Dr. Bryan D. Willson

Dr. Willson is Executive Director of the Energy Institute at Colorado State University, holds the CSU Presidential Chair in Energy Innovation, and is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering.  He is also the Founder and Director of CSU’s Powerhouse Energy Campus.  Powerhouse is a 100,000 sq ft facility that develops clean energy and carbon solutions, provides experiential education for students, and facilitates scaleup of solutions through entrepreneurial approaches and linkages with industry partners.

He served as a Program Director at ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy), from 2012-2016 and continued with the agency as a consultant on industry partnerships until 2019.  Dr. Willson has worked for over 35 years to develop and deploy large-scale technology solutions related to energy, air quality, and human health.

As an entrepreneur, he has co-founded four energy companies and has helped other entrepreneurs launch numerous companies through the Energy Institute and through a DOE-funded energy incubator.  His research laboratory, the Engines & Energy Conversion Laboratory, has made important contributions in many areas, including hydrogen energy systems, internal combustion engines, applications of advanced sensing and artificial intelligence for engine control, oil & gas production technology, advanced electrical grids, electric vehicle technology, advanced biofuels, advanced building technology and energy solutions for developing nations. Dr. Willson has worked in over 40 countries.