The MIT Energy Initiative is MIT’s hub for energy research, education, and outreach—connecting faculty, students, and staff to develop the knowledge, technologies, and solutions that will deliver clean, affordable, and plentiful sources of energy. Our mission is to develop low- and no-carbon solutions that will efficiently, affordably, and sustainably meet global energy needs while minimizing environmental impacts, dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and mitigating climate change. Within MIT, we strive to foster a sense of community through our educational programs, events, and other activities.
Research
We facilitate collaborations among world-class research teams from across MIT with government stakeholders and industry and NGO members, to respond to specific energy challenges. MITEI and our members support hundreds of research projects at MIT, including those awarded through the MITEI Seed Fund Program for innovative early-stage energy research projects.
As a vital component of MIT’s Plan for Action on Climate Change and MITEI’s research program, the Low-Carbon Energy Centers provide platforms for our members to work with us to advance research and development in key technology areas and energy systems for addressing climate change, from solar energy to electric power systems, energy storage, and mobility, to name a few. Additional research is being conducted through the Energy at Scale Center, a collaboration with the MIT Joint Program, and the MIT Laboratory for Innovation in Fusion Technologies (LIFT).
To explore the opportunities and challenges for key energy technologies and sources and energy-related systems, MITEI conducts comprehensive, multidisciplinary analyses for thought leaders, policymakers, regulators, and industry decision-makers. Our most recent reports on energy technologies and sources are The Future Of Nuclear Energy in a Carbon-Constrained World and The Future of Solar Energy; The Future of Energy Storage is currently underway. Each report is the result of a multi-year study examining the role of a specific energy source in meeting future energy demand under carbon dioxide emissions constraints. Our energy systems reports, Insights into Future Mobility (2019) and Utility of the Future (2016), are the result of multi-year studies by MITEI researchers external advisory groups of industry stakeholders to discuss the future of these sectors and systems.
Education
MITEI leads energy education efforts at MIT and has engaged thousands of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students through sponsored research opportunities and other programs—preparing the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and policymakers to collaborate on solutions to global energy challenges.
MITEI created and administers the interdisciplinary Energy Studies Minor for undergraduates. Through this program and other initiatives, such as the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program in energy, the graduate Energy Fellows program, and a new series of online energy classes, we prepare future energy innovators, researchers, and policymakers to lead and implement the transition to a low-carbon economy while addressing climate change.
Our graduates have gone on to exciting careers in the public, private, nonprofit, and academic sectors. In addition to academic programs and funding for research, opportunities for students include workshops and events to help develop skills and explore career paths. We also support student-led energy groups.
Outreach
MITEI fosters dialogue within the research community at MIT and beyond, and with industry, NGOs, and government. In addition to informing public policy through research reports and related events, we provide the public with context on current energy issues through events on timely energy topics—with speakers from within MIT as well as outside experts. We also facilitate opportunities for MIT faculty and staff to participate in external events.
Our communications team highlights the work of the MIT energy community through media articles and across digital and print platforms—such as our newsletter, social media channels, podcast, and our twice-annual Energy Futures magazine.
What We Do
More Information
Executive Leadership
Robert Armstrong
Director
MIT Energy Initiative
Robert C. Armstrong is MITEI’s director and the Chevron Professor of Chemical Engineering. A member of the MIT faculty since 1973, Armstrong served as head of the Department of Chemical Engineering from 1996 to 2007. His research is focused on pathways to a low-carbon energy future.
In 2008, Armstrong was elected into the National Academy of Engineering for conducting outstanding research on non-Newtonian fluid mechanics, co-authoring landmark textbooks, and providing leadership in chemical engineering education. Armstrong received the Warren K. Lewis Award and the Professional Progress Award in 1992, both from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the 2006 Bingham Medal from the Society of Rheology, which is devoted to the study of the science of deformation and flow of matter.
Armstrong was a member of MIT’s Future of Natural Gas and Future of Solar Energy study groups and is co-chairing the new study on the Future of Storage. He co-edited Game Changers: Energy on the Move with former U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz.
Robert Stoner
Deputy Director for Science and Technology
MIT Energy Initiative
Robert Stoner, MITEI’s deputy director for Science and Technology, also directs the Tata Center for Technology and Design—an MIT graduate program that trains future engineering and business leaders to invent technologies that address unmet needs and challenges in India and elsewhere in the developing world. Stoner also served as a study group member of Future of Solar Energy study.
