Ariane Beck

Ariane’s work focuses on sociotechnical systems, diffusion of innovation, decision-making, and the gap between technological solutions and adoption in the context of the energy transition. Previously, she was a research fellow in the Energy Systems Transformation Research Group (EST) at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. She studied how interactions between the underlying social, behavioral, economic, and technological components of the energy system impact the diffusion of residential clean energy technologies and how information channels can accelerate the diffusion process. Ariane has managed nearly $30 million in DOE projects throughout her career. She has spent nearly two decades studying novel and innovative technologies, first as a semiconductor device engineer, then through smart grid demonstration and research management, and currently through a policy and innovation diffusion lens. Ariane has over 60 peer-reviewed papers and conference proceedings and formerly served as the Assistant Department Chair for the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at The University of Texas at Austin. She received her PhD, MS, and BS in Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, with a research focus on optoelectronics and wide-bandgap semiconductors.