The IIT Energy + Power Center was formed in 1989 through a $1 million endowment by the Max McGraw Foundation of a chaired professorship in energy and power engineering and management. The holder of the McGraw chair serves as Director of the Center and is charged with establishing a comprehensive research and education program in sustainable global energy development. Included in the program are energy resource assessment; engineering, economic and environmental impact studies of U.S. and global energy production, transmission, storage, conversion and utilization systems; as well as a widerange of energy policy studies.

Dr. Henry R. Linden has held the Max McGraw chair since its inception. As Director of the Energy + Power Center, Dr. Linden has the responsibility for coordinating the roughly $12 million of energy and energy-related environmental research and policy analysis conducted by IIT and IITRI, IIT's contract R&D subsidiary.