The Office of the Senior Vice President for Research welcomes Bruce E. Logan as the new director of the Institutes for Energy and the Environment (IEE), effective Aug. 15, 2022. Logan succeeds Thomas Richard, who is returning to a faculty role and pursuing other activities after 15 years as director.
Logan will work with Richard for at least the next month to affect a smooth transition. “We would like to sincerely thank Tom for his excellence as the institute director during these years,” said Senior Vice President for Research Lora Weiss. “Tom’s vision has enabled many advancements in the sciences and interdisciplinary teams who are dedicated to addressing some of the world’s greatest energy and environmental challenges.”
Logan’s role will expand on this foundation to further elevate the research excellence of IEE and the multiple geo-critical initiatives it represents. “Bruce’s role is vital for Penn State as our world is in the midst of multiple global energy and climate crises,” said Weiss. “From ecosystem change and energy shortages to water resourcing and urban development, Penn State is at the cutting edge of contributing essential solutions to these serious societal emergencies. Bruce’s experience, mindset, and vision are well-aligned to take our programs to the next level.”
Logan said, “I am pleased to take on this new role at IEE because it is unique among many of our peer academic institutions in that it combines both energy and environment into the same research and solutions framework. This broader role enables our research teams to simultaneously explore complex technical issues for energy technologies while at the same time being sure that solutions also address relevant societal and environmental concerns. For example, we can investigate complex issues related to the transformation of the energy infrastructure to address climate change, while also ensuring that these solutions are equitable for everyone in society as well as protective of the environment”.
Logan is an Evan Pugh University Professor in Engineering and the Stan & Flora Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Penn State. His current research is focused on the development of an energy-sustainable water infrastructure, renewable energy production including green hydrogen gas production using microbial- and direct-water electrolysis, and novel methods of water desalination. He is the author or co-author of several books and over 550 refereed publications, and he is one of the most highly cited faculty members at Penn State (100,000 citations for his research).
Logan is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Water Association, the Water Environment Federation and the Association of Environmental Engineering & Science Professors. He received his doctorate in 1986 from the University of California, Berkeley, and prior to joining Penn State in 1997 he was at the University of Arizona in Tucson.