by
T im A kin
G r ee n Tec h R epor t
Professor Biggart Named Chevron Chair Following a nationwide search, Graduate School of Management Professor Nicole Woolsey Biggart was selected in June to serve as the Chevron Chair in Energy Efficiency. The Chevron Chair directs the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center (EEC), the world’s first university center of excellence in the field. With its partners, the EEC accelerates the development and commercialization of energy-efficiency technologies, trains future leaders in energy efficiency and conducts critical policy-supporting research. “Energy is the life source for our economy and diverse sources of it are critical to our future,” Biggart said. “Reliance on cheap energy is no longer possible; we need to use our ingenuity and thoughtful use of energy resources. Energy efficiency is by far the most effective and least expensive ‘new fuel.’ The UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center is playing a lead role in its advancement on a global scale.” A founding faculty member of the Graduate School of Management in 1981, Biggart was awarded the Jerome J. and Elsie Suran Chair in Technology Management in 2002, and she served as dean of the management school from July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2009. As an internationally recognized expert in organizational theory and management of innovation, her research covers economic and organizational sociology, firm networks, industrial change and social bases of technology adoption. She has studied and published on the barriers to implementation of energy-efficient technologies in the commercial building industry. “California is a world leader both in entrepreneurism and energy efficiency and the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center is at the vanguard. With her extensive academic and administrative leadership experience, Professor Biggart is perfect for this key leadership role,” said Steven C. Currall, dean of the Graduate School of Management.
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Chevron Corp. last year gave UC Davis $2 million to create the endowed chair, along with an additional $500,000 in funding to be used at the director’s discretion for the Energy Efficiency Center. That endowment complements Chevron’s ongoing support for UC Davis, which includes a $500,000 gift in 2008 to be a lead sponsor of the Energy Efficiency Center and a $25 million biofuels research collaboration begun in 2006 to develop technology to convert nonfood agricultural waste into next-generation transportation fuels. Chevron has also helped shape the energy strategy and leads the energy team for UC Davis West Village, a new, 220-acre housing and commercial development that will become one of the nation’s first “net-zero energy” communities. “Advancing energy efficiency, which is the cleanest and cheapest form of alternative energy, is a commitment that Chevron and UC Davis share,” said Jim Davis, president, Chevron Energy Solutions. “Nicole has a deep understanding of technology adoption, and her proven ability to develop innovative business clusters will play a critical role in the success of the UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center.” Biggart is working to expand the impact of the center’s research programs through interdisciplinary collaboration, education, outreach and commercialization of technologies. She continues to develop UC Davis’ strong links to utility, regulatory, policy and commercial interests, working together to improve energy efficiency at the state, national and international levels. “The UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center is uniquely positioned,” Biggart said. “We have deep researcher connections worldwide and venture links with entrepreneurial hubs like Silicon Valley and Sacramento’s clean-tech sector.” Just before her appointment as chair, Biggart presented at the third Energy Efficiency Global Forum & Exposition in May, joining more than 800 energy-efficiency leaders, exhibitors and media