Richard E. Sassoon : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Richard Sassoon, the managing director of the Stanford Global Climate and Energy Project from 2003 to 2021, speaks about the origins, mission, structure, and impact of GCEP and shares highlights from the many research projects it has funded in the areas of renewable energy, batteries and advanced fuels, carbon-based energy improvements, energy systems research, and more. Sassoon also speaks about the entrepreneurial spinoffs and technologies that came out of GCEP, debates about accepting money from corporate sponsors and greenwashing, GCEP’s proposal review process and intellectual property policies, and the creation of GCEP’s successor, the Strategic Energy Alliance. Sassoon ends the interview with reflections on energy research at Stanford and beyond and advice for people interested in promoting energy research.
Description
| Type of resource | moving image, sound recording-nonmusical, text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 2 video files; 2 audio files; 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | March 19, 2021 - 2021-03-22 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Sassoon, Richard | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Sassoon, Richard | |
| Interviewer | Gifford, Jonathan | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Stanford Global Climate and Energy Project |
|---|---|
| Subject | Strategic Energy Alliance |
| Subject | Renewable energy sources |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | Richard E. Sassoon is currently Executive Director of the Strategic Energy Alliance at Stanford University. He was appointed GCEP Managing Director in November 2003 and has over 35 years of research and management experience in the fields of physical and analytical chemistry, as well as energy sciences. Prior to joining GCEP, Dr. Sassoon was Senior Scientist and Assistant Vice President at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), where he led systems integration efforts for nanotechnology applications. For many years, he was a contractor to the Department of Energy supporting the strategic planning and management of its environmental programs, and its hydrogen and renewable energy activities. Dr. Sassoon spent over a decade conducting research into photochemical solar energy conversion and storage systems, performing computer modeling of the catalytic processes involved in hydrogen production, and investigating technologies for cleanup of nuclear waste. Dr. Sassoon received his B.Sc. in Chemistry from Leeds University in the UK, and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. He conducted his post-doctoral activities at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Sassoon has authored around 25 research papers in peer-reviewed journals, has received several awards including the Gabriel Stein award for outstanding research during his Ph.D. studies, and is a member of the American Chemical Society. |
|---|---|
| Summary Part 1 | Part 1 [00:00-30:36] Academic background and career in energy research • Path to managing director role at GCEP • Origins of GCEP; role of Lynn Orr, Michael Boskin, Schlumberger, and Exxon Mobil • GCEP mission to develop technology options for energy supply • Initial sponsors and research projects • GCEP seed grants and research symposia • Involvement of non-Stanford institutions in GCEP • Making research available to the broader public [30:37-1:03:05] GCEP’s impact on energy research at Stanford • Working with GCEP sponsors • Differences in opinion on intellectual property • Reporting practices • Directors, location on campus, and team members • Concept of exergy and developing exergy charts [1:03:06-1:29:22] Interacting with corporate sponsors; openness of research; Future of Energy workshops • Scale challenges in energy research • Distinguished Lecturer Program • Impact of GCEP on corporate thinking • GCEP philosophy and project areas • Renewable energy projects, including research on photovoltaics, splitting water, lignin, and passive cooling. [1:29:23-1:45:49] Projects on carbon-based energy systems: advanced combustion; carbon capture and storage modeling • Research on batteries and advanced fuels: Yi Cui’s work on nano-structuring of batteries with silicon electrodes; Tom Jaramillo’s work on renewable carbon fuels • Energy systems research • Creating new fields of research; example of photo-enhanced thermionic emission |
| Summary Part 2 | Part 2 [00:00-30:30] Entrepreneurial spinoffs that came from GCEP • IP challenges • TomKat Center • Other research centers inspired by GCEP: ARPA-E and KAUST • GCEP’s role in the corporate world • Greenwashing controversy surrounding 2003 New York Times advertisement and impact on GCEP [30:31-1:06:15] Fossil-Free Stanford movement and Stanford divesting from coal • Creation of the Strategic Energy Alliance • Lessons learned at GCEP • Framing energy research at GCEP; challenges • Increased interdisciplinary nature of energy research • Fond memories of GCEP people and trips • Change over time at Stanford • Advice for people interested in promoting energy research |
| Transcript |
|
| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/jh035hf7029 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
View other items in this collection in SearchWorksAlso listed in
Loading usage metrics...