Michael Webber
Michael Evan Webber (born 1971) is based in Paris, France where he serves as the Chief Science and Technology Officer at Engie, a global energy and infrastructure services company. Webber is the Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources, Author, and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. His first book, "Thirst for Power: Energy, Water and Human Survival", was accompanied by a one hour documentary. His book "Power Trip: the Story of Energy" was published in 2019 and positively reviewed by The New York Times, and was the basis for a six-part PBS  documentary of the same name released in 2020. Webber is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Biography. Webber was born in Austin, Texas, in 1971 to Stephen and Josephine Webber. His father was professor of Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin and his mother a self-described bureaucrat. After graduating from Westlake High School in 1989, he attended the University of Texas at Austin where he played in the Longhorn Band, eventually serving as Drum Major. In 1995, he received a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and a B.A. in Plan II Honors. He went to  Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, to pursue a M.S. in mechanical engineering. He continued at Stanford where he was a National Science Foundation Fellow from 1995 to 1998. He completed his Ph.D. at Stanford in 2001 in mechanical engineering with a Ph.D. minor in electrical engineering with advisor Ron K. Hanson. He currently lives in Paris, France, with his wife and children. Career. Corporate. After completing his Ph.D., Webber shifted into private research first at Pranalytica and then at the RAND Corporation where he conducted research on energy, environment and industrial topics. He currently holds six patents as a  result of his innovations, mostly related to environmental monitoring and trace gas sensing. With the Austin Technology Incubator, Webber helped originate the Pecan Street Project in 2008. Now, Pecan Street Inc., a public private partnership, supports the innovation and development of smart grid solutions. He serves on the editorial board of advisors for "Scientific American". Webber was co-Director of the Clean Energy Incubator (2009—2018) and Deputy Director of the Energy Institute (2013—2018) at UT Austin. He has served on the Board of Advisers for "Scientific American" since 2009. Webber was a member of AT&T’s Sustainability Advisory Council (2009—2012 ) and a commissioner for Austin Energy (2008—2013) He was a member of the Roundtable on Sustainability with the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering (2012—2018) and was a board member for Sustainable America (2012—2018), the Hope Street Group (2004—2006), and the Houston Advanced Research Center (2012—2018). Academic. Webber joined the University of Texas at Austin in 2006 as associate director of the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy under the Jackson School of Geosciences. The following year he started as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 2009 he joined the Clean Energy Incubator as Co -Director. The University of Texas System board of Regents recognized Webber in 2011 with the Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award(11), and he earned tenure the following year. He is now associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Josey Centennial Fellow in Energy Resources. His research group focuses on questions related to energy resources, technology, and policy. In 2013, he was named Deputy Director of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin. Other contributions. Webber starred in "Energy at the Movies," a PBS special which began national syndication in March 2013. Producing parties sought to release up  to six episodes a year for five years. The special can now be seen on more than 78 stations in 25 states. Selected publications and speeches. Over his career, Webber has published more than 400 articles, columns, reports, commentaries, and books and delivered more than 200 lectures, speeches, and seminars. Select Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles. M.E. Webber, D.S. Baer, and R.K. Hanson, “Ammonia Monitoring Near 1.5 μm with Diode Laser Absorption Sensors,” "Applied Optics", 40(12), pp. 2031– 2042, 2001 C.W. King and M.E. Webber, “Water Intensity of Transportation,” "Environmental Science and Technology", 42(21), pp 7866–7872 (7pp) (September 24, 2008) A.D.  Cuellar and M.E. Webber, “Cow Power: The Energy and Emissions Benefits of Converting Manure to Biogas,” "Environmental Research Letters", 3 034002 (8pp) July 2008. J.S. Vitter and M.E. Webber, “Water Event Disaggregation Using Sub-metered Water and Coincident Electricity Data,” Water 10, 714. https://doi:10.3390/w10060714 Y.R. Glazer, F.T. Davidson, J.J. Lee, and M.E. Webber, “An Inventory and Engineering Assessment of Flared Gas and Liquid Waste Streams From Hydraulic Fracturing in the USA,” Current Sustainable/Renewable Energy Reports, October 2017.