September 01, 2011 
James "Jae" Edmonds named Battelle Fellow for distinguished work in climate research
RICHLAND, Wash. - Veteran economist Jae Edmonds has been named a Battelle Fellow, a rank shared by only 5 other Pacific Northwest National Lab scientists and engineers.
The honor acknowledges Edmonds, who's been at the D.O.E. Lab for 25 years, for his scientific accomplishments, leadership within PNNL and long record of service to national and international climate science communities. He conducts his research at the Joint Global Change Research Institute, a collaboration between PNNL and the University of Maryland in College Park, Md.
As a pioneer in the field of integrated assessment of energy and environment, Edmonds was one of the 1st researchers to link climate science to policy and decision-making. He developed computer models that explore the relationships between energy, technology, policy and the environment. Edmonds also showed that dramatic changes to the global energy system could happen in a cost-effective manner by combining different technological advancements and policy decisions.
In an important contribution in the 1990s, Edmonds showed that cumulative, not annual, carbon dioxide emissions determine the long-term concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. He also was one of the 1st researchers to show that changes in the way people use land on a large scale can have an enormous effect on carbon dioxide emissions.
Edmonds has worked with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, since it did its 1st Assessment in 1990. The IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.
He also leads the development of the Global Climate Assessment Model, or GCAM, which models human and natural Earth systems that assess economics, energy, and agriculture land use and their interactions with physical Earth systems such as the carbon cycle, atmospheric chemistry, climate and sea level over decades and centuries.
GCAM forms the base of one of 4 analyses in emissions modeling that the IPCC will use to assemble its 5th Assessment due out in 2012. GCAM's scenario, known as RCP 4.5, will be run by every climate modeling team conducting research for the 5th Assessment.
"Jae's leadership has ensured PNNL's presence at the most esteemed integrated assessment and climate-related conferences and collaborative meetings in the world. He has been called upon extensively by Executive Office of the President, the D.O.E., and the IPCC," said associate Lab director Doug Ray, who leads PNNL's Fundamental & Computational Sciences Directorate. "A true collaborator and mentor, Jae is preparing the next generation of PNNL scientists to follow in his footsteps, as shown by their significant roles in the IPCC."
Edmonds also is chief scientist for D.O.E. Office of Science's Integrated Assessment Modeling Program, and is the chief scientist at the Joint Global Change Research Institute. He has received service awards from the Department of State and DOE's Office of Science. He has testified before Congress at least 4 times on how advancements in energy technology can stabilize greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Edmonds holds doctorate and master's degrees in economics from Duke University and a bachelor's degree in economics from Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Mich.
The Joint Global Change Research Institute is a unique partnership formed in 2001 between the D.O.E.'s Pacific Northwest National Lab and the University of Maryland. The PNNL staff associated with the center are world renowned for expertise in energy conservation and understanding of the interactions between climate, energy production and use, economic activity and the environment.
Tags: Environment, Fundamental Science, Awards and Recognizes, Climate Change
Battelle is the world's biggest non-profit independent research and development organization. It advances scientific discovery and application by conducting $6.5 billion in global R&D annually through contract research, Lab management and technology commercialization. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle oversees 20,400 employees in in excess of 130 locations worldwide, including 7 national labs which Battelle manages or co-manages for the D.O.E..
Pacific Northwest National Lab is a D.O.E. Office of Science national Lab where interdisciplinary teams advance science and technology and deliver solutions to America's most intractable problems in energy, the environment and national security. PNNL employs 4,900 staff, has an yearly budget of nearly $1.1 billion, and has been managed by Ohio-based Battelle since the lab's inception in 1965. Follow PNNL on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
