Climate Researcher  ·  Systems Modeller  ·  Educator

Muhammad
Awais

Assistant Research Professor  —  Centre for Water Informatics & Technology (WIT), LUMS, Pakistan
Research Scholar  —  Energy, Climate & Environment Programme, IIASA, Austria
01
About

I build computational frameworks that connect climate science to policy — modelling how energy, water, food, and health systems interact under climate stress.

My research spans integrated assessment modelling (IAMs), the water-energy-food-health (WEFH) nexus, and climate justice. I develop and apply MESSAGEix, GCAM, PyPSA, and CWatM to generate insights for policymakers in South Asia and globally, contributing to international assessments through IIASA and EU Horizon projects including COMMITTED, NAVIGATE, and ECEMF.

At LUMS, I lead the climate analytics theme at the Centre for Water Informatics and Technology (WIT), supervise graduate researchers, and teach climate governance. I also run Two Degree Consulting, a climate systems innovation consultancy, and maintain active collaborations across Europe, North America, and Asia.

PhD in Civil Engineering, University of Victoria, Canada (2024). M.Sc. Hydro Science & Engineering, TU Dresden, Germany (2019). B.Sc. Civil Engineering, NUCES, Pakistan (2016).

Download CV Google Scholar LinkedIn
Assistant Research Professor
Centre for Water Informatics & Technology (WIT)
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
2023 – Present  ·  Lahore, Pakistan
Research Scholar
Energy, Climate & Environment (ECE) Programme
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
2019 – Present  ·  Laxenburg, Austria
Research Analyst
SESIT Group, University of Victoria
2023 – 2025  ·  Victoria, Canada
PhD, Civil Engineering
University of Victoria, Canada
2020 – 2024
M.Sc. Hydro Science & Engineering
Technical University Dresden, Germany
Erasmus Exchange — Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Spain
2017 – 2019
Hydraulic Engineer
NESPAK
2016 – 2017  ·  Pakistan
02
Research Interests
01
Integrated Assessment Modelling
Developing and applying IAMs — MESSAGEix, GCAM, PyPSA — to generate long-term climate and energy transition scenarios at national and global scales.
02
Water-Energy-Food-Health Nexus
Analysing interdependencies between resource systems under climate change, with a focus on South Asia and the Indus Basin.
03
Climate Policy & Justice
Examining equity dimensions of climate targets, NDC credibility, climate finance, and fair burden-sharing frameworks across nations and communities.
04
Energy Transitions
Modelling decarbonisation pathways — MESSAGEix-Pakistan, PyPSA-Pakistan, and sub-national Canadian energy scenarios.
05
AI in Environmental Modelling
LLM-assisted generative agent simulations and agentic IAM workflows for modelling social and environmental impact at community scale.
06
Multi-Hazard Impact Assessment
Quantifying compound climate risks — floods, heat, drought — on livelihoods, perinatal mental health, and development outcomes in Pakistan.
03
Selected Publications
01
Decarbonization pathways for Canada's federated energy system using a subnational integrated assessment model
Awais, M., Azevedo, D., & McPherson, M.
npj Climate Action  ·  5, 42 · 2026 doi →
Published
02
Milestones to Net Zero: Multi-model insights on the EU's 2040 climate targets
Pietzcker, R., Awais, M., et al.
Nature Energy  ·  under review
Under Review
03
Hydrogen in a climate-neutral Europe: A multi-model analysis
Fattahi, A., van der Linden, M., Awais, M., et al.
Nature Communications  ·  under review
Under Review
04
Interpreting electricity storage in net-zero energy pathways
Zakeri, B., Awais, M., Pietzcker, R., et al.
submitted · 2025
Submitted
05
MESSAGEix-GLOBIOM nexus module: Integrating water sector and climate impacts
Awais, M., Vinca, A., et al.
Geoscientific Model Development  ·  17(6) · 2024
Published
06
Targeting net-zero emissions in China without neglecting SDGs
Zhang, S., Wenyin, C., Awais, M., et al.
Nature Sustainability  ·  2024
Published
07
Global water basins under mitigation and adaptation targets
Awais, M., Vinca, A., et al.
Nature Communications  ·  under review
Under Review
08
Near-term SDG actions and climate goals
Tagomori, I., Harmsen, M., Awais, M., et al.
Environmental Research Letters  ·  19 · 2024
Published
09
Open-source modelling infrastructure: Building decarbonization capacity in Canada
McPherson, M., Monroe, J., Awais, M., et al.
Energy Strategy Reviews  ·  44 · 2022
Published
10
Transboundary cooperation in the Indus Basin
Vinca, A., Awais, M., et al.
Nature Sustainability  ·  4, 331–339 · 2021
Published

