Two new faculty members bolster teaching and research in climate and energy

The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) welcomes two new faculty members in the areas of Electrical Engineering and Environmental Science and Engineering. 

Le Xie, Gordon McKay Professor of Electrical Engineering, and Fiamma Straneo, Gordon McKay Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, join SEAS as part of the school’s cross-disciplinary climate-related “cluster search,” which is recruiting new faculty members to bolster the school’s focus on teaching and research to tackle the biggest challenges in climate, energy and sustainability.

“The mission of SEAS is to solve societal challenges — in service to the world, the nation, and our community,” said David C. Parkes, the John A. Paulson Dean. “Through their pioneering research and dedicated teaching, Le Xie and Fiamma Straneo will advance that mission and contribute to solving some of the biggest challenges facing us today — engineering solutions to decarbonize and modernize our electric power systems and the oceanography required to understand the implications of a warming planet.”

Xie comes to SEAS from Texas A&M University. His research explores the complicated relationship between artificial intelligence and the power grid — what he calls "Power for AI, and AI for Power." 

Electric energy systems are set to play a critical role in tackling climate change and supporting the enormous potential of artificial intelligence. Xie’s research draws on data science, advanced computing and AI tools to accelerate the decarbonization of energy systems through digitization. His research advances technological innovations, market constructs, and policy design to improve resiliency in the grid, reduce its carbon footprint, and lower the cost of electric energy services. His research will help in the much needed modernization of the grid to accommodate the increasing demand for electricity.

Xie earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and his S.M. in Engineering Sciences from SEAS.

Straneo is a physical oceanographer and world leader in making field observations of melting Greenland glaciers to understand the complex relationship between ice, the ocean, and the atmosphere. Her work is helping to shed light on how melting ice is disrupting climate systems, with a special focus on developing mechanistic understandings of how subtropical water and surface meltwater from glaciers are impacting Greenland’s ice sheets and the surrounding ocean. 

She has led over a dozen field expeditions to the polar regions where she and her team have used research vessels, helicopters, snowmobiles and autonomous underwater and surface vehicles to collect oceanic, atmospheric and glaciological data. 

Straneo comes to SEAS from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. She completed her Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography from the University of Washington.