Ashok Gadgil

Ashok Gadgil has been named the new Director of the Environmental Energy Technologies Division (EETD). His appointment becomes effective immediately. Dr. Gadgil has been serving as the Acting Division Director since October and replaces Arun Majumdar, who was appointed as Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).

Gadgil is a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley and joined EETD in 1988. He is recognized for his work as a researcher, inventor and humanitarian. He has substantial experience in technical, economic, and policy research on energy efficiency and its implementation – particularly in developing countries. He has several patents and inventions to his credit and is best known for “UV Waterworks” – an effective and inexpensive technology to disinfect drinking water to reduce life-threatening diseases in the developing countries, and the Berkeley-Darfur cook stove for safer indoor use in Darfur, Sudan. Gadgil’s research interests also include experimental and modeling research in indoor airflow and pollutant transports; and he serves on several international and national advisory committees dealing with energy efficiency, invention and innovation, and issues of development and the environment.

In announcing the appointment, Berkeley Lab Director Paul Alivisatos wrote, “As Division Director, Gadgil’s leadership on energy and environmental research and his projects bringing solutions to the developing world will continue to align the division well with Berkeley Lab’s energy and environmental initiatives. Please join me in congratulating Ashok and in wishing him well in this important leadership position.”