Assistant Project Scientist
Assistant Project Scientist
My current research is focused on commercializing and deploying low-carbon and carbon negative fuels using non-merchantable forest biomass in the state of California. This work involves conducting techno-economic and policy analysis of producing hydrogen and gasoline from forest biomass in California and comparing it with fuels produced using agricultural residues and municipal solid waste (MSW) based on gasification. This research also includes detailed representation of State's Low Carbon Fuels Standard and Federal renewable fuel policies that allows us to robustly quantify the range of policy interventions necessary to make forest biomass competitive with agricultural residues and MSW. In my current position, I spend considerable time and effort on extension and outreach by communicating research, and decision-support information to a wide assortment of stakeholders that include California Board of Forestry, Joint Institute for Wood Products Innovation, US Forest Service, forest landowners, policy makers, forest products industry and the public.
In my second project at UC Berkeley, I conducted a market analysis of hydrogen in California, focusing on costs, emissions, and scale on biomass conversion to hydrogen using three hydrogen conversion platforms: biomass gasification, biomass gasification with carbon capture and storage, and pyrolysis. In the light of available biomass resources in California, this analysis informed the policy makers of the next steps to develop, deploy and commercialize hydrogen using non-merchantable woody biomass in California.
In my past work as a Research Associate at the University of British Columbia, I was involved in a wide range of research projects in the areas of forest economics and sustainable business. Examples of this work include investigating seasonal business diversification of ski resorts in B.C., developing human well-being indicators in an ecosystem-based context in Haida Gwaii, and assessing environmental and social impacts of underwater logging. My research work has been published in business, forestry, and interdisciplinary journals. I taught two undergraduate courses at the University of British Columbia including WOOD 365 - Business Management in Wood Products Industry and CONS 491 - Recreation and Outdoor Planning. I also taught two summer courses internationaly at Nanjing University, China on Forest Policy and Economics and Wood Products Marketing.
Ph.D. in Wood Products Marketing, University of British Columbia
Certificate in Corporate Sustainability, Stern School of Business, New York University
MBA-Environmental & Resource Mgt, Freiberg University of Mining & Technology
M.Sc. in Forestry, University of Peshawar
B.Sc. in Mathematics and Physics, University of the Punjab
Assistant Proj. Scientist
Bioenergy & Biofuels; California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard; Hydrogen; Forest Policy and Economics; Climate and Energy Policy; Sustainable Business; Innovative Wood Products
Extension Publications:
Gilani, H.R. & Sanchez, D.L. (2020). An overview of the hydrogen market in California – Opportunities for forest biomass. Joint Institute for Wood Products Innovation. Sacramento, California.
Gilani, H.R. & Sanchez, D.L. (2020). Policy options for utilizing forest residues as low-carbon or carbon-negative gaseous or liquid fuels in California. Conservation Strategy Group. Sacramento, California.
Refereed Publications:
Gilani, H.R. & Sanchez, D.L. (2021). Techno-economic and Policy Analysis of Hydrogen and Gasoline from Forest Biomass, Agricultural Residues and Municipal Solid Wastes in California (In preparation).
Gilani, HR. & Innes, JL. (2020). The state of British Columbia’s forests: A global comparison. Forests, 11(3), 316.
Gilani, H. R., & Innes, J. L. (2020). The state of Canada's forests: A global comparison of the performance on Montréal Process Criteria and Indicators. Forest Policy and Economics, 118, 102234.
Moshofsky, M., Gilani, HR. & Kozak, RA. (2019). Adapting forest ecosystems to climate change by identifying the range of acceptable human interventions in Western Canada. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 49:553-564.
Gilani, HR., Innes, JL. & Kent, H. (2018). Developing human well-being domains, metrics and indicators in an ecosystem-based management context in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada. Society & Natural Resources, 31(12), 1321-1337.
Gilani, HR., De Grave, A. & Innes, JI. (2018). Seasonal business diversification of ski resorts and the effects on forest management in British Columbia. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 23 (2018), 51-58.
Gilani, HR., Yoshida, T. & Innes, JL. (2017). A Collaborative Forest Management user group's perceptions and expectations on REDD+ in Nepal. Forest Policy and Economics, 80 (2017) 27-33.
Gilani, HR., Kozak, RA. & Innes, JL. (2017). Chain of custody certification involvement in the British Columbia value-added wood products sector. European Journal of Wood and Wood Products, (2017)1-9.
Gilani, HR., Kozak, RA. & Innes, JL. (2017). A change management model for the adoption of chain of custody certification in the BC value-added wood products sector. Journal of Change Management, (2017) 1-17.
Gilani, HR. & Innes, JL. (2017). Environmental and social aspects of underwater logging. Geoforum, 86 (2017) 188-191.
Gilani, HR., Kozak, RA. & Innes, JL. (2016). The state of innovation in the British Columbia value-added wood products sector: the example of chain of custody certification. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 46 (2006), 1067-1075.
2019-2020 Instructor, CONS 491 Recreation and Tourism Planning, UBC
2019-2020 Instructor, WOOD 365 Wood Industry Business Management, UBC
2018 Instructor, Forestry and Wood Science, Nanjing Forestry University, China
2018 Guest Lecturer, WOOD 365 Wood Industry Business Management, UBC
2019 Guest Lecturer, FRST439 International Forestry, UBC
2018 Guest Lecturer, FRST439 International Forestry, UBC
2010 Guest Lecturer, FRST 547 Forestry in British Columbia, UBC
Contact details
Haris Gilani
UC Berkeley
130 Mulford Hall #3114
Berkeley, CA 94720