Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, was recently awarded the Carnot Prize for his “distinguished contributions to energy policy.” The Carnot Prize is awarded by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at Penn’s School of Design.

“We honor Fatih Birol for guiding the complex and politically fraught process of global collaboration on energy policy,” Penn President Amy Gutmann said. “Dr. Birol is steadily advancing inclusivity and equity by expanding the IEA’s role beyond primarily ‘first world’ interests to encompass a much broader global community.”

“I am extremely honored by this distinction, which celebrates a forefather of the energy revolution, a mathematician and scientist Nicolas Sadi Carnot,” Dr. Birol said. “Carnot’s work has helped improve our understanding of energy efficiency, a topic to which we are very much attached at the IEA. It’s a special pleasure to be in the company of Penn students who will be the future leaders of our industry.”

Dr. Birol will put his $25,000 in prize money toward IEA’s collaborative efforts with Clean Energy Ministerial, specifically their Women in Clean Energy Initiative.

In addition, a new graduate fellowship at the International Energy Agency was named in honor of Dr. Birol.