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David A. Yashar (Fed)
Deputy Chief, Building Energy and Environment Division
Dr. Yashar is the Deputy Director of the Standards Coordination Office (SCO) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). He supports the development, adoption, and use of technical standards, conformity assessment, laboratory accreditation, and quality management systems to promote innovation and competitiveness, and supports NIST's standards related mandates embodied in federal laws, regulation, and policies within the framework of the private sector led U.S. standards system. As part of SCO's leadership team, he develops and implements strategies to maximize the current and future impact of SCO programs. He manages the day-to-day operations of the office, including budget, staffing needs, travel, purchasing, grants, contracts and agreements, and staff recognition.
Dr. Yashar was the Deputy Chief of the Building Energy and Environment Division (BEED) of the Engineering Laboratory (EL) from 2014-2024, where he provided management and leadership for the division's technical activities and staff and carried out activities associated with the division's day-to-day operations.
Dr. Yashar was a member of the HVAC&R Equipment Performance Group (formerly Thermal Machinery Group) from 1998-2014. His research focused on making HVAC&R equipment more efficient, intelligent, and reliable. One major area of his work centered on improving the efficiency of air-to-refrigerant heat exchangers through measurement, modeling, and developing and employing evolutionary algorithm optimization techniques to generate no-cost design improvements. He was also heavily involved in the development and maintenance of standards for domestic refrigerating appliances for the U.S. Department of Energy, the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). His efforts have resulted in over 50 publications, 2 patents, and new refrigerator/freezer standards in the US and abroad which are more in tune with modern appliances.
Dr. Yashar is an ASHRAE Fellow and is currently a member of ASHRAE's Board of Directors and Technology Council. He is a former member and Chair of ASHRAE's Research Administration Committee, and has been a voting member and has chaired several technical committees within ASHRAE. He is also the current Vice-Chair of NIST's Institutional Review Board (IRB) and has been a member of that board since 2016. He served as the Secretary for the 3rd International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) Conference on Thermophysical Properties and Transfer Processes of Refrigerants.
Awards
2026 ASHRAE Exceptional Service Award
2025 ASHRAE Fellow
2022 Department of Commerce OSEEP Sustainability, Energy, and Environmental Ambassador
2015 Best Paper of the Year Award from Science and Technology for the Built Environment
2014 ASHRAE Distinguished Service Award
2014 Department of Commerce Bronze Medal for Scientific and Engineering Achievement
2009 Department of Commerce Silver Medal for Scientific and Engineering Achievement
