Eric Williams Headshot

Eric Williams

Professor

Department of Sustainability
Golisano Institute for Sustainability

585-475-7211
Office Location

Eric Williams

Professor

Department of Sustainability
Golisano Institute for Sustainability

Education

BA, Macalester College; Ph.D., State University of New York at Stony Brook

Bio

Dr. Eric Williams teaches courses in risk analysis and sustainable energy systems for the MS, Ph.D., and M.Arch. programs. His research interests include informing policies supporting energy technology development in areas such as technology progress forecasting, heterogeneity in consumer energy markets and thermodynamic limits of efficiency, and exergy (available energy) analysis. His research has played a role in environmental certifications for electronics and he has had the honor to testify before Congress on electronic waste. His students say that he has a way of making complex methods and ideas as real and understandable as everyday experiences. When Dr. Williams is not working with his students, he enjoys cycling, games, and science fiction.

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585-475-7211

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Areas of Expertise

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Journal Paper
Gaustad, Gabrielle, Eric Williams, and Alexandra Leader. "Rare earth metals from secondary sources: Review of potential supply from waste and byproducts." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 167. (2021): 105213. Print.
Williams, Eric, Vivekananda Das, and Andrew Fisher. "Assessing the Sustainability Implications of Autonomous Vehicles: Recommendations for Research Community Practice." Sustiainability 12. (2020): 1902. Web.
Das, Saptarshi, Eric Hittinger, and Eric Williams. "Learning is not Enough: Diminishing Marginal Revenues and Increasing Abatement Costs of Wind and Solar." Renewable Energy 156. (2020): 634-644. Print.
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Invited Article/Publication
Williams, Eric and Eric Hittinger. "Wind and Solar Profits: The Race Between Falling Costs and Declining Revenue." Green Tech Media. (2020). Web.
Hull, Clyde and Eric Williams. "The First Step in Managing Plastic Waste is Measuring it – Here’s how we did it for one Caribbean Country." TheConversation. (2020). Web.
Williams, Eric, Eric Hittinger, and Ashok Sekar. "Not all Consumers are Equal – In Terms of What they Save by Using Efficient Appliances." TheConversation. (2018). Web.
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Invited Keynote/Presentation
Williams, Eric. "Circular Economy of Electronics." International Society for Industrial Ecology (ISIE) Conference Americas 2020 Conference. PUCP. Lima, Peru. 7 Jun. 2020. Keynote Speech.
Williams, Eric. "How do we Decide What we Know? Epistemology Challenges in Sustainability Modeling." Engineering Sustainability 2019. University of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh, PA. 8 Apr. 2019. Keynote Speech.
Williams, Eric. "Recovering Rare Earth Metals from Waste." New York State Innovation Summit. NYSTAR. Rochester, New York. 27 Oct. 2019. Lecture.
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Book Chapter
Junginger, Martin, et al. "Onshore wind energy." Technological Learning in the Transition to a Low-Carbon Energy System. Ed. Martin Junginger and Atse Louwen. Amsterdam, Holland: Academic Press, 2019. 87-102. Print.
Williams, Eric. "Future Perspectives on Electronic Scrap." E-waste Management: From Waste to Resource. Ed. Ramzy Kahhat, Klaus Hieronymi, and Eric Williams. New York, NY: Routledge, 2012. 251-260. Print.
Williams, Eric. "Ultra-Purity, Thermodynamics and Energy Use: Case Study of Semiconductor Manufacturing." Thermodynamics and the Destruction of Resource. Ed. Bhavik Bakshi, Tim Gutowski, and Dusan Sekulic. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2011. 190-211. Print.
External Scholarly Fellowships/National Review Committee
8/1/2018 - 9/31/2019
     Ford Motor Company
     Amount: $20000
1/1/2019 - 12/31/2021
     National Science Foundation
     Amount: $298,713
7/1/2018 - 6/30/2021
     National Science Foundation
     Amount: $295,105
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Journal Editor
Williams, Eric, ed. Journal of Industrial Ecology. New Haven, CT: Wiley, 1997. Print.
Full Length Book
Kahhat, Ramzy, Klaus Hieronymi, and Eric Willilams. E-waste Management: From Waste to Resource. 1st ed. New York, NY: Routledge, 2012. Print.
Published Conference Proceedings
Williams, Eric, Ramzy Kahhat, and Shijnji Kaneko. "Bounding Scenario Analysis: A Case Study of Future Energy Demand of China's Steel Sector." Proceedings of the 2012 IEEE International Symposium on Sustainable Systems and Technology. Ed. Thomas Seager. Piscataway, NJ: IEEE, 2012. Print.
Williams, Eric, et al. "Bill of Attributes, Life Cycle Assessment and Materials Flows: Case Study of Laptop Computers." Proceedings of the Electronics Goes Green+ 2012. Ed. Nils Nillsen. Berlin, Germany: n.p., 2012. Web.

Currently Teaching

ISUS-699
0 Credits
The Sustainability Co-Op is designed to provide Capstone research experience for MS students or enhance the educational experience of PhD students through full-time employment.
ISUS-701
1 - 3 Credits
An independent project in sustainability not covered in the available courses. This project can be experimental research, literature review, or other appropriate work. This course requires a formal proposal and a faculty sponsor.
ISUS-718
3 Credits
Energy will play an increasingly vital role in economic, environmental and political developments around the world. This course first investigates the current trends in energy production, distribution, and consumption associated with the primary incumbent energy system technologies: fossil fuel combustion and nuclear power. An understanding of the economic, environmental and social limitations of these technologies will lead to analysis of the potential benefits of 3 key renewable technologies: solar (including wind), biomass and hydrogen/fuel cells. Potential paths to market penetration for these technologies will be introduced, including geographical variations expected to occur globally and within the United States.
ISUS-780
1 - 6 Credits
An independent project in sustainability serving as a capstone experience for students completing the non-thesis option. This course requires a formal proposal and a faculty sponsor.
ISUS-790
1 - 6 Credits
Independent research in sustainability leading to the completion of the MS thesis. This course requires a formal proposal and a faculty sponsor.
ISUS-791
0 Credits
MS or PhD students requiring additional time to complete their thesis
ISUS-806
3 Credits
This course examines risk identification, quantification, and management from the standpoint of the three key components of sustainability science (economics, environment, and society). Subjects include cost-benefit analysis, value of information, time value of money, basic decision analysis, value functions, monetizing challenges for ecosystem services, sustainability risk management, toxicological perspectives such as fate and transport and dose-response relationships, risk perception, ethical issues in risk quantification, and impact statements.
ISUS-807
1 - 9 Credits
Research in fulfillment of Sustainability Ph.D. dissertation or M.S. capstone requirements.
ISUS-877
0 Credits
The Research Internship is designed to enhance the educational experience of PhD students through full-time employment.
ISUS-890
1 - 9 Credits
Research fulfillment of Sustainability Ph.D. dissertation requirements.
MTSE-777
3 Credits
This course is a capstone project using research facilities available inside or outside of RIT.

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