Dr. Carlos Martín Named Vice President for Research and Policy Engagement

Resources for the Future (RFF) is pleased to announce that Carlos Martín, a preeminent expert on climate impacts, mitigation, equity, and adaptation in the housing sector, will be RFF’s next Vice President for Research and Policy Engagement. He will transition into the role by January 2025.

“I am so excited to join RFF in this capacity,” Martín said. “I have worked with researchers here for many years and in fields that have been shaped by the work conducted here. I am honored to not only be a part of RFF, but to lead research efforts during such a critical time for our planet’s future. Climate resilience and emissions-reduction efforts have never felt so pressing—and I will do my part to make sure that RFF is finding solutions to these complicated problems.”

For over 25 years, Martín has led research and policy engagement in the fields of energy efficiency, climate mitigation and adaptation, and disaster management and recovery. He is renowned for his work on energy and environmental justice in relation to housing construction, design, and quality, as well as related social and land policy. He will bring to RFF a strong background of overseeing rigorous, policy-relevant work at the state and national level and a deep understanding of the world of Washington, DC think tanks.

Martín comes to RFF from Harvard University, where he is and will continue to guide the Remodeling Futures Program through the university’s Joint Center for Housing Studies. He was previously a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, David Rubenstein Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and an assistant staff vice president at the National Association of Home Builders. He has also held positions at Arizona State University and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Martín has been a university fellow at RFF since October 2023. He has served on multiple National Academies committees, as well as the Board on Energy and Environmental Systems.

His selection was the result of a months-long national search following Billy Pizer’s promotion from Vice President for Research and Policy Engagement to President and CEO in May.

“I speak from experience when I say that the Vice President for Research and Policy Engagement is an integral role to the success of RFF,” Pizer said. “There are so many traits that this person must possess—good management skills, a keen strategic eye, and attention to detail while not losing sight of the big picture. Carlos has all these traits and more. He also brings topical research expertise that is great for RFF. I have no doubt that he is the right leader to spearhead our rigorous research and policy engagement efforts to inform critical climate and energy decisions into the future. I look forward to working with him.”