Full list: Google Scholar

04
Conference Presentations
2026
Recognizing mental health impacts in climate change assessments
EGU General Assembly 2026  ·  Vienna, Austria
Awais, M., Niazi, H., & Malik, A.
2026
Balancing climate mitigation goals with development: Insights from Pakistan
EGU General Assembly 2026  ·  Vienna, Austria
Yaseen, A., Awais, M., & Manzoor, T.
2023
IAM investment response to biophysical climate impacts
IAMC Annual Meeting 2023
Awais, M.
2023
Leveraging IAMs for water–energy–land SDGs
EGU General Assembly 2023  ·  Vienna, Austria
Awais, M.
2023
Teaching IAM for sustainable transitions
EESD Conference 2023
Awais, M.
2022
Integrating climate impacts in IAM scenarios
AGU Fall Meeting 2022  ·  Chicago, IL, USA
Awais, M.
05
Grants & Fellowships
ProjectPeriodAmount
RE-CONNECT: Model Development Plan for Pakistan
European Commission
Co-Applicant
2024–26
€70,000
EU–Asia Low Carbon Pathways (RE-CONNECT)
European Commission
Co-Applicant
2023–26
€205,000
Faculty Travel Grant
Lahore University of Management Sciences
Recipient
2024–25
PKR 1.3M
Faculty of Graduate Scholarship
University of Victoria
Recipient
2020–23
CAD 15,000
Energy Modelling Initiative
Energy Modelling Hub
Recipient
2020
CAD 15,000
DAAD Scholarship
German Academic Exchange Service
Recipient
2018–19
€2,500
06
Teaching & Supervision
Courses Taught
Climate Change Governance: Science, Data and Models
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)  ·  Instructor
Fall 2025
Integrated Assessment Modelling (CIVE 580)
University of Victoria, Canada  ·  Guest Lecturer
2021 – Present
MESSAGEix Training Workshops
IIASA, Austria  ·  Trainer — policymakers & academics
2020 – Present
Co-supervised Master's Theses
TU Vienna & University of Victoria  ·  Co-supervisor
2019 – Present
Research Supervision
Master's Theses
Maryam AliIn progress
Agentic Workflow Frameworks for Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs)
Abdul MoizIn progress
Scenarios for the Water-Energy-Agriculture Nexus in the Indus Basin
Research Assistants
Arfa Yaseen
Development of an energy systems model for Pakistan
Ahmad Saeed & Syeda Baseerat
Development of the FABLE model for Pakistan
Directed Coursework
Bilal Sajid & Dawood Ahmad
AI Development Index across South and Southeast Asia
Muhammad Taha Siddiqui & Hadia Adnan Khan
Cooling water demand estimation for data centres
Manal Abbas
Qualitative analysis of Pakistan's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP)
Shanzay Saleemo
Power system optimisation modelling for Pakistan
07
Media & Talks
Videos, recorded talks, and media appearances will appear here.
To add a video, open src/pages/index.astro and add it in the Media section.
To add your YouTube channel, set youtube in _config.yml.
08
Writing & Commentary
Writing archive Substack coming soon — add your URL in _config.yml
09
Contact

I welcome correspondence on research collaborations, graduate supervision, policy engagement, and media inquiries.

Address
Centre for Water Informatics & Technology (WIT)
Lahore University of Management Sciences
Lahore, Pakistan