Director, CMU-Africa
Raymond J. Lane Distinguished University Professor, Engineering and Public Policy, Mechanical Engineering
Associate Dean for International Programs in Africa, College of Engineering
Director, Center for Air, Climate and Energy Solutions
Allen L. Robinson is the Director of Carnegie Mellon University Africa and Raymond J. Lane Distinguished University Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and a professor within the Department of Engineering and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. He is the director of the EPA-funded Center for Air, Climate, and Energy Solutions (CACES). He also serves as Associate Dean for International Programs in Africa.
Robinson’s research examines technical and policy issues related to the impact of emissions from energy systems on air quality and climate. His activities include process-oriented field and laboratory experiments, development and evaluation of mathematical models to describe atmospheric processes, exposure characterization, and the application of models for policy analysis and decision making. He teaches courses on graduate and undergraduate courses on thermodynamics, atmospheric chemistry, air pollution control, climate change mitigation, combustion, and air quality engineering.
Robinson joined Carnegie Mellon in 1998 after working for two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Combustion Research Facility at Sandia National Laboratories. In 2009-2010, Robinson was a visiting faculty fellow at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder. In 2012 he was a professor at Colorado State University in the Departments of Atmospheric Science and Mechanical Engineering, before returning to Carnegie Mellon as department head of Mechanical Engineering.
Robinson received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in Mechanical Engineering in 1996 and his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Stanford University in 1990. Robinson received the George Tallman Ladd Outstanding Young Faculty Award from Carnegie Mellon University in 2000, the Ahrens Career Development Chair in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2005, the Raymond J. Lane Distinguished Professorship in 2013, and the American Geophysical Union ASCENT award in 2015. He is also the former president and an elected fellow of the American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR).
1996 Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
1993 MS, Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
1990 BS, Civil Engineering, Stanford University
CMU Engineering
Funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will bring together academia, government, and the private sector to make digital financial services more accessible.
CMU-Africa
The African Engineering and Technology Network, led by CMU-Africa, awarded six planning grants to research collaborations that will lead to socio-economic impact and focus on driving inclusive digital growth on the continent.
Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering
The College of Engineering published its Spring/Summer 2022 magazine issue. The issue features CMU-Africa's Allen Robinson, Gbemi Disu, and Sandra Malaika and alumna Ayobami Esther Olanrewaju.
Mechanical Engineering
Allen Robinson was elected an American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) Fellow for his outstanding achievements and contributions that push the frontiers of science forward.
Chemical Engineering
Following the oil spill off the coast of Southern California, ChemE looks at different techniques used during past and present clean-up efforts.
CMU Engineering
Allen Robinson has been named the next director of CMU-Africa, effective January 1, 2022.
CMU Engineering
First nationwide ultrafine particle study paves the way for understanding health effects and revisiting government regulation.
Pennsylvania Capital-Star
MechE Head Allen Robinson published an opinion piece in the Pennsylvania Capital-Star on the importance of closing loopholes when regulating methane emissions.
Mechanical Engineering
“We tell our students that we’re preparing them to solve real world challenges... and this is as real as it gets.” The latest issue of MechE Magazine reflects on a year of agility and resilience with optimism for the future.
Shared Air
MechE Head Allen Robinson was a guest on Shared Air, a podcast created by MechE’s Albert Presto and Rose Eilenberg. The episode, named “Shale gas, revisited,” explores hydraulic fracking, methane leakage, aging infrastructure, air quality, and more.
U.S. News & World Report
MechE Head Allen Robinson was quoted in U.S. News & World Report on what a student can do with a mechanical engineering degree.
American Association for Aerosol Research
MechE Head Allen Robinson has been awarded the AAAR David Sinclair award.