Shane Kosinski is the Executive Director of the Office of the Vice President for Energy and Climate at MIT. In this role, he leads the strategy and operations for the MIT Climate Project, the Institute’s flagship presidential priority, and its largest-ever direct investment in climate action. Shane is responsible for the organizational design, financial oversight, and cross-functional execution of the initiative, which integrates research and innovation to mobilize global climate investments.
A veteran leader in energy innovation, Shane joined MIT after nearly two decades of service within the federal government, most notably as a founding member and the first employee of the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E). As the agency’s long-standing Deputy Director for Operations (COO), he was instrumental in building the organization from its inception, ultimately overseeing a $460M+ annual R&D portfolio and managing the deployment of $4B in funding across nearly 2,000 high-impact projects.
To bridge the gap between laboratory breakthroughs and commercial-scale manufacturing, Shane co-created the ARPA-E SCALEUP program, a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to support pilot-scale validation and reduce risk for private investment. He also led the growth of the annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit, transforming it into a premier global event convening over 3,000 leaders from across government, academia, and industry.
Beyond his institutional leadership, Shane is a widely recognized for his work on the design and implementation of high-impact R&D frameworks. He is frequently sought after by international governments and U.S.-based organizations, including leading nonprofits and educational institutions, to advise on adapting the "ARPA model" to accelerate innovation. His expertise has informed national energy and climate goals in the United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, and Singapore, as well as domestic initiatives aimed at scaling science-policy integration.
Shane has been recognized with multiple U.S. Secretary of Energy’s Awards for management excellence and was selected as a 2022 Fellow of the European Union Visitors Programme (EUVP). He holds an M.A. in Economics from the University at Albany and a B.S. in Biological Sciences and Economics from Binghamton University. He began his career as a Presidential Management Fellow, serving in key roles at the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Energy.