He is the inventor of numerous optical and electronic devices and has an extensive international business background, having held senior positions at Intel and Zygo Corporations and founded technology companies in the United States and Europe. He was also an adjunct professor of Engineering at Brown University from 1995 through 2002. Immediately prior to joining MIT, he served in senior roles at the Clinton Foundation in Africa and India.
Martha Broad
Executive Director
MIT Energy Initiative
Martha Broad is MITEI’s executive director. As part of the leadership team, she works to link science, innovation and policy to transform the world’s energy systems. She has a track record of successfully partnering with business, government and nonprofit stakeholders to support the clean energy transition. At MITEI, she works closely with member companies who collaborate with MIT researchers on a spectrum of topics including “Low-Carbon Energy Centers” focused on key topics, including electric power systems, energy storage and carbon capture utilization and storage.
In addition, she spearheads MITEI’s collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy to design, manage, and host the annual Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) Women in Clean Energy Symposium and serves as a C3E Ambassador.
Previously, as part of the senior management team of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), Broad led programs and studies that focused on the commercialization of clean energy technologies. By collaborating with universities and public and private partners, she helped facilitate the state’s successful installation of hundreds of megawatts of wind and solar systems.
Louis Carranza
Associate Director
MIT Energy Initiative
Louis Carranza was previously vice president for strategic development at IHS, where he worked for 17 years. There, he served as executive director and co-chair of CERAWeek—one of the top five corporate leader conferences in the world—and conceived and implemented the CERAWeek partnership program. He was also co-director of the IHS scenario planning initiative. Earlier at CERA, Carranza was responsible for managing the firm’s global power practice.
Emily Dahl
Director of Communications
MIT Energy Initiative
Emily Dahl has worked at the intersection of energy, sustainability, and policy communications for more than 10 years. At MIT Energy Initiative, she leads the communications team, which is responsible for public and media relations, digital media, publications, articles, and other content related to MITEI’s research, education, and outreach efforts. Emily’s background includes lead communications and digital media roles with Massachusetts quasi-public agencies, regional and national clean energy organizations, and political campaigns.
Antje Danielson
Director of Education
MIT Energy Initiative
Antje Danielson joined MITEI after eight years at Tufts University, where she directed the Tufts Institute of the Environment and was an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health. Her areas of interest are energy education and carbon capture and storage. She is also interested in research on conditions that underpin interdisciplinary research and collaborations.
Her previous roles include deputy director for sustainability at the Centre for Research into Earth Energy Systems at Durham University in the UK, where she initiated a carbon capture and storage working group. Danielson is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Council for Science and the Environment and has also served as President of the Council for Environmental Deans and Directors. She received teaching awards from Harvard University and an Exceptional Contribution Award from Durham University. In 1999/2000 she co-founded the car-sharing company Zipcar.
Antje holds a PhD in geochemistry from the Freie Universität in Berlin, Germany.
Robert Tolu
Senior Fiscal Officer
MIT Energy Initiative
Robert Tolu has worked for 17 years in finance and previously sponsored award administration for Harvard University and Education Development Center. At MITEI, he serves as senior fiscal officer and is responsible for overseeing all financial matters, pre- and post-award, to ensure smooth operations and minimal surprises. Robert’s extensive experience includes work with the federal government, industry, and foundation funders.
Energy Council
The Energy Council helps shape MITEI’s research, education, and outreach directions.
Energy Education Task Force
MITEI’s Energy Education Task Force guides the development of energy education at MIT. The task force meets regularly throughout the academic year and includes faculty from all five schools at MIT, as well as graduate and undergraduate student representatives. MITEI’s education team members support the task force by implementing energy education programs.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee meets annually to review MITEI’s progress, provide strategic input, and report to the offices of the MIT President and Provost. MITEI Founding members, and rotating Sustaining Members have a seat on the Executive Committee.External Advisory Board
An External Advisory Board composed of industry, academic, nonprofit, and public sector leaders provides oversight to the Initiative. The views and guidance of the board greatly assist MITEI in maximizing its impact in helping to meet the world’s energy needs, reduce the environmental impacts of energy production and consumption, and inform public discourse on energy and the environment. The board meets annually each fall.
