[E&E seminars] Special Seminar - Friday - Robert McGrath, NREL Deputy Laboratory Director

[Jameson Twomey]

Status and Technological Challenges for Renewable and Sustainable  
Energy Options: An Overview of R&D at the National Renewable Energy  
Laboratory

Dr. Robert McGrath, Deputy Laboratory Director for Science &  
Technology, The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO

Friday, November 20th

2:30 PM - Light refreshments to follow

E19-319



Abstract

Achieving dramatic reductions in fossil fuel utilization and  
associated greenhouse gas emissions will require major transformations  
of our electricity generation and transportation infrastructures.   
While there is great enthusiasm and promise for renewable energy  
options, at present renewable sources account for only 2% of our  
nations total energy and less than 4% of the nation’s non-hydro  
electricity production.  Researchers at the National Renewable Energy  
Laboratory are advancing Wind, Solar, Biofuels, Building Efficiency  
and other technologies required to enable generation of 20-40% of the  
nation’s electricity and 15 -20% of our transportation fuels from  
renewable sources over the next two decades.


About the Speaker

Dr. Robert McGrath presently serves as Deputy Laboratory Director for  
Science & Technology at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory  
(NREL) in Golden, Colorado.  In this role, he oversees NREL’s research  
and development portfolio which includes the National Center for  
Photovoltaics (NCPV), the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) and  
the National Bioenergy Center (NBC), along with extensive programs in  
Renewable Transportation, Renewable Electricity, Building Efficiency,  
Smart Grid, and supporting basic chemical, biological and material  
sciences for energy applications.

Prior to joining NREL, Bob served as Senior Vice President for  
Research at The Ohio State University from 2004 through 2008 where he  
was responsible for research strategic planning and investment;  
interdisciplinary research; regulatory compliance for human subject  
and animal research, and Technology Transfer and Commercialization.  
 From 1996 through 2004, Dr. McGrath worked at Penn State University  
where he simultaneously served as Associate Vice President for  
Research, Director of Interdisciplinary Programs, Director of the  
Marine Corps Research University and Professor of Engineering Science.

 From 1981 through 1998, Dr. McGrath worked for Sandia National Labs  
in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he served in various research and  
management roles supporting a variety of R&D efforts.  He worked  
extensively with SEMATECH on plasma chemistries and development of  
thin film processing equipment for microelectronics manufacturing, and  
supported numerous other Cooperative R&D Agreements (CRADAs) with  
industry.  His was responsible for high performance computing  
applications and other selected programs under the National Nuclear  
Security Agency.  Designated by the U.S. Department of Energy as U.S.  
Coordinator for magnetic fusion plasma-material collaborations with  
the European Union, Russia, Former Soviet Union States, and Japan, Dr.  
McGrath working extensively with the Japanese National Institute for  
Fusion Science, The Japanese Atomic Energy Research Institute, the  
Kernforshungsanlange, the Max Plank Research Institutes, Commissariat  
á L’Energie Atomique, Kurchatov National Lab and Efremov National  
Laboratory, as well as nearly every U.S. national laboratory.

Additional employment also includes shorter periods working with  
Argonne National Laboratory, HRB Division of Raytheon, Battelle  
Pacific Northwest Labs, Exxon Research, the Laboratory for Laser  
Energetics and TRW.

Robert McGrath received his Ph.D. in Nuclear Science & Engineering  
from the University of Michigan in 1980.  He earned Baccalaureate and  
Masters degrees from Penn State Engineering Sciences (BS - 1972),  
Physics (MS - 1974) and Mathematics (MA - 1975). Dr. McGrath has  
authored over fifty journal publications, many co-authored by the  
numerous graduate students, post docs or junior researchers that have  
worked under his mentorship.  He has similarly authored over eighty  
published abstracts and conference presentations, in addition to  
numerous technical reports and seminars.  Dr. McGrath was also co- 
author on the Brookings Institute Policy Brief entitled Energy  
Discovery Innovation Institutes – A Step Toward America’s Energy  
Sustainability published in February 2009.

  
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