Director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Alaska Campus in Fairbanks
Bruno Grunau is the director of NREL’s Alaska Campus in Fairbanks, leading a diverse team of researchers in creating building and energy solutions that lower costs and improve resiliency in extreme climates. Bruno previously served as president of the Cold Climate Housing Research Center, an Alaska nonprofit that advanced healthy, affordable, sustainable shelter for circumpolar people. A mechanical engineer by trade, his past research focused on building envelope performance, indoor air quality, and building foundations on permafrost. As director of NREL’s Alaska Campus, Bruno oversees 40 researchers and a diverse research portfolio including developing new building insulation made from beetle-kill spruce trees and mushroom spores; co-designing homes with rural Indigenous communities that reduce energy use by up to 80%; and incorporating geothermal and thermal energy networks in cold climates. Bruno has hosted official visits by the U.S. Energy Secretary, represented NREL at the Arctic Energy Forum, and testified at the request of Congress three times on the need for affordable, place-based building and energy technologies.