M. Granger Morgan
Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering and Public Policy, Heinz College
M. Granger Morgan is the Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon. He holds appointments in three academic units: the Department of Engineering and Public Policy; the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; and the H. John Heinz III College. His research addresses problems in science, technology, and public policy, with a particular focus on energy, electric power, environmental systems, climate change, the adoption of new technologies, and risk analysis. Much of his work has involved the development and demonstration of methods to characterize and treat uncertainty in quantitative policy analysis. At CMU, Morgan co-directs the NSF Center for Climate and Energy Decision Making, and (with Jay Apt) the university's Electricity Industry Center.
Morgan is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. At the National Academies, he serves as the NAS co-chair of the Report Review Committee, and has chaired a variety of consensus studies. Morgan is a member of the board for the International Risk Governance Council Foundation, and of the Advisory Board for the E.ON Energy Research Center, RWTH Aachen. He is a member of the DOE's Electricity Advisory Committee, and of the Energy Advisory Committee of PNNL. In the past, he served as Chair of the Science Advisory Board of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and as Chair of the Advisory Council of the Electric Power Research Institute. He is a Fellow of the AAAS, the IEEE, and the Society for Risk Analysis. He holds a B.A. from Harvard College (1963), where he concentrated in physics, an M.S. in astronomy and space science from Cornell (1965), and a Ph.D. from the Department of Applied Physics and Information Sciences at the University of California at San Diego (1969).
Education
1968 Ph.D., Applied Physics and Information Science, University of California, San Diego
1965 MS, Astronomy and Space Science, Cornell University
1963 BA, Physics, Harvard College
Media mentions
CMU Engineering
Hubs: A step towards a hydrogen future?
Hydrogen is sometimes considered a secret ingredient in the recipe for a net-zero future. As a team of Carnegie Mellon researchers points out, hydrogen offers many advantages, but it’s not a panacea.
Carnegie Mellon University
Seven Engineering faculty awarded grants from Scott Institute
Seven faculty from the College of Engineering received project funding from this year’s Scott Institute Seed Grants.
Science
Morgan and Apt discuss the benefits of a mixed portfolio of low-carbon technology
Granger Morgan and Jay Apt discuss the benefits of a mixed portfolio of low-carbon technology in terms of reducing greenhouse gases as quickly as possible.
Earth.Org
Morgan and Karplus talk carbon capture facilities
EPP’s Granger Morgan and Valerie Karplus talk about streamlining the process of building carbon capture facilities with Earth.Org. “Right now you’re looking at 6 to 10 years and up to 12 years, potentially, to get through all of these regulatory steps,” Karplus says.
CMU Engineering
Quantifying barriers to establishing sequestration wells
Recent work from CMU researchers estimates the time required to develop, approve, and implement a carbon capture and sequestration site and provides insights into how this timeframe could be reduced.
ABC News
Morgan discusses Earth’s climate health with ABC News
ECE/EPP’s Granger Morgan discusses Earth’s climate health with ABC News. “Experts don’t agree on exactly where the limits are, or how much the planet’s different systems may interact, but we are getting dangerously close,” he says.
CMU Engineering
U.S. natural gas pipelines vulnerable to electric outages
Interdependencies between the natural gas and electric grids could cause cascading outages during hazardous events, particularly in California, the Midwest, the Gulf Coast, and the Eastern US.
CNN
Morgan discusses power grid security concerns
EPP’s Granger Morgan discusses the challenges of securing power facilities as physical attacks by domestic extremists increase. Given that high-voltage power lines and facilities are often nestled in remote locations, Morgan warns of the need to better protect the grid and make it more resilient to attacks.
CBS News
Morgan quoted on US power grid security
EPP’s Granger Morgan was quoted on the status of the US power grid in the wake of attacks on two of its substations in North Carolina in December 2022. “We’ve made a bit of progress, but the system is still quite vulnerable,” Morgan told CBS News. Morgan was also quoted on power grid security by USA Today.
Engineering and Public Policy
Morgan discusses North Carolina power grid attack
Engineering and public policy Professor Granger Morgan spoke with CBS News about the “deliberate” attack on two North Carolina substations that cut off power for more than 45,000 people.
the Manufacturing Futures Institute
Guiding the clean energy transition
MFI showcased the future of advanced manufacturing and sustainable practices during the Global Clean Energy Action Forum.
CMU Engineering
Engineering faculty featured in events at GCEAF
Many faculty from across the College of Engineering will be featured at events during this year’s Global Clean Energy Action Forum.