Jalal Awan

Jalal Awan is a doctoral candidate at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy analyst at RAND. Prior to joining RAND, he worked as an electrical engineer at Engro Corporation, one of Pakistan's leading private conglomerates with a diversified portfolio including energy, chemicals and agri-based products.

Awan takes a keen interest in international affairs and politics and is a regular freelance writer in various online and journal publications. His research interests revolve around green technologies, climate change, international development, energy policy and the smart grid. He has experience working on lifecycle analysis of photovoltaic-based off-grid electrical systems and feasibility of autonomous vehicle fleets to tackle traffic congestion in Los Angeles.

Awan is an IEEE-accredited electrical engineer and an ASQ certified Six Sigma Green Belt. As part of the UN Secretary General's Sustainability for All team, he conducted background research and actively participated in the negotiations that led to post-2015 sustainable development agenda adoption. He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Engineering & Technology, Pakistan. As a Fulbright Exchange scholar, he completed his M.S. in green technologies from the University of Southern California in December 2015. Awan also holds the U.S. Green Building Council certification in Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED).