After graduating from Stanford, Moniz joined the faculty of the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1973, serving as head of the department of physics from 1991 to 1995 and as director of the
Bates Linear Accelerator Center. He co-chairs the MIT research council. He served in the
Clinton administration as associate director for science in the
Office of Science and Technology Policy in the
Executive Office of the President from 1995 to 1997. Moniz worked in the
United States Department of Energy, serving as undersecretary of energy from 1997 to 2001. Moniz was one of the founding members of
The Cyprus Institute in 2005, where he and other scholars undertook the coordination, research and planning of the project. In 2013, he received the honorary degree
Doctor Honoris Causa from the
Universidad Pontificia Comillas de Madrid in recognition of his research on energy policies and technologies. He oversaw the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative Report in 2011, which promoted natural gas as a clean energy source, and led to its promotion in the
Obama administration and the
fracking boom. The report conflicted with earlier research that showed that leaks from natural gas were more harmful to the climate. The study was funded by a non-profit created by the natural gas industry.
U.S. Secretary of Energy (2013–2017) (center), president of the
Weizmann Institute On May 16, 2013, his appointment was confirmed on a 97–0 vote by the Senate. He succeeded
Steven Chu as secretary of energy. Moniz was sworn in as energy secretary on May 21, 2013 by deputy energy secretary
Daniel Poneman. in 2013 Moniz played a crucial role in negotiations toward a
comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear program, directly negotiating technical details with the Iranian atomic energy minister
Ali Akbar Salehi, an MIT graduate, and reassuring President Obama that concessions important to the Iranians would not pose a major threat. The comprehensive agreement between Iran and the so-called "P5+1" (which includes the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany and a representative from the European Union) was finalized on July 14, 2015, to much fanfare and criticism. Some environmental advocacy groups opposed Moniz' nomination due to his support for
nuclear power and
fracking as a "
bridge fuel" to ease the
transition away from coal energy. Others opposed him because he had previously served on the board of a number of energy companies like
BP and
ICF, although Obama noted that he had nominated Moniz in part specifically because of his track record of working with industry. He also founded a nonprofit organization called the
Energy Futures Initiative, where he has promoted the concept of a "Green Real Deal" as a "practical, science-based" solution to climate change. The concept attracted praise in the media from
The New York Times columnist
Thomas Friedman and criticism from
Greenpeace USA. In 2018, Moniz was hired by the government of
Saudi Arabia to serve as member of the global advisory board of the
Neom project, a $500 billion planned megacity in the
Tabuk Region. In November 2020, Moniz was named a candidate for energy secretary in the
Biden Administration. However, former governor of Michigan
Jennifer Granholm was chosen instead. In June 2023, he was again awarded a
Doctor Honoris Causa honorary degree, now from the
University of the Azores, in the
Azores,
Portugal, in recognition of Moniz's "unique professional, political, civic and cultural career [as] a remarkable personality who has made important contributions in the exercise of positions and functions of high responsibility and impact at international level". He has served on the Board of Advisors for Angeleno Group, a private equity and venture capital firm focused on sustainable energy investments, since 2002, with a hiatus during his tenure as U.S. Secretary of Energy. ==Honors==