Vijay Modi

Vijay Modi is a professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University and an Earth Institute faculty member since 2006. Previously, he led the UN Millennium Project effort on the role of energy and energy services in reaching the Millennium Development Goals. He is currently working closely with city and national agencies/utilities to understand how energy services can be more accessible, more efficient, and cleaner. Modi’s areas of expertise are energy resources and energy conversion technologies. He has authored or co-authored numerous journal papers and served as the principal or co-principal of a number of research grants from government and industry. Mr Modi is a two-time winner of prestigious teaching awards from Columbia. In 1997, he received the Great Teacher Award from the Society of Columbia Graduates and the Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award from the Columbia Engineering School Alumni Association in 1996.

In Paris, Modi plans to conduct fresh research and writing exploring the interplay of energy, development, and climate in the global south, with a specific focus on Sub-Saharan Africa, aiming to connect perspectives from India and East/West Africa. Leveraging his expertise and engaging with international institutions based in Paris (IEA, UNEP, UNICEF) and Rome (IFAD, FAO), he hopes to rethink economic growth, energy constraints, national planning roles, and the strategic use of fossil fuels.