Doug Arent leads the NREL Foundation as Executive Director, focusing on vision and strategic initiatives that accelerate the transition to an affordable and secure energy future. With over 40 years of experience in energy and sustainability research, Doug has published widely on renewable energy, integrated energy and power systems, and science-policy intersections. 

He is a distinguished fellow of the World Economic Forum and a senior visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Doug serves on the Keystone Energy Board and the Yale Emerging Climate Leaders Fellowship Global Advisory Board. His academic roles include an external fellowship at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy and a recent fellowship at Princeton University’s Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. 

Before joining the Foundation, Doug held leadership roles at NREL, including Executive Director for Strategic Public Private Partnerships, deputy associate laboratory director for Scientific Computing and Energy Analysis, and founding executive director of the Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis. He was a coordinating lead author for the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report and has served on numerous advisory panels, including the National Petroleum Council and the National Academy of Sciences. 

Doug holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University, an MBA from Regis University, and a B.S. from Harvey Mudd College.