Pierpaolo Cazzola is a Global Research Fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. His research area lies at the intersection of transport, energy, innovation and climate policy. Pierpaolo is also working with the institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis, on the development of its European Research Centre.

He was recently appointed by the Italian Ministry for Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility as an advisor for its "structure for the ecological transition of mobility and infrastructures" (STEMI). This is tasked to elaborate policy recommendations on transport decarbonisation, including in the framework of the implementation of the European Green Deal. Pierpaolo is also cooperating with the World Bank for the development of policy instruments aiming to manage vehicle emissions.

Prior to the current assignments, Pierpaolo spent more than 20 years working internationally at the intersection of transport, energy and environmental sustainability. This includes roles as advisor on energy, technology and environmental sustainability for the International Transport Forum (2019-2022), transport lead in the Energy Technology Policy Division of the International Energy Agency (2014-2019), coordinator of the Electric Vehicles Initiative of the Clean Energy Ministerial (2016-2019), Secretary of the Working Party on Pollution and Energy of the World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) of the United Nations (2011-2014), fellow at the Institute of Prospective Technological Studies of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (2010-2011), analyst on material flows at the Environment Directorate of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (2010) and transport and energy analyst at the International Energy Agency (2004-2010), where he began his career working on energy balances and CO2 emission statistics (2001-2004).

Pierpaolo holds a Master in energy economics from the Institut Français du Pétrole et Énergies Nouvelles (IFP School, France, 2001), a Master in Aerospace Engineering from the Politecnico di Torino (Italy, 2000) and a Bachelor of Engineering in Aeronautics from the University of Glasgow (United Kingdom, 1999).