Jae Yong Suk, professor of design and director of the California Lighting Technology Center, has been named the Arthur H. Rosenfeld Chair in Energy Efficiency at the University of California, Davis.
The endowment helps the chair holder promote the mission to develop and commercialize energy-efficient technologies, teach future leaders in energy efficiency, and conduct critical policy-supporting research.
“This is a well-deserved recognition of Professor Suk’s many contributions, including research that has helped shape policy, impactful grant work and his dedication to creating meaningful learning opportunities for students at CLTC,” said Jiayi Young, a professor of design and chair of the department.
The position honors the legacy of Arthur H. Rosenfeld who is considered the “father of energy efficiency.” The late Rosenfeld was a founding advisory board member of the UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute, a professor emeritus of physics at UC Berkeley, co-founder and former director of the Center for Building Science at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a former California Energy Commissioner.
“This recognition reflects the collaborative work of colleagues, students, and partners across California and beyond,” Suk said. “I am honored to carry forward Arthur Rosenfeld’s legacy by advancing energy efficiency through research, education, and real-world partnerships, while expanding our vision to include integrated smart building controls technologies. Together, we will continue to develop and scale solutions that support decarbonization and resilience.”
Working closely with the California Energy Commission, utilities, industry partners and international research institutes, Suk leads initiatives that accelerate innovation, inform energy policy, and advance California’s decarbonization and resilience goals.
His research focuses on human comfort, building energy efficiency and controls, indoor environmental quality, decarbonization and light pollution. He previously served as the California Lighting Technology Center’s faculty co-director from 2022-2025. In 2025, he was named as the center’s director.
An accomplished researcher, professor and internationally recognized lighting designer, Suk has published more than 60 peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, guidebooks and research articles, winning two best paper awards at international conferences. He’s won 15 design awards from organizations like the International Association of Lighting Designers, the Illuminating Engineering Society, the Professional Lighting Design Convention and the American Institute of Architects.
Prior to joining UC Davis, Suk was an associate professor at the School of Architecture and Planning at The University of Texas at San Antonio, teaching classes about sustainable architectural design and energy efficient building systems. He earned a Ph.D. in architecture from University of Southern California.
The Arthur H. Rosenfeld Chair was endowed by more than 70 individuals and organizations, including Pacific Gas & Electric Company, Sempra Energy, California Edison, the California Clean Energy Fund, Chevron, ClimateWorks Foundation, Exelon Corporation, Goldman Sachs, Power Integrations Inc., and Wendy and Eric Schmidt.
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