Norman Augustine
Retired Chairman and CEO, Lockheed Martin
Stephen Bechtel
Chairman, SD Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and Stephen Bechtel Fund
Frances Beinecke
Past President, Natural Resources Defense Council
Roberto Casula
Chief Development, Operations, and Technology Officer, Eni S.p.A.
Arunas A. Chesonis
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sweetwater Energy
Rafael del Pino
Chairman, Grupo Ferrovial SA
Susan Eisenhower
Chairman Emeritus, Eisenhower Institute
Walter B. Hewlett
Chairman, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Susan Hockfield
President Emerita and Professor of Neuroscience, MIT
Robert B. Millard
Chairman, MIT Corporation
Mario J. Molina
Professor, University of California, San Diego
Ernest J. Moniz
Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics & Engineering Systems emeritus, MIT
Sam Nunn
Co-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Nuclear Threat Initiative
John S. Reed
Former Chairman, MIT
Güler Sabanci
Chairman and Managing Director, Haci Omer Sabanci Holding AS
Arthur J. Samberg
Manager, Hawkes Financial Services LLC
Yuri Sebregts
Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Shell Global Solutions International BV
Philip R. Sharp
Retired President, Resources for the Future
George P. Shultz (Chair)
Thomas W. and Susan B. Ford Distinguished Fellow, Hoover Institution
Robert M. Solow
Institute Professor Emeritus, MIT
Thomas F. Stephenson
Partner, Sequoia Capital
Vijay Swarup
Vice President for Research and Development, ExxonMobil Corporation
Ratan N. Tata
Chairman, Tata Sons Limited
Ellen Williams
Distinguished University Professor, Department of Physics, University of Maryland
Daniel Yergin
Vice Chairman, IHS Markit
Governing Board
The Governing Board provides input to MITEI leadership on overall direction and member activities and serves as the Program Committee for the Energy Research Seed Fund. The Board meets twice a year—in the spring to review seed fund progress and proposals and in the fall at the time of the annual MITEI Research Conference. Founding and Sustaining members each have a seat on the MITEI Governing Board with the directors of MITEI and the MIT Energy Council.Administration
| Alexandra Goodwin | Senior Administrative Assistant |
| Caleb Larson | Administrative Assistant |
| Gail Monahan | Senior Administrative Assistant |
| Carolyn Sinnes | Administrative Assistant, ENI-MIT Alliance |
| Peggy Udden | Senior Administrative Assistant |
Communications and Events
| Emily Dahl | Director of Communications |
| Kelly Hoarty | Events Project Coordinator |
| Debi Kedian | Events Manager |
| Kathryn Luu | Communications Specialist |
| Jenn Schlick | Manager, Digital Projects |
| Nancy Stauffer | Editor, Energy Futures |
| Kelley Travers | Operations and Communications Coordinator |
Education
| Antje Danielson | Director of Education |
| Rowan Elowe | Project Assistant |
| Rachel Shulman | Undergraduate Academic Coordinator |
Finance
| Leia Amarra | Fiscal Officer |
| Jasmine Bellitti | Financial Assistant |
| Danny DeStefano | Financial Assistant |
| Leposava Gagoska | Senior Financial Assistant |
| Tiffany Greaves | Financial Assistant |
| Edith Jaehne | Fiscal Officer |
| Robert Tolu | Senior Fiscal Officer |
| Nadie Trotman | Fiscal Officer |
| Maria Tsafoulias | Financial Assistant |
HR
| Sarah Peterson | Human Resources Administrator |
IT
| Patrick Connelly | Systems Administrator |
Member Services
| Louis Carranza | Associate Director |
| Lihong (Wendy) Duan | Program Director, Asia-Pacific Partnership Program |
| Brian Hodder | Special Projects Manager |
| Aruna Joglekar | Member Programs Manager |
Research
| Maryam Arbabzadeh | Postdoctoral Associate |
| Bentley Clinton | Postdoctoral Associate |
| Pablo Duenas-Martinez | Research Scientist |
| Randall Field | Executive Director, Mobility of the Future |
| Emre Gençer | Research Scientist |
| Tapajyoti Ghosh | Postdoctoral Associate |
| Naga Srujana Goteti | Postdoctoral Associate |
| Howard Gruenspecht | Senior Energy Economist |
| Guannan He | Postdoctoral Associate |
| Dharik Mallapragada | Research Scientist |
| Raanan Miller | Associate Director, SkTech/MIT Energy Initiative |
| Apurba Sakti | Research Scientist |
| Karen Tapia-Ahumada | Research Scientist |
| Haoshui Yu | Postdoctoral Associate |
MITEI is affiliated with faculty members in a number of MIT centers, departments, and laboratories pursuing interdisciplinary energy and environmental activities. MITEI supports the financial administration of certain projects and collaborates on research and education activities with these organizations.
