Susan Hamm serves as the director for the Integrated Strategies Office in the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). She brings to EERE a wealth of experience in operations, budget, and management and a broad interest in cross-functional programs. In this role, she leads efforts to support EERE’s priorities that cross technology boundaries, such as workforce development, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data-driven assessments for internal and external use, international engagement, and place-based work.
Prior to this, Hamm was the director of the Geothermal Technologies Office in EERE, leading efforts to improve performance, lower costs, and accelerate the deployment of geothermal technologies. She also served as the directorate operations officer for the National Science Foundation's Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, managing human capital, space, and budget. She served as a senior advisor to the assistant director on these and other policy issues.
Before serving the National Science Foundation, Hamm worked with the nascent U.S. Department of Homeland Security in the Science and Technology Directorate. In the Office of the Assistant Secretary, she focused on strategic planning, budget development, policy planning, and congressional affairs. She has also worked as an advocate for professional science societies and as a legislative assistant on Capitol Hill.
She has a bachelor's degree in geology from Amherst College, a master's degree in geophysics, and a Ph.D. in material sciences from the University of Minnesota.