Young-Doo Wang, retired professor and associate director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Delaware’s Biden School of Public Policy and Administration, passed away on July 29, 2021.

An internationally recognized scholar in the field of energy and environmental policy, he also served as director of the center’s Graduate Energy and Environmental Policy Program (ENEP).

Calling Dr. Wang “a true interdisciplinary scholar who focused on policy issues of global importance,” Dan Rich, professor emeritus in the Biden School, said he made exceptional contributions to the University. “He conducted ground-breaking research in the fields of energy policy, climate change policy and sustainable development,” Rich said. “His publications have influenced policies at all levels, local to global. He helped establish the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy and played a key role in its development. He was the long-time director of the Energy and Environmental Policy graduate program, recognized as one of the leading programs in the world.

“Quiet and unassuming, he was an extraordinary mentor to students from all over the world, many of whom went on to become leaders in their own nations and for international agencies,” Rich added. “Young-Doo shunned the limelight, but his contributions were enormous and he enriched the lives of all those who were fortunate to know him.”

John Byrne, Distinguished Professor of Energy and Climate Policy and director of the Center for Energy and Environmental, said, “Prof. Wang taught, researched and advised graduate students in the field of energy and environmental policy for more than 40 years at the University. He served as associate director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy from its inception and was director of the Graduate Program for Energy and Environmental Policy from 2002 to 2014. He served on more than 100 master's and Ph.D. research guidance committees, and chaired 40 dissertations to successful defense.

“When Prof. Wang's passing became known, my inbox was flooded with emails from around the world,” Byrne said. “His many colleagues and many, many former students wrote about the loss to the field. He is the coauthor of a paper that set the sustainable and equitable cap on worldwide greenhouse gas emissions per capita. It remains in use today as the science-based policy standard to gauge the extent of human effort needed to solve the problem. I had the privilege to be part of the writing team, which also included Dr. Hoesung Lee, the current chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. During his tenure as director of the ENEP program, it assumed a leading role in graduate study throughout the world, with an independent committee of international scholars rating the Delaware program among the three best in its field.

“Everyone also wrote about their personal loss on hearing of Young-Doo's passing,” Byrne said. “The common refrain – ‘he was a true gentleman scholar, the kindest man I have ever known.’ I agree. There will never be another Young-Doo, but his lessons for living and for environmental justice and sustainability will never die. ‘Wang’ means king in Korean. Long live our King.”

Dr. Wang served as a member of the External Research and Technical Advisory Board (ERTAB) of the National Science Foundation. A member of the editorial board of the Korean Journal of Policy Development, he was an associate editor of Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, published by Wiley & Sons.

His work was funded by the World Bank, the W. Alton Jones Foundation, the Blue Moon Fund, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Korea Energy Economics Institute and the Korea Electricity Power Corp., among others.

Dr. Wang’s recent books included Energy Revolution: 21st Century Energy and Environmental Strategy, published by the Maeil Business Newspaper and Water Conservation-Oriented Rates: Strategies to Extend Supply, Promote Equity and Meet Minimum Flow Levels, published by the American Water Works Association.

He published more than 150 research articles in the areas of energy, environment and sustainable development.

Dr. Wang earned a bachelor’s degree in economic geography and a master’s degree in city and regional planning at Seoul National University. He also earned a master’s degree in international urbanization and public policy at Clark University and his doctorate in urban studies at UD.

A memorial service for Dr. Wang was held Aug. 2, 2021, at the Delaware Korean United Methodist Church in Hockessin, where he was an elder.