Affiliated faculty and research staff as well as international research associates contribute to empirical research on policy issues related to electricity markets, gas, oil, and coal markets; nuclear power; transport; energy infrastructure; investment finance and risk management; and environmental and carbon constraints. CEEPR cooperates closely with associates in government and industry from around the globe to enhance the relevance of its research.
CEEPR produces working papers, policy briefs, and research input for larger, interdisciplinary studies; two annual research workshops in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and an international energy policy conference organized jointly with the Energy Policy Research Group at the University of Cambridge in the UK.
The E2e project is a collaborative program initiated by Knittel, Professor Michael Greenstone (formerly at MIT, now at the University of Chicago), and Professor Catherine Wolfram of the University of California, Berkeley, to leverage cutting-edge scientific and economic insights on the causes of the persistent energy efficiency gap. E2e focuses these talents on solving one of the most perplexing energy questions today and communicating those findings to policymakers and the public. E2e’s research generates rigorous and accurate evaluations of energy efficiency technologies and programs using state-of-the-art empirical methodologies.
This mission is accomplished through:
- Quantitative analyses of global changes and their social and environmental implications, achieved by employing and constantly improving an Integrated Global System Modeling framework;
- Independent assessments of potential responses to global risks through mitigation and adaptation measures;
- Outreach efforts to analysis groups, policymaking communities, and the public; and
- The cultivation of a new generation of researchers with the skills to tackle complex global challenges in the future.
Building on the twin pillars of science and policy, the program was founded in 1991 as a joint effort of two distinct groups: the MIT Center for Global Change Science and the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, under the administrative auspices of MITEI.
The scope of the world’s energy problems calls for a comprehensive portfolio of responses to environmental, economic, scientific, security, and political issues. Under the MIT Energy Initiative, MIT researchers are hard at work on this portfolio, addressing alleviating immediate shortage, security, and environmental concerns. Advancing energy research and education is a main priority of the Campaign as part of the focus on improving the health of the planet.
MIT is a 501(c)(3) institution, and your gift is tax-deductible within the limitations of U.S. federal income tax laws. The Institute’s tax identification number is 04-2103594.
Industry and Public Research Collaborators
MITEI’s Member Program contributes to a critical link in the energy innovation chain — the pairing of MIT’s world-class research teams with innovators in industry.MIT Human Resources maintains a list of open positions at the Energy Initiative, and is the primary contact for all applications and questions.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in education and employment. Read the full nondiscrimination policy.
I’m a journalist. How can I get in touch with an MIT energy researcher?
Contact MITEI Communications.
How can I learn about becoming a member?
Contact MITEI Member Services.
How can I learn about energy education?
Contact MITEI Education.
Where can I view recordings of MITEI events, seminars and other talks online?
If a MITEI event, seminar, or other talk is being recorded, you can find the video by visiting the MITEI YouTube channel. Please note that not all MITEI events, seminars and talks are recorded, but that the YouTube channel is the most up-to-date source of MITEI video recordings.
I’m a non-MIT student/researcher who would like to work with MIT faculty on energy issues. Are there opportunities available for internships and jobs?
MIT faculty work on a very wide range of energy research topics, and the best way to figure out whether there could be opportunities is to research specific departments and faculty members, and inquire through those channels. You can learn more about faculty members affiliated with MITEI here. MIT Human Resources maintains a list of open positions at the Energy Initiative, and is the primary contact for all applications and questions.
I’m a researcher at another academic institution. How can I get in contact with MITEI about an energy-related topic?
If you would like to reach MITEI regarding an energy-related topic such as an invention or research project, please send us more information about your proposal.
I’m an inventor. How do I get in touch with someone at MITEI about my energy-related invention?
We receive many inquiries about inventions, and unfortunately MITEI researchers are unable to review these proposals.
Contact
Have a question not answered here?