Carlos Coimbra

Associate director, Center for Energy Research

Co-director, Center for Renewable Research Integration

Carlos Coimbra received his Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of California, Irvine. He joined the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego in July 2011, and is now the co-director of the Center for Excellence in Renewable Resource Integration and an associate director of the Center for Energy Research.

Coimbra explores the intersection between experimental, theoretical and fieldwork methods to analyze and develop new technologies to harvest solar power in its diverse forms (direct, wind, hydro). He uses a network of solar observatories distributed throughout several University of California campuses to harvest valuable ground data to be used in forecasting simulations with time horizons varying from seconds to multiple days. He is particularly interested in the development of highly nonlinear, evolutionary stochastic models for chaotic processes, and linking this knowledge to the development and active control of receiver-to-storage solar and wind systems.