Innovative, groundbreaking research is at the heart of CLASP’s mission to make appliances ‘planet neutral’ and ‘people positive’. We leverage tools and analyses to bolster insights and drive impact with decision-makers, partners, and in communication campaigns. CLASP recently integrated our climate and clean energy access research teams in support of these efforts, with the expanded mandate of climate adaptation, equity, and environmental justice and protection. Meet our new team!

Ari Reeves now serves as CLASP’s new Senior Director of Research, following his leading role in VeraSol, the quality assurance program for off-grid solar solutions. With CLASP since 2013, Ari’s expertise spans international collaboration to cut carbon through appliance efficiency under the SEAD initiative, to expanding access to energy for vulnerable communities through solar-powered appliances and productive use equipment.

“In my nearly ten years at CLASP, I have had the pleasure to watch the organization become a leader in the climate and clean energy sectors, leveraging effective interventions to strengthen the impact of high-quality appliances,” said Ari. “I am looking forward to working with our talented team to integrate our research portfolios and achieve critical impacts at the intersection of people and the planet.”

In the upcoming year, Ari is most excited for his team to demonstrate how a reduced reliance on fossil fuels provides a more sustainable and equitable path forward for the international community. Ari hopes to leverage a united research team to bolster public awareness of game-changing technologies and provide crucial evidence in favor of their mass deployment in markets around the world.

Makena Ireri is stepping up into the new position of Director of Clean Energy Access Research. For years, Makena’s passion and intellect have established her as a leader in the clean energy access sector. From overseeing research for the Efficiency for Access Coalition to advancing sector-wide metrics, Makena will bring her deep knowledge and expertise to an evolving research team.

Given the scale and urgency of achieving universal energy access by 2030 (SDG7), Makena is excited to begin developing a method to prioritize our energy access work to do the most good. She believes that CLASP can amplify collective efforts to meet the scale of the energy access challenge through a data-driven and evolving method to maximize our impacts.

“Data and insight are the foundations for objectively understanding the challenges of becoming planet neutral while advancing people’s energy access. They help us innovate solutions and measure our impact and progress towards achieving those impacts. That’s what I love about our work,” said Makena.

Matt Malinowski is officially joining the research team as Director of Climate Research. Since joining CLASP in 2019, Matt has brought his depth of skill in game-changing analyses and tool development to the climate conversation, including leading the creation and upkeep of Mepsy, CLASP’s climate impact calculator. Matt also demonstrates a strong, collaborative spirit with partners in pursuing sector-leading research, such as the 2021 3H Hybrid Heat Pump report.

“I’m excited to bring my passion for engineering and modeling together with the team’s talent for policy research. Together, we will identify the biggest opportunities for climate mitigation impact across the world,” said Matt.

Matt is looking forward to empowering policymakers to take ambitious action on climate change with the most of-the-minute data from CLASP’s research and Mepsy tool – a critical effort as countries work to meet climate commitments.

Lauren Boucher will continue her role as Research Manager, leading projects across CLASP’s climate mitigation, adaptation and clean energy access portfolios. Lauren brings over five years of experience in research and program monitoring and evaluation, most recently publishing a paper on the state of appliance efficiency in nationally determined contributions that provides recommendations for governments as they revise commitments ahead of COP27.

“The growth in CLASP’s research team comes at an important time. The window to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals is narrowing. It’s increasingly important to identify and prioritize the interventions that can deliver the greatest benefit to people and planet,” said Lauren. “A fully-staffed team means CLASP can better identify new strategic, high-value opportunities within its mandate at the speed needed to meet our climate and development goals.”

In the upcoming year, Lauren is looking forward to diving into her research on equity. Her efforts aim to demonstrate the benefits of standards for historically marginalized communities and identify new opportunities to center energy policy and programs on inclusion.

Shirin Mavandad will continue in her role as a Research Associate. Since joining CLASP last year, Shirin has been a rising star in data analysis, leveraging her background in policy research and design to offer key insights into CLASP’s work.

“Working on the research team excites me as it allows me to dip my toes in both the climate and access program work, while also problem-solving using interdisciplinary methods alongside a team of really smart individuals,” said Shirin.

Shirin is excited to collaborate with members of the team on upcoming projects, especially new research on the benefits of appliance efficiency standards for environmental justice efforts.

The Research Team plays a critical role directing and furthering our mission. Explore our research library to keep up to date with our sector leading data and analysis.