Peter Fiske Joins Berkeley Lab as Water-Energy Resilience Institute Director

Peter Fiske

Berkeley Lab has chosen Peter Fiske, who holds a doctorate in Geological and Environmental Sciences from Stanford University, to lead the Water-Energy Resilience Institute as its first director.

The Institute is a Lab-wide initiative aimed at increasing resilience in a future world that will face both water and energy constraints, and is linked to the Earth & Environmental Sciences Area (EESA)’s Grand Challenge focused on the future of water. The Institute aims to increase understanding of the interplay between water and energy resources with the goal of developing evidence-based technologies and management practices.

“Peter has the vision and experience to lead this multidisciplinary initiative,” said Susan Hubbard, Associate Laboratory Director for EESA. “His scientific background and entrepreneurial experience will be critical for shaping Berkeley Lab’s water-energy research portfolio.”

Fiske will start work at Berkeley Lab on May 15. His office will be located in Building 74. For more information about Fiske’s background, read the Lab’s news release here.

News & Events

Berkeley Lab Takes Part in a New Biology Integration Institute Funded by NSF

September 1, 2020

Berkeley Lab is one of 14 organizations from around the world that have collectively been awarded $12.5 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to launch a new Biology Integration Institute (BII), called EMERGE and led by Ohio State University. The Institute aims to improve understanding of ecosystem-climate interactions, focusing on permafrost systems. Bill Riley…

Two EESA Early-Career Scientists to Compete in Research SLAM

August 25, 2020

Twelve early career scientists will go head-to-head in the third annual Berkeley Lab SLAM on Sept. 17, competing for a grand prize of $3,000. From EESA, James Dennedy-Frank and Sara Gushgari-Doyle are among the finalists. The event takes place virtually from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will be live-streamed. The virtual audience will get…

Berkeley Lab study finds warmer California temperatures by mid-century will be too hot for some crops, just right for others

Record drought and heat have some farmers worried about where and when crops can be grown in the future, even in California where unprecedented microclimate diversity creates ideal growing conditions for many of the most popular items in America’s grocery stores. A third of the vegetables and two-thirds of fruits and nuts consumed by Americans…

Global Methane Emissions Soaring, But How Much Was Due to Wetlands?

August 20, 2020

Last month, an international team of scientists, including Berkeley Lab’s William Riley and Qing Zhu, published an update on the global methane budget as part of the Global Carbon Project. They estimated annual global methane emissions at nearly 570 million tons for the 2008 to 2017 decade, which is 5% higher than emissions recorded for the early 2000s and the equivalent of 189 million more cars on the world’s roads.