Constantine Samaras
Media Resources
This researcher is available for interviews.
To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or email media@rand.org.
Education
Overview
Biography
Constantine Samaras is an engineer at the RAND Corporation. He is also a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). His primary research area is energy and climate policy decisionmaking with a focus on the electricity and transportation sectors. Samaras researches how policy actions and research and development (R&D) investments affect energy use and national security, infrastructure requirements, economic and innovation outcomes, and life cycle environmental impacts. He recently served on a National Academies Committee evaluating the Department of Energy's advanced transportation energy research portfolio, serves on the Transportation Research Board's Alternative Transportation Fuels and Technologies Committee, and is an incoming editorial board member of the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. He has published numerous studies examining plug-in vehicles, renewable electricity, conventional and low-carbon fuels, and the industrial capacity of the evolving energy sector. Samaras has also examined energy security, basing, and infrastructure issues faced by the Department of Defense. At CMU, he teaches the graduate course Innovation for Energy and the Environment and was previously a post-doctoral fellow in the Climate Decisionmaking Center. Prior to beginning his research at CMU, Samaras was employed for five years as an engineering and sustainability consultant working on several multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects in New York.
Samaras received his Ph.D. in engineering and public policy and civil and environmental engineering from CMU. He is also a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) accredited professional.
Research Focus
Selected Publications
Samaras, C., Willis, H.H., Capabilities-Based Planning for Energy Security at Department of Defense Installations, RAND Corporation (RR-162-RC), 2013
Litovitz, A., Curtright, A., Abramzon, S., Burger, N., Samaras, C., "Estimation of Regional Air-Quality Damages from Marcellus Shale Natural Gas Extraction in Pennsylvania," Environmental Research Letters, 8(1):1-8, 2013
Michalek, J.J., Chester, M., Samaras, C., "Getting the Most Out of Electric Vehicle Subsidies," Issues in Science and Technology, (Summer):25-27, 2012
Mashayekh, Y., Jaramillo, P., Samaras, C., Hendrickson, C.T., Blackhurst, M., MacLean, H.L., Matthews, H.S., "Potentials for Sustainable Transportation in Cities to Alleviate Climate Change Impacts," Environmental Science and Technology, 46(5):2529-2537, 2012
Johnson, D., Willis, H.H., Curtright, A.E., Samaras, C., Skone, T., "Incorporating Uncertainty Analysis into Life Cycle Estimates of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Biomass Production.," Biomass and Bioenergy, 35(5):2619-2626, 2011
Michalek, J.J., Chester, M., Jaramillo, P., Samaras, C., Shiau, C-S.,N., Lave, L.B., "Valuation of Plug-in Vehicle Life Cycle Air Emissions and Oil Displacement Benefits," Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, 108(40):16554-16558, 2011
Weber, C., Jaramillo, P., Marriott, J., Samaras, C., "Life cycle assessment of grid electricity: What do we know and what can we know?" Environmental Science and Technology, 44(6):1895-1901, 2010
Samaras C., Meisterling, K., "Life cycle assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from plug-in hybrid vehicles: Implications for policy," Environmental Science and Technology, 42(9):3170-3176, 2008
Recent Media Appearances
Interviews: Bloomberg News; Philadelphia Inquirer; CTV Canada
Commentary: The Energy Collective; Energy Biz Magazine
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2013 RAND Corporation.
Transitioning to a Carbon Tax Credit — Feb 22, 2013