Dr. Terry Surles is the Executive Vice President for R&D at the Desert Research Institute, the environmental research arm of the Nevada System of Higher Education.  In this capacity, Dr. Surles is part of the DRI President’s cabinet advising the President on policies, procedures, and strategic planning.  DRI conducts cutting-edge applied research in air, land and life, and water quality across Nevada, the United States and on every continent.  With more than 500 employees and two main campuses in Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada, DRI generates $50 million in total annual revenue.

Dr. Surles has held key positions in this field including being the Lead for Technology Integration and Policy Analysis at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, the Vice President, Electric Power Research Institute in California, and other leadership positions in the broad area of energy and environmental systems analysis, research, and development during his 30+ year career.  These include General Manager for Environmental Programs at Argonne National Laboratory, Associate Laboratory Director for Energy Programs at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Program Director for the California Energy Commission’s R&D program, Vice President for both Environment and Electricity Innovations at the Electric Power Research Institute, and Deputy Secretary for Science and Technology at Cal/EPA.  He has served or is serving on a number of national committees, including three appointments with the National Academy of Sciences, and has also worked with a number of Hawaii-based organizations in addition to PICHTR, including the Economic Development Alliance for Hawaii, Enterprise Honolulu, and the East-West Center.  He has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Michigan State University, and over 200 publications, technical reports, and presentations to his credit.