Dominic Boyer, professor of anthropology at Rice University and a leading figure in the field of energy humanities, has been awarded a 2025 Guggenheim Fellowship by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
Boyer is one of 198 fellows selected from nearly 3,500 applicants across the U.S. and Canada, honored for their exceptional scholarship and creative work across 53 disciplines. The prestigious fellowship supports individuals pursuing projects with lasting impact.
With the fellowship, Boyer will complete his forthcoming book “Electric Futures,” a global ethnographic study of electrification politics and the future of energy. Based on over a decade of fieldwork in places like Iceland, South Africa, Germany and Hawaii, the book explores how energy transitions can either reinforce existing social inequities or create opportunities for a more just and sustainable future.
“It’s humbling,” Boyer said of earning the fellowship. “The list of past recipients reads like a who’s who of amazing scholars and artists. It’s a terrific honor to join their ranks.”
Amy Dittmar, the Howard R. Hughes Provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, called the recognition a reflection of Boyer’s visionary scholarship and Rice’s broader leadership in climate and energy research.
“Dominic’s Guggenheim Fellowship reflects the impact of his timely work on the most pressing environmental issues, from confronting climate change to reckoning with the consequences of the energy transition,” Dittmar said. “This fellowship will support his collaborative efforts to build a more sustainable, equitable future.”
“Professor Boyer’s recognition by the Guggenheim Foundation underscores the profound impact of his scholarship in anthropology and cultural studies,” added Rachel Kimbro, dean of the School of Social Sciences. “His dedication to exploring the intersections of energy, culture and society enriches our academic community and inspires future research.”
Boyer’s work helped define energy humanities — an interdisciplinary approach to examining how energy shapes societies. His recent book, “No More Fossils” (2023), explores the cultural transition from petroculture to “electroculture.”
“An electric future is coming for us one way or another,” Boyer said. “Oil is on the sunset side of the hill. But what electric future or futures await us is still up in the air. Some scenarios repeat the ecocidal trajectory of petroculture. Others point toward more equitable ways of living with energy.
“I hope readers will take heart that the future is not yet settled and be inspired to get involved in helping those better futures come to pass.”
“Electric Futures” blends historical and contemporary case studies from the rise of nuclear energy and Germany’s solar boom to present-day electrification efforts in Mexico, South Korea and Hawaii. Among the most inspiring examples, Boyer said, is Hawaii’s island of Kaua’i.
“Kaua’i shows how quickly transition can happen when community leads the way,” he said. “They’ve put the island on track for 100% renewable electricity by 2033 and made electricity rates the lowest in the state.”
Boyer emphasized that the energy transition must center on justice and inclusion.
“There was a time when people believed renewable energy could save us from the bad habits of petroculture on its own,” he said. “But we’ve seen renewables installed under troubling, extractive conditions. This isn’t just about joules — it’s about people. Those who make renewable energy must also benefit from it.
“The truth is all of us should become energy producers as well as users. That’s how ‘electrify everything’ models work best for the greatest number of people.”
He also credited Rice with helping seed the growth of energy humanities as a field.
“Rice was one of its birthplaces about a decade ago,” Boyer said. “And with some terrific new hires, we’re poised to continue our international impact in this vital area of humanistic and social scientific scholarship.”
As established in 1925 by founder Sen. Simon Guggenheim, each fellow receives a monetary stipend to pursue independent work at the highest level under “the freest possible conditions.” Since its founding, the foundation has awarded over $400 million in fellowships to more than 19,000 Fellows.
“At a time when intellectual life is under attack, the Guggenheim Fellowship celebrates a century of support for the lives and work of visionary scientists, scholars, writers and artists,” said Edward Hirsch, award-winning poet and president of the Guggenheim Foundation. “We believe that these creative thinkers can take on the challenges we all face today and guide our society towards a better and more hopeful future.”
More about Boyer’s work can be found on his faculty profile and at the Guggenheim Foundation website.