Practitioner-in-Residence
Bringing experienced professionals to NC State to enrich our campus and community.
Enriching Campus and Partnerships
The Climate and Sustainability Academy’s Practitioner-in-Residence (PIR, pronounced “peer”) program brings experienced professionals to NC State to enrich our campus community and strengthen connections with partners beyond the university. These honorary appointments recognize leaders in their fields and invite them to contribute their knowledge, creativity and perspective to our work.
PIRs focus on a climate- or sustainability-related project of their choice during a one- or two-semester residency. Their work may result in written publications, events, educational tools, art installations, or other tangible outcomes. Each PIR shares their goals with the university community at the start of their residency and presents their results at the conclusion.
Throughout their time on campus, PIRs engage with students, faculty and staff through mentoring, lectures, joint proposals or other collaborative activities. By bridging practice and academia, the program transforms professional expertise into solutions that benefit both NC State and the wider world.
Meet our Current PIR
We welcomed our inaugural Practitioner-in-Residence on July 1, 2025. Dr. Charles “Andy” Miller retired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development in December 2024 after more than three decades of service as a Senior Science Advisor, principal EPA representative to the U.S. Global Change Research Program, Branch Chief and project engineer. Andy is also an alum of NC State, having received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 1991.
Over the course of his year-long PIR appointment, Andy will be available to provide guest lectures on science policy, policy history and science information quality, generally, while also pursuing his own research on the practical management of geoengineering. The Climate and Sustainability Academy’s PIR program seeks to draw on the expertise and experience of external professionals to enrich our on-campus work and build stronger connections with our off-campus communities. Connect directly with Andy via email (camill29@ncsu.edu).