Rachael Nealer begins as Scott Institute non-resident fellow

Rachael Nealer (PhD '12), a trailblazer and nationally-recognized leader at the intersection of transportation and energy, is named a Scott Institute for Energy Innovation non-resident fellow at Carnegie Mellon University after more than a decade transforming the systems and technologies powering Americans’ transportation opportunities.

Throughout her distinguished career, Nealer has served the American people at the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and the Federal Highway Administration across four administrations finding common ground in improving transportation and advancing new technologies. She has overseen projects and operations of billions of dollars and managed staff and projects resulting in the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and cutting-edge research on lithium-ion batteries, hydrogen fuel cell technologies, and biofuels including aviation fuels across the light-duty and medium- and heavy-duty sectors. As a trusted advisor and convener, she led the federal Electric Vehicle Working Group and developed public and private strategies around aviation fuels and EV charging.

At the Scott Institute, Nealer will focus on multi-stakeholder collaboration and connection in order to overcome siloes and make research actionable, bringing scientific findings closer to policy discussions—a natural extension of her proven ability to bridge public and private sectors for systemic change. 

“Over the next year, my goal is to strengthen connections among institutions and develop a framework for how universities can make their research more useful for policymakers. This will help create future partnerships that turn academic work into practical solutions for communities,” said Nealer.

A PhD alumna in civil and environmental engineering and engineering and public policy, Nealer knows firsthand the expertise that CMU faculty have to offer, including and beyond her field of vehicle electrification. 

“Dr. Rachael Nealer’s fellowship marks the start of a promising new chapter not only in her distinguished career, but also for our work at the Scott Institute,” said Director Costa Samaras. “As our first fellow based in Washington, D.C., Dr. Nealer is poised to expand CMU’s reputation as a source of world-renowned research and analysis that can help solve our most important policy challenges.” 

The Scott Institute is CMU's hub for advancing collaborative research, strategic partnerships, policy outreach, entrepreneurship, and education focused on the future of energy.