Douglas Barnes is an infrastructure sociologist who with a strong background in economics. He has been involved in rural energy, household energy and international development issues for the last 30 years. First at Resources for the Future and later at the World Bank he worked on issues of energy, environment and equity in many different developing countries, and has continually been involved in the development and implementation of innovative household surveys. His books and papers have changed the way international agencies have developed programs for rural electrification, renewable energy, biomass stoves and household energy. He won several honors at the World Bank and in 2012 received the University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award.