Daniel Tkacik
Executive Director, Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation
Daniel Tkacik (pronounced Ta-chick) serves as the executive director of the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University. In this role, he leads strategic operations, fosters interdisciplinary research, and advances institutional partnerships to drive clean energy innovation and sustainable technology deployment. He works closely with faculty, researchers, and leadership across CMU to bridge academic breakthroughs with industry, policy, and market implementation.
Additionally, Tkacik plays a key role in major regional efforts like the Resilient Energy Technology and Infrastructure (RETI) Consortium, a $160M NSF-funded innovation engine aimed at supercharging the industrial energy innovation economy of western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. He also leads the University Energy Institute Leadership Collaborative (UEILC), a network of US-based university energy institute leaders with a mission of inspiring meaningful collaborations between university energy institutes across the nation.
Prior to his role at the Scott Institute, Tkacik supported strategic research communications for CMU’s College of Engineering in areas including cybersecurity, privacy, advanced manufacturing, and biomedical engineering.
Tkacik holds a M.S. (2010) and Ph.D. (2013) in civil and environmental engineering from Carnegie Mellon and B.S. (2008) in earth and atmospheric sciences from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Education
2013 Ph.D. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
2010 M.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
2008 B.S. Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology
Affiliations
Media mentions
Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation
Scott Institute leads new era of national energy institute network
The University Energy Institute Leadership Collaborative will redouble its efforts to foster multidisciplinary, multi-sector collaboration and energy research opportunities thanks to new support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation
Scott Institute announces 2026 entrepreneurship award winners
The three recipients include both faculty and graduate students, and come from the College of Engineering, School of Computer Science, and Tepper School of Business.
Blue Sky News
Tkacik and Samaras quoted on CMU Energy Week
The Scott Institute's Daniel Tkacik and Costa Samaras were quoted in Blue Sky News about how CMU Energy Week brings together different sectors including universities, industry, government, nonprofits, and NGOs to address energy challenges.
Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation
A letter from the directors
Scott Institute Director Costa Samaras, Associate Director Valerie Karplus, and Executive Director Daniel Tkacik reflect on the past year.
CMU Engineering
CMU partners to reimagine energy in the region
Faculty from Carnegie Mellon University will collaborate with West Virginia University and University of Pittsburgh on a National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines program.
Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation
Scott Institute Directors’ Letter
Scott Institute directors Valerie Karplus and Daniel Tkacik provide a snapshot of this year’s work and their aspirations for the coming year.
Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation
Reflections from COP28
Over the past two weeks, a record-breaking 70,000+ people convened in Dubai to attend the annual UN climate change conference from November 30 until December 12, 2023.
City & State Pennsylvania
The 2023 Energy & Environment Power 100
Scott Institute Executive Director Daniel Tkacik was listed in The 2023 Energy & Environment Power 100, recognizing him as one of the top people "making a different in the sector–and our future" in Pennsylvania.
Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation
Tkacik Named New Executive Director
Daniel Tkacik has been appointed as the new executive director of the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation.