Chris Smith
Chris served as Chief Government Affairs Officer at the Ford Motor Company, where he advanced legislation, policy and regulation on issues related to electric vehicles, critical minerals, connectivity, and digital services for Ford’s global manufacturing presence. Prior to Ford he was SVP at Cheniere Energy Inc., where he built the policy, governmental and public affairs presence for America’s largest natural gas exporter. He is a former Assistant Secretary at the U. S. Department of Energy, overseeing the United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the DOE’s $6B portfolio of carbon capture demonstrations, and served as the federal official for the Deepwater Horizon Spill Commission. He testified before Congress more than twenty times.
Chris holds a degree in engineering management and mechanical engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, an MBA from Cambridge University, and a degree in applied mathematics from American Public University. He is a board member at the Nuclear Innovation Alliance, Resources for the Future and the Atlantic Council. He is a Senior Advior to Longview Energy Systems, developing the next generation of fusion energy for carbon-free baseload power.
The Salata Institute
The Salata Institute supports interdisciplinary research that leads to real-world action, including high-risk/high-reward projects by researchers already working in the climate area and new endeavors that make it easier for Harvard scholars, who have not worked on climate problems, to do so. Faculty interested in the Climate Research Clusters program should note an upcoming deadline for concepts on April 1, 2024.