Position Title
Director
Rosenfeld Chair in Energy Efficiency
Michael Siminovitch is the director of the California Lighting Technology Center (CLTC) and associate director of the Energy Efficiency Institute at UC Davis. He established CLTC to support collaborative efforts among representatives from private industry, public agencies and utilities. CLTC projects accelerate the development and commercialization of energy-efficient lighting technologies for both residential and commercial applications.
Siminovitch participated on the leadership team for California’s Strategic Lighting Plan and helped lead efforts to improve the 2013 Title 24, Part 6 standards for exterior lighting. He was a co-author of the original California Advanced Lighting Controls Training Program (CALCTP) and now serves on its board of directors.
In 2010, Siminovitch established the UC Davis Smart Lighting Initiative, a campus-wide effort to reduce lighting energy use 60% below 2007 levels. The initiative is one of the largest lighting retrofit projects in California and serves as a model for the UC and CSU systems. In 2014, Siminovitch was selected by UC President Janet Napolitano to serve as an inaugural member of the University of California Global Climate Leadership Council.
Recently retired from teaching, Siminovitch taught undergraduate classes in lighting technology and design at UC Davis. His Designing with Light course culminated in an industry-sponsored LED luminaire design competition. Professor Emeritus Siminovitch was also awarded a distinguished visiting Professorship at KMUTT University in Thailand.
Siminovitch is a graduate of Carleton University, Faculty of Engineering. He received master’s degrees in both Industrial Design and Architecture from the University of Illinois, where he held the Plym Fellowship and was awarded the Henry Adams Scholastic Gold Medal. Siminovitch earned his doctoral degree in Architecture and Human Factors Engineering from the University of Michigan.