Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
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Edgar Virgüez
Research Engineer
BioEdgar Virgüez is a Research Engineer in the Department of Energy Science & Engineering at Stanford University, where his work advances sustainable, low-carbon energy systems. His findings have resulted in more than 40 scholarly outputs that have garnered over 900 citations in leading journals, including Energy & Environmental Science, Environmental Science & Technology, Nature Cities, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S., & Science. In recognition of his expertise, Dr. Virgüez serves on the Editorial Board of the Environmental Research: Energy journal, and regularly reviews manuscripts for 15 journals (e.g., Nature Communications, Nature Sustainability).
Beyond his individual scholarship, Dr. Virgüez serves as Managing Director of the $23 million U.S. Department of Energy-funded EARNEST Consortium, a landmark initiative led by Stanford University. This effort brings together 18 universities, three national laboratories, and two research organizations to identify and advance solutions for the future of the U.S. electricity system. Beyond EARNEST, he has collaborated with organizations such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, contributing expertise in life cycle assessment, cost-benefit analysis, and decarbonization strategies for governments and utilities across the Americas.
Globally, Dr. Virgüez contributes to major energy and climate initiatives. Since 2024, he has served as an Expert Advisor to the Earthshot Prize, founded by Prince William, reviewing nominations in the Fix Our Climate category and assessing their potential for innovation, impact, and scalability toward an annual $1.25 million award. He also serves in expert advisory roles for institutions such as Schmidt Sciences, evaluating large-scale research programs advancing scalable decarbonization and energy systems solutions, and provides expert review on energy-related reports for global organizations, including the International Energy Agency.
For his professional contributions, Dr. Virgüez has received more than 20 awards totaling $34,365. Among his most notable honors, he was recognized by the American Geophysical Union with the Science for Solutions Award (2025), honoring significant scientific contributions to address societal challenges, and received the K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award (2020) from the Association of American Colleges and Universities, a national distinction recognizing exceptional rising scholars demonstrating strong promise as future higher education leaders. As an educator, Dr. Virgüez has taught 17 courses to ~600 students, with consistently outstanding evaluations validating his teaching excellence. This achievement was formally recognized with the Graduate School Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2021) from Duke University.
In 2022, he was elected as a Young Trustee to the Board of Trustees of Duke University, the institution’s highest governing body. During his three-year term, he served on committees for Graduate and Professional Education and Research, External Engagement, Honorary Degrees, and the Young Trustee Nominating Committee, which he chaired for one year. He currently sits on the Climate Commitment Campaign Advocates Board, where he advises the university on the major philanthropic initiative on climate change.
Dr. Virgüez holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and Policy with a Certificate in College Teaching (2022) and an M.A. in Environment with a Geospatial Analysis Certificate (2018) from Duke University, along with an M.Sc. in Environmental Engineering (2010) and a dual B.Sc. degree in Chemical and Environmental Engineering (2009) from Universidad de los Andes. He has also completed professional certificates in Australia, the United States, and Colombia, and has received more than $795,000 in scholarships and fellowships from competitive programs sponsored by institutions such as the Sloan Foundation.
