Engineering and a B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering, both from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. He is a licensed Professional Mechanical Engineer in the State of California.
