Alexis R. Abramson

Alexis R. Abramson
Dean of Columbia Climate School
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2025
Personal details
Born	Cleveland, Ohio
Education	Tufts University (BS, MS) University of California, Berkeley (PhD)
Website	Alexis Abramson

Alexis R. Abramson is an American mechanical engineer and the current dean of the Columbia Climate School, starting January 1, 2025.[1] From 2019 to 2024, she served as the 13th dean of Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College.[2][3]

Education and career

Alexis R. Abramson earned her bachelor of science and master of science degrees in mechanical engineering from Tufts University and her PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.[4][5]

Abramson joined the Columbia Climate School at Columbia University in January 2025 as its 2nd dean. Previously, Abramson served as dean of Thayer School of Engineering (Dartmouth Engineering) from 2019 to 2024. She was the second woman ever to hold this position in the engineering school's more than 150-year history.[2]

Prior to Dartmouth, she was the Milton and Tamar Maltz Professor of Energy Innovation at Case Western Reserve University, where she had served on the mechanical and aerospace engineering faculty since 2003.[6] During her time at Case Western Reserve, Abramson served in a variety of leadership roles, including as director of the Case Western Reserve's Great Lakes Energy Institute and as interim chair of the university's electrical engineering and computer science department.

In addition, Abramson has served in a number of roles outside of the university. During President Obama's administration, Abramson was chief scientist and manager of the Emerging Technologies Division at the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies Program, which invests in research, development, and commercialization of energy-efficient and cost-effective building technologies that are within five years of being market-ready. In 2018, she served as a technical adviser for Breakthrough Energy Ventures. From 2006 to 2009, she served as Executive Director of the Nano-Network and Vice President for Technology Innovation at NorTech, where she leveraged technology development and commercialization opportunities at companies and academic institutions in the region.[7]

Abramson is also one of the co-founders of Edifice Analytics, a Cleveland Heights-based company that has developed technology to conduct building energy audits virtually using smart-meter data.[8][9]

Honors and awards

• Executive Leadership in Academic Technology and Engineering (ELATE) Fellowship (2014)[10]
• Mather Spotlight Prize from Case Western Reserve University (2012)[11]
• National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2005–2010)[12]

References

1. "Alexis Abramson Appointed Next Dean of the Columbia Climate School". Columbia University Office of the President. August 19, 2024.
2. Silverstein, Hannah (April 1, 2019). "Alexis Abramson Named Dean of Thayer School of Engineering". Dartmouth News. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
3. Bamforth, Emily (April 1, 2019). "Co-director of Great Lakes Energy Institute leaves for Dartmouth dean position". Cleveland.com. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
4. "Alexis R. Abramson". engineering.dartmouth.edu. Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
5. "Alexis Abramson". linkedin.com. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
6. "Case School of Engineering to Honor 12 Endowed Professorships". Case Western Reserve University. March 14, 2017. Archived from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
7. Guth, Douglas J. (July 19, 2007). "Cleveland professor embraces 'science of small' technology". Cleveland Jewish News. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
8. "Case Western Reserve completes license option with 'spinout' company Edifice Analytics Inc". Mirage News. June 19, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
9. McCafferty, Rachel Abbey (June 19, 2020). "CWRU completes license option with spinout company Edifice Analytics". Crain's Cleveland Business. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
10. "Dartmouth Engineering: Alexis Abramson". Dartmouth Engineering. April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
11. "Mather Prize Winners 2005—2013". case.edu. Flora Stone Mather Center for Women: Case Western Reserve University. June 4, 2019. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
12. "Alexis R. Abramson". irving.dartmouth.edu. Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society. Retrieved August 17, 2020.