It is with mixed emotions that we announce the retirement of Energy Engineer and CUNY Building Performance Lab (CUNY BPL) Founder Michael Bobker.
For more than two decades, Michael has been a driving force behind CUNY BPL’s mission to improve building energy performance and advance the practice of building science across the City and New York State, and CUNY BPL would not exist without him. In 2005, Michael developed and secured the initial NYSERDA funding proposal that laid the foundation for what would become the CUNY Building Performance Lab. Twenty years later, that vision has grown into an established program that continues to advance energy-efficient building practices through research, outreach, education, and workforce development.
Beyond simply the creation of a successful program, Michael’s contributions to CUNY BPL have helped build connections between CUNY faculty and students, industry professionals, policymakers, and the broader energy community. The foundation he set down has supported CUNY BPL’s development of practical approaches to improving building performance, while helping to prepare the next generation of professionals to address the evolving challenges of energy efficiency and decarbonization.
His influence can also be seen in the many people he has mentored and collaborated with throughout his career. Michael has consistently brought a spirit of curiosity, generosity, and commitment to the work, sharing his knowledge freely and encouraging others to think creatively about the complex relationship between buildings, energy systems, and the communities they serve.
Although Michael’s long-time affiliation with CUNY BPL will come to an end this month, we are very pleased that his work in the field will continue. He will remain engaged with CUNY as a part-time mentor to students and advisor on special initiatives within the Dean’s Office of the Grove School of Engineering. He will also continue advancing work on district and community energy systems, including thermal energy networks and virtual power plants. In addition, he will collaborate with Professor Ahmed Mohamed on the launch of a new Grid Modernization training lab.
For CUNY BPL, Michael’s retirement marks the end of a chapter, but certainly not the end of his contributions to the field. The program he created more than two decades ago continues to grow and evolve, and his vision lives on.
We are deeply grateful to Michael for his leadership, dedication, mentorship, advocacy, and service to CUNY and to the building energy community. We congratulate him on his retirement and look forward to seeing where his enduring curiosity and commitment to a more efficient, resilient, and sustainable energy future take him next.
Thank you, Michael, for everything you have done to build CUNY BPL and for the work you continue to do to move the field forward. We wish you all the best in this next chapter!