Edgar Virgüez

Edgar Virgüez is a Research Engineer in the Department of Energy Science & Engineering at Stanford University, where his work advances reliable, low-carbon energy systems. His findings have resulted in more than 40 scholarly outputs that have garnered over 1,000 citations in leading journals, including Energy & Environmental Science, PNAS, and Science. Complementing his scholarship, Dr. Virgüez serves as Managing Director of the $23 million U.S. Department of Energy-funded EARNEST Consortium, led by Stanford University. This initiative brings together 18 universities, three national laboratories, and two research organizations to advance solutions for the future of the U.S. electricity system. Beyond EARNEST, he has collaborated with the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, contributing expertise in life cycle assessment, cost-benefit analysis, and decarbonization strategies for governments and utilities across the Americas.

Globally, Dr. Virgüez contributes to major energy and climate initiatives. Since 2024, he has served as an Expert Advisor to the Earthshot Prize, founded by Prince William, reviewing nominations in the Fix Our Climate category and assessing their potential for innovation, impact, and scalability toward a $1.25 million annual award. He also serves in advisory roles for institutions such as Schmidt Sciences, evaluating research programs advancing scalable decarbonization and energy systems solutions, and provides expert review on energy-related reports for organizations, including the International Energy Agency.

For his contributions, Dr. Virgüez has received 22 awards totaling $34,365. Among his notable honors are the Science for Solutions Award (2025) from the American Geophysical Union, recognizing rising experts who have made significant contributions in the application and use of Earth and space science to solve societal problems, and the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award (2020) from the Association of American Colleges and Universities, which recognizes rising scholars who demonstrate strong promise as future leaders in higher education. As an educator, Dr. Virgüez has taught 17 courses to ~600 students with consistently outstanding evaluations and recognition for innovative teaching. In 2021, he received Duke University’s most prestigious teaching award for graduate scholars, the Graduate School Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.

He also brings institutional governance experience as a current member of the Nicholas School of the Environment Board of Visitors at Duke University and the Duke University Climate Commitment Campaign Board, and as a former member of Duke University's highest governing body, the Board of Trustees. In addition, he serves on the Editorial Board of Environmental Research: Energy. In 2026, he received the IOP Publishing Editorial Excellence Award, recognized as one of the 10 outstanding board leaders among >1,000 board members across 100+ IOP journals. Beyond his editorial board service, he actively contributes to peer review for 15 journals, including Nature Communications and Nature Sustainability.

Dr. Virgüez holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and Policy with a Certificate in College Teaching (2022) and an M.A. in Environment with a Geospatial Analysis Certificate (2018) from Duke University, along with an M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering (2010) and a dual B.Sc. in Chemical and Environmental Engineering (2009) from Universidad de los Andes. He has completed professional certificates in Australia, the United States, and Colombia, and has received more than $795,000 in competitive scholarships and fellowships sponsored by institutions including the Sloan Foundation.