Nanomanufacturing technology company Applied Materials Inc. of Santa Clara, Calif., announced the appointment of Alexander Karsner to its board of directors, effective immediately. Karsner will also serve on the board's strategy committee. For the past several years, Karsner served as assistant secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the US Department of Energy (DoE), managing the $1.72 billion federal applied science, research, development and deployment portfolio, which promotes marketplace integration of renewable and environmentally-sound energy technologies. Karsner was a principal contributor to the UN-sponsored climate change negotiations, the major economies meetings, and the Asia Pacific Partnership on behalf of the US, and helped establish the “Bali Roadmap” toward achieving a post-2012 global framework accord on energy security and emissions reduction. He led efforts to implement the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to reduce America’s dependency on oil, change federal procurement, and elevate standards for energy efficiency. Before joining the DoE, Karsner worked in the private sector as an international infrastructure developer and energy entrepreneur managing and financing large-scale power projects around the world. His experience encompasses technologies and fuel sources including oil, natural gas, coal, wind, solar and biomass. He was managing director of Enercorp LLC, a private company involved in international project development, management and financing of renewable energy infrastructure. Karsner has also worked with Tondu Energy Systems of Texas, Wartsila Power Development of Finland and other multinational energy firms and developers.
Photosensitizers