Jonathan Bean, PhD

Director, Institute for Energy Solutions
a program of the Arizona Institute for Resilience

Associate Professor of Architecture & Sustainable Built Environments

College of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Planning

I work at the intersection of climate research, professional education, and applied practice — building partnerships, teaching future practitioners, and translating research into public value across universities, government agencies, utilities, and communities.

Explore my work across three interconnected areas:

Practice+Partnerships

Applied climate and energy initiatives, partnerships, and convening.

Teaching+Learning

Teaching and curriculum focused on applied climate and built-environment challenges.

Writing+Ideas

Writing and research on technology, institutions, and climate.

What I work on

Applied climate & sustainability practice

Designing initiatives that move research into policy, programs, and implementation.

Example: Resilient Southwest.

Cross-sector partnerships & convening

Building coalitions across universities, cities, utilities, nonprofits, and federal agencies.

Examples: SymBER and Building Innovation Connections Summit

Place-based climate challenges

Advancing heat resilience, building decarbonization, energy systems, and community-scale infrastructure.

Example: SunBlock distributed district energy

Public communication & translation

Making complex climate and energy issues legible to non-expert audiences.

Example: writing for The Conversation.

Selected Work & Impact

Institute for Energy Solutions (a program of the Arizona Institute for Resilience)

I lead by connecting faculty expertise with cities, utilities, national labs, and public agencies to advance climate and energy initiatives.

Resilient & Efficient Code Implementation (U.S. DOE + partners)

Secured and structured funding to support multi-jurisdictional efforts translating building science into code adoption, training, and implementation.

Completing the Circuit

Co-authored a nationally scoped effort connecting building decarbonization, workforce development, and grid-interactive efficient buildings, providing actionable frameworks for policymakers, utilities, and practitioners.

Symposium on Building Energy Research & Building Innovation Connections

Conceived and convened national gatherings aligning researchers, policymakers, and practitioners around decarbonization and resilience.

Comfort at the Extremes Conference (May 27-29, 2026)

Leading development of a national conference focused on thermal safety, climate resilience, and energy systems under extreme conditions.

Practice+Partnerships

I build and sustain applied climate and energy initiatives that connect university research with cities, utilities, public agencies, and community partners.

Teaching+Learning

My teaching centers on learning-by-doing, using studios, competitions, and real-world projects to prepare students to work on climate and built-environment challenges.

Writing+Ideas

Through public writing and scholarship, I explore how technology, institutions, and markets shape climate, energy, and professional practice.

In the News

Interviews & Media Mentions

TV: UA professors win prize for robotic technology that addresses climate change, labor shortage

Interviewer: Shaley Sanders/KOLD, November 1, 2021

Radio Interview: Are Buildings the 'Elephant in the Room' when it comes to meeting climate change goals?

Interviewer: Mark Brody/The Show, KJZZ (Phoenix), August 18, 2021

Quoted: Air Conditioners Might Be One Water Source of Our Urban Future

by Chris Malloy, Bloomberg City Lab, May 11, 2021

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