Jeremy Michalek
Professor, Engineering and Public Policy, Mechanical Engineering
Jeremy J. Michalek is a professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Engineering and Public Policy. He is the founding director of the Design Decisions Laboratory, founding co-director of the Vehicle Electrification Group, and an active member of the Green Design Institute and the Center for Climate and Energy Decision Making. His research focuses on vehicle electrification (including technology, life cycle assessment, consumer behavior, and public policy), as well as design decision-making (including systems optimization, techno-economic analysis, and green design.
Michalek earned his B.S. from Carnegie Mellon (1999), and his M.S. (2001) and Ph.D. (2005) from the University of Michigan in mechanical engineering. He worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan before beginning his current faculty position at CMU.
Michalek teaches courses in design, product development, economic analysis, entrepreneurship, and optimization. His research has appeared in outlets such as the New York Times, and he has co-authored and presented policy briefs on Capitol Hill. He has earned awards including the ASME Design Automation Committee’s Best Paper Award, the International Journal on Research in Marketing’s Best Article Award, the George Tallman Ladd Research Award for outstanding research and professional accomplishments, the ASME Design Automation Outstanding Young Investigator Award, and the National Science Foundation CAREER Award. He is involved in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), and the Transportation Research Board (TRB).
Vehicle Electrification
Electric Vehicle Benefits & Costs in the U.S.
Electric Vehicle Adoption Potential in the U.S.
Education
2005 Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
2001 MS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
1999 BS, Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
Research Interests
- advanced vehicle systems
- air quality
- autonomous driving
- batteries
- clean power systems
- consumer behavior
- electric power systems
- energy
- energy systems
- engineered systems
- engineering and public policy
- environmental engineering
- environmental systems
- green design
- management science
- mechanical engineering
- natural gas engineering
- operations research
- optimization
- product design
- product strategy and innovation
- renewable energy
- sustainable engineering
- systems modeling
- technical innovation
- technology policy
- transportation systems
Media mentions
IEEE Spectrum
Michalek quoted on EV battery swapping
MechE/EPP’s Jeremy Michalek was quoted in IEEE Spectrum on the swapping of electronic vehicle batteries.
The New York Times
Michalek quoted on electric vehicles
EPP/MechE’s Jeremy Michalek was quoted in The New York Times on electric vehicles and their environmental impact.
CMU Engineering
Should Uber and Lyft be electrifying more vehicles?
Increases in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions caused by ridesourcing impact human health and the environment. What happens when companies shoulder that cost?
Ladders
Michalek quoted on effects of ride-sharing apps
MechE/EPP’s Jeremy Michalek was quoted on Ladders about his research on how ride-sharing apps affect car ownership in cities.
Shift Magazine
Michalek interviewed on electric vehicles
MechE/EPP’s Jeremy Michalek was interviewed by Shift Magazine on electric vehicles and public policy during the Biden Administration.
CMU Engineering
Uber and Lyft increase average vehicle ownership in urban areas
On average, transportation network company entry into an urban area increases per-capita vehicle registrations by 0.7%, compared to what they would have been otherwise.
Mechanical Engineering
Driving ahead
From ensuring the supply quality of powertrain plastics to project managing Ford's new electric pickup truck, master's alumna Stephanie Jennings is applying the analytical and problem-solving skills she learned in MechE to her career.
Scott Institute
CMU Engineering faculty awarded Scott Institute seed grants
Eight research projects lead by CMU Engineering faculty have been awarded 2020 Seed Grants for Energy Research by the Scott Institue for Energy Innovation.
CMU Engineering
Untangling electric car policies
A recent study analyzing federal and state policies on electric cars reveals the peculiar relationship between the policies that leads to counterintuitive effects.
EV policy is increasing greenhouse gas emissions
Jeremy Michalek and his collaborators find that state zero-emission vehicle mandates trigger higher greenhouse gas emissions under federal fleet standards. The findings were published in the journal Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice in a paper titled "Alternative-fuel-vehicle policy interactions increase U.S. greenhouse gas emissions."
Quartz
Are there solar-powered cars in our future?
In a recent Quartz article, MechE/EPP's Jeremy Michalek says that we might have to wait for another revolution in the field of solar power technology before we see cars powered by the sun alone.
Wired
Michalek comments on fuel efficiency fight between EPA and California
EPP/MechE’s Jeremy Michalek recently spoke to Wired about the long-term implications of California’s ongoing battle with the EPA over fuel efficiency standards.