Zack Subin

An interdisciplinary scholar and practitioner, Zack Subin researches joint policy solutions for US climate and housing challenges. His graduate teaching integrates academic training in climate science with 11 years experience conducting applied research for policymakers and utilities. He trains students to use quantitative models creatively while respecting their limitations. In 2024, he published first-of-a-kind research quantifying the potential for US state housing reforms to reduce climate pollution. He was the technical lead for several  Energy + Environmental Economics (E3) studies which spurred California to prioritize electrification in state climate plans. Committed to publicly accessible scholarship, he has published more than 20 opeds and short-form blogs. He is an Affiliate at UCB's Terner Center for Housing Innovation, where he previously led the Center's Housing + Climate research initiative. As a volunteer, he advocates for more sustainable and inclusive housing and transportation policies in the Bay Area.

• Urban planning
• Climate policy
• Energy and climate modeling
• Climate science

• Housing supply policy reform
• Urban climate mitigation and adaptation
• Transportation and building decarbonization
• Energy system transition

• UC Berkeley, PhD in Energy and Resources, 2012
• UC Berkeley, MS in Energy and Resources, 2008
• UC Berkeley, Master of Public Policy, 2007
• Harvard University, AB in Physics and Math, 2003

• Associate Research Director, UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation (2023-2026)
• Senior Associate in US and Urban Transformation, RMI (2020-2023)
• Consultant, Senior Consultant, & Managing Consultant, E3 (2016-2020)
• Postdoctoral Fellow in Earth Sciences, Berkeley Lab (2014-2016)
• Postdoctoral Scholar, Princeton Environmental Institute (2012-2014)

• Harold T. White Prize for Excellence in the Teaching of Physics: Harvard University, 2004

• Subin, Z., & Underriner, Q. (2025). Building Housing in Walkable Neighborhoods: Are U.S. Cities and States Making Progress? Terner Center.
• Strangeway, R., & Subin, Z. (2025). Aligning Housing with Climate Goals: The Importance of Measuring VMT. Terner Center.
• Subin, Z. M., Lombardi, J., Muralidharan, R., Korn, J., Malik, J., Pullen, T., Wei, M., & Hong, T. (2024). US urban land-use reform: A strategy for energy sufficiency. Buildings & Cities, 5(1).
• Mahone, A., Subin, Z., Kahn-Lang, J., Allen, D., Li, V., De Moor, G., Ryan, N., & Price, S. (2018). Deep Decarbonization in a High Renewables Future: Updated Results from the California PATHWAYS Model (No. CEC-500-2018-012). California Energy Commission.
• Subin, Z. M., Koven, C. D., Riley, W. J., Torn, M. S., Lawrence, D. M., & Swenson, S. C. (2013). Effects of Soil Moisture on the Responses of Soil Temperatures to Climate Change in Cold Regions. Journal of Climate, 26(10), 3139–3158.