Executive In Residence in the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability

Associate, Duke Science & Society

Tim Profeta is a senior fellow at Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability and an associate professor of the practice at the Sanford School of Public Policy, with expertise in climate change and energy policy, the Clean Air Act, and adaptive use of environmental law. He returned to Duke in 2023 after serving at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as special counsel for the power sector and a senior advisor, where he played a leading role in power-sector regulatory strategy, including proposed greenhouse gas regulations, interagency coordination, and implementation of programs authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Previously, Profeta was the founding director of the Nicholas Institute, helping build it into a major nonpartisan contributor to environmental policy debates, and before joining Duke he served as counsel for the environment to Sen. Joseph Lieberman, where he was a principal architect of the Lieberman–McCain Climate Stewardship Act of 2003. He has provided Congressional testimony, developed legislative proposals for greenhouse gas mitigation, and facilitated climate and energy policy design for U.S. states.

Profeta serves on the Climate Action Reserve Board of Directors and is a member of The American Law Institute, and holds a JD, magna cum laude, and a master’s in environmental management from Duke, as well as a BA from Yale University.