Director for Economic Analysis, Nicholas Institute

Research Professor of Environmental Economics, Nicholas School of the Environment

Brian is widely recognized for his work on the economics of climate change policy, including the design of cap-and-trade policy elements to address cost containment and inclusion of offsets from traditionally uncapped sectors such as forestry and agriculture.  He routinely advises members of the United States Congress and their staff on climate change legislative proposals. He is currently leading an effort to develop protocols and methods for reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) in the Amazon region.  Dr. Murray has been invited as a co-author of several national and international assessments of forest resources, especially related to climate change. Of particular note, he was a convening lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on Land Use, Land Use Change, and Forestry. He has convened several forums of economic modeling experts to examine and communicate the results of their climate, energy and land use policy efforts to the public and private sectors. His research has examined the economic effects of traditional command-based regulatory strategies for pollution control and more market-oriented approaches such as cap-and-trade programs and emission taxes. His work has been published in books, edited volumes, and professional journals. Prior to coming to the Nicholas Institute in 2006, Dr. Murray was Director of the Center for Regulatory Economics and Policy Research at RTI International, a university-affiliated not-for-profit research institution.

PhD, Resource Economics and Policy, Duke University, 1992
MS, Resource Economics and Policy, Duke University, 1987
BS, Economics and Finance, University of Delaware, 1983

Areas of expertise: environmental economics, climate & energy, offsets, REDD,

business and the environment, forest management and silviculture, landscape dynamics, terrestrial ecosystems, water quality, carbon markets