Expertise

Topics:  Strategy, Political Economy, Globalization, Energy, Economic Development, Climate Change, Biotechnology, Asia, China, Economic Modeling, Emerging Markets, Environmental Economics, International Management, Resource Management, Sustainability, Water

Industries: Government Relations, Public Policy, Energy

Karplus studies resource and environmental management in organizations operating in diverse national and industry contexts, with a focus on the role of institutions and management practices in explaining performance. Areas of expertise include regional approaches to low carbon transition, decarbonization of global corporate supply chains, and the integrated design and evaluation of energy, air quality, and climate policies. Karplus has taught courses on public policy analysis, global business strategy and organization, entrepreneurship, and the political economy of energy transitions. At CMU, she runs the Laboratory for Energy and Organizations at the CMU Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation.

Media Experience

Pittsburgh’s AI-Powered Renaissance  — CMU News
"Pittsburgh brings the past, present, and future together in exciting ways, especially at the intersecting frontiers of AI and energy. Our energy and manufacturing capabilities, brought together with our deep strengths in AI and computing at our universities and in our emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems, turbocharge the region's ability to lead in clean energy innovation, to the benefit of our workers, communities, and the nation. CMU’s Scott Institute for Energy Innovation and Engineering and Public Policy Department are proudly engaged in campus and community-wide collaboration to realize this ambitious vision."

Healthy Spaces Podcast: Season 4, Episode 10 - Building Zero  — Healthy Spaces Podcast
Trane Technologies VP of Sustainability Scott Tew sits down with Dr. Valerie Karplus, Ph.D. of the Scott Institute for Energy and Innovation at Carnegie Mellon University to discuss the importance of partnerships and research in developing and meeting ambitious sustainability targets.

CMU Researchers and Collaborators Kick Off INDABA Partnership on Decarbonizing Industry  — Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation
“Prior to the start of the partnership, the academic collaborators and industry partners had been working in parallel towards the shared goal of finding viable decarbonization pathways,” said Karplus. “The meeting was filled with ‘aha!’ moments as we explored common interests and new research opportunities.”

'Retirement present': Outgoing Congressman Mike Doyle celebrates  — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Each secondary industry has an opportunity to figure out where the carbon is in their processes and kind of think through what changes are needed to reduce that carbon,” said Valerie Karplus, professor of engineering and public policy at CMU. “These types of investments can pay off as the world moves toward a low carbon system.”

Decoupling Won’t Kill a Green Future | Opinion  — Foreign Affairs
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the debate over U.S. economic “decoupling” from China into stark relief. Former President Donald Trump made the curtailment of economic ties with China a cornerstone of his trade policy, citing concerns about China’s handling of intellectual property rights, currency manipulation, and other unfair trade practices. Then came the pandemic, which found U.S. manufacturers at the mercy of distant and overstretched supply chains.

The Paths to Net Zero | Opinion  — Foreign Affairs
For 30 years, diplomats and policymakers have called for decisive action on climate change—and for 30 years, the climate crisis has grown worse. There are a multitude of reasons for this failure. The benefits of climate action lie mostly in the future, they are diffuse and hard to pin down, and they will accrue above all to poor populations that do not have much of a voice in politics, whether in those countries that emit most of the world’s warming pollution or at the global level.

Reducing China’s CO2 Emissions Would Curb Deadly Air Pollution in the U.S.  — Scientific American
"It reminds us that air pollution doesn't stop at national boundaries," said Valerie Karplus, a co-leader of the study and an assistant professor of global economics and management at MIT.