Bruno Grunau

Bruno Grunau leads the U.S. Department of Energy’s NLR's Alaska Campus, directing research and field demonstrations at the intersection of energy resilience, infrastructure performance, and defense-aligned innovation in extreme climates. With over two decades of engineering and research experience, he brings deep expertise in building science, Arctic infrastructure, and applied systems integration across federal and community environments.

Grunau’s technical background includes building envelope performance, ventilation and indoor air quality in cold regions, and foundation engineering in permafrost. He has worked with the U.S. military to develop tools and best practices for infrastructure development in frozen ground, led research into the durability of high-performance wall systems, and delivered mechanical system innovations to support health, efficiency, and operational readiness in challenging climates.

He has provided briefings to congressional committees and federal agencies on cold-climate energy systems, building technologies, and remote infrastructure challenges.

Resilient infrastructure for Arctic and Subarctic environments

Hygrothermal performance of high-performance building assemblies

Mechanical systems for healthy indoor air in extreme climates

Foundation engineering and risk modeling on permafrost

Heating and ventilation systems for energy-critical environments

Thermal energy networks for extreme environments

Microgrids and energy integration and storage for rural and remote environments

Energy reliability, affordability, and resilient infrastructure for rural and remote regions

Cold Climate Housing Research Center (CCHRC):

President (2019–2020)
Chief Programs Officer (2017–2019)
Senior Research Engineer (2015–2017)
Research Engineer (2011–2015)

Remote Power Inc., Chief Engineer (2008–2011)

HI-TEST Laboratories, Inc., MIL-S-901D and MIL-STD-167 Test Engineer (2001–2008)