After more than three decades of professional engagement in the clean energy field, Dr. Arvizu has become one of the world’s leading experts on renewable energy and sustainable energy. He has briefed the United States Congress numerous times and given state-of-technology presentations and keynote addresses at dozens of national and international conferences. As NREL’s laboratory director, he has established and implemented a new institutional strategy to position the lab for higher impact and contributions to national and global energy challenges. During his tenure as laboratory director, he has overseen an R&D budget with a contract value of over $2.5B including over $500M for new infrastructure improvements. NREL’s campus is one of the most sustainable energy efficient campuses in the United States, which includes NREL’s Research Support Facility, the largest net zero energy building in the world powered by 2.5 MW of solar photovoltaics.

In 2004, Dr. Arvizu was appointed by President George W. Bush for a six-year term on the National Science Board (NSB) and in 2010 was reappointed by President Barack Obama to a second 6-year term. In 2012, Dr. Arvizu was elected by his peers as Chairman of the NSB, which is the governing board of the National Science Foundation with an annual budget of $7.5B, and the national science policy advisory body to the President and Congress.

Dr. Arvizu has a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from New Mexico State University and a Master of Science degree and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.