Originally from Medellin - Colombia, Dr. Paulina Jaramillo has a bachelor’s in civil and environmental engineering from Florida International University (2003), as well as a master's and Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering with an emphasis in green design from Carnegie Mellon University (2004 and 2007, respectively). She has been in the EPP faculty since 2010, was the executive director of the RenewElec project between 2010 and 2014, as in now the co-director of the Green Design Institute. Her past research focused on life cycle assessment of energy systems with an emphasis on climate change impacts and mitigation research.

As a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, she is currently involved in multi-disciplinary research projects related to energy access and development. Her interest in these matters stems from her firm belief that what happens in developing countries as they try to provide universal energy access will have profound implications in global environmental systems. There is an opportunity, however, to build innovative modern energy systems that benefit from decades of technological development and experience elsewhere. Through her research, Dr. Jaramillo aims to create the knowledge that will be required to meet global energy needs.