Kevin Hsu
Kevin Fan Hsu has worked on clean energy and sustainable development initiatives on both sides of the Pacific. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in Infrastructure and Climate Planning, with a focus on strategies to make our ongoing climate transition more equitable, inclusive, and democratic. His current research looks at measures to accelerate the delivery of climate infrastructure, while still ensuring respect for community rights. A key dimension of this work involves assessing how federal climate/energy policies are implemented by cities and states, and evaluating the degree to which local communities share in the benefits of public works and green economy initiatives.
Climate Planning Forum: Kevin is an organizer of the MIT Climate Planning Forum, a cross-departmental initiative that brings together researchers, practitioners, and advocates to discuss climate planning (with a focus on policy formulation and real-world implementation).
Infrastructure x Equity: Kevin co-founded Infrastructure x Equity, a group that works with government officials, green businesses, and development professionals to transform how infrastructure projects are delivered for present and future generations. An ongoing initiative explores how cities and companies can partner to make the green economy work for local communities. The recent publication, "Better Neighbors: Improving the Local Green Economy Ecosystem" discusses key challenges that are arising as as battery and energy storage companies expand their manufacturing footprint in Bay Area cities, and promising directions for addressing them.
Professional Experience
Kevin was previously a Lecturer at Stanford University's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school) and Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, where he taught classes such as International Urbanization, Civic Design, and Understand Energy. He continues to work with Stanford's Understand Energy team to make energy education available to a global audience. He collaborated with faculty at the University of Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Tsinghua University to deliver an annual "Public Space Bootcamp" in Hong Kong.
From 2018-2021, Kevin led the Resilience/Sustainability Research Cluster at the Centre for Liveable Cities in Singapore, a division of the Ministry of National Development. He concurrently served as a research fellow at the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the nation's land-use planning and conservation agency, where he developed digital tools for sustainability with the Digital Planning Lab. While in Singapore, he collaborated with the National Heritage Board to explore how efforts to safeguard built heritage and promote cultural continuity intersect with national priorities in sustainability and resilience.
As an urban scientist with The Walt Disney Company beginning in 2015, Kevin bridged the study of cities with energy infrastructure, community mobility, and human-centered design. The projects involved extensive fieldwork in Disney's Shanghai and Hong Kong properties. A proud alum of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) family, he has worked on climate and energy issues with Barbara Finamore.
Education
Kevin holds an M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, B.S. in Earth Systems, and B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University, and an M.A. in Cultural Heritage Management from Johns Hopkins University. He is an MIT Presidential Fellow.
Fellowships
MIT Presidential Fellowship
AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowship
Clean Energy Leadership Institute (CELI) Fellowship
Schneider-MAP Fellowship
Gates Cambridge Scholarship, Scholar-Elect
Organizations
MIT Climate Planning Forum
MIT DUSP Students of Color Coalition
Stanford Asian Pacific American Alumni Club (SAPAAC), Board Member and Former President
