Karen Tapia-Ahumada
Research Scientist Karen Tapia-Ahumada PhD ’11 plays an integral role in MITEI’s Electric Power Systems Center, working on a host of projects ranging from analysis of cap-and-trade programs to understanding the security of electricity supply in Iceland.
→Meet the research scientists behind MITEI’s Electric Power Systems Center
Maryam Arbabzadeh
Maryam Arbabzadeh has been hard at work as a postdoc at MITEI, where she and a dedicated team are developing a modeling tool called SESAME that enables users to assess the system-level greenhouse gas emissions of today’s evolving energy system.
→Open SESAME: Meet the team of postdocs developing MITEI’s energy lifecycle assessment tool
Clare Balboni
Clare Balboni, the 3M Career Development Assistant Professor of Environmental Economics, works to understand the complex relationship of economics to climate, energy, and environmental issues, as well as informing related policy.
Caroline Cochran
Caroline Cochran SM ’10 is the co-founder of Oklo, a startup dedicated to creating innovative next-gen nuclear power plants that only have to be refueled once every 20 years.
Nazli Choucri
Nazli Choucri, a professor of political science, was recently elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for her work on international relations, cybersecurity, and global sustainability solutions.
→Nazli Choucri connects the dots between technology and geopolitics
Darya Guettler
MIT senior and president of the MIT Undergraduate Energy Club Darya Guettler combines her interests of mechanical engineering and political science to advocate for climate action and a broader and more equitable deployment of solar technologies.
Claire Halloran
Claire Halloran SB ’20, an Energy Studies Minor graduate, was one of five MIT students selected for the 2020 cohort of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship where she will pursue an MSc in energy systems and a Master of Public Policy.
→Energy undergrad named 2020 Rhodes Scholar
→MITEI hosts a virtual toast for 2020 Energy Studies Minor graduates
Amanda Hubbard
Amanda Hubbard, a principal research scientist at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, has been awarded a 2020 Secretary of Energy’s Appreciation Award for her role in the formation of the U.S. Burning Plasma Organization, a national association of scientists and engineers involved in researching the properties of magnetically confined burning fusion plasmas.
→Amanda Hubbard honored with Secretary of Energy’s Appreciation Award
Marija Ilic
Marija Ilic is a researcher on a mission: making electric energy systems future-ready. As a senior research scientist at the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems, Ilic has developed a new way to model complex electric power systems which could help with development of next-gen electric energy systems.
Gökşin Kavlak
Gökşin Kavlak PhD ’17 is a postdoc in the Tranick Lab at MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. There she works to understand the drivers of technology evolution over time, especially as how it relates to the intersection of energy technology and climate change.
Michelle Kornberg
While at MIT, Michelle Kornberg SB ’20 looked at the relationship between the ocean and climate change, from the Boston Harbor to the Great Barrier Reef, and looked at how the conversion of wave energy could be used as a clean energy source.
Lauryn Kortman
Sophomore Lauryn Kortman is working with the Plasma Science and Fusion Center to test a high-temperature superconducting tape made of barium copper oxide, a key component to make nuclear fusion tokamak reactors more compact.
→Meet Lauryn Kortman: Juggling fusion magnets and LED batons
Heidi Li
This past summer, Heidi Li, a junior in materials science and engineering, worked on the Roosevelt Project looking at pathways of decarbonization for the state of Pennsylvania.
Jing Li
Jing Li, an assistant professor of applied economics, is teaching 15.020 Economics of Energy, Innovation, and Sustainability, a popular new class that allows students to engage with the content through compelling case studies and a unique electricity strategy game.
→Energy economics class inspires students to pursue clean energy careers
Sarah Meyers
Sarah Meyers, the education program manager of MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative, helped put together a resource for students that enables them to find meaningful employment opportunities at companies that prioritize sustainability.
→Environmental Solutions Initiative puts sustainability front and center at the MIT career fair
Elsa Olivetti
Elsa Olivetti, the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Associate Professor in Materials Science and Engineering, is working on an interdisciplinary team developing a process to discover new materials for solid-state lithium-ion batteries.
→MIT convenes influential industry leaders in the fight against climate change
→MIT Energy Initiative awards eight seed fund grants for early-stage MIT energy research
Pyae Phyo
PhD candidate Pyae Phyo is studying plant wall structure by using cutting-edge nuclear magnetic resonance technology. Through this research, she is finding insights that could prove useful in creating biofuels.
Danielle Grey-Stewart
Materials science and engineering senior Danielle Grey-Stewart’s experiences both on and off campus have helped her pursue her passions for hard science, policy, and service. This fall, she will be attending Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar where she will be studying nature, society, and environmental governance.
Elise Strobach
Elise Strobach PhD ’20 is the co-founder and CEO of AeroShield, a startup that is harnessing the power of super-insulating, transparent aerogels for windows—a technology that she developed with Evelyn Wang, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Katlyn Turner
Racism and colonialism have influenced which countries bear the burdens of nuclear testing, as well as which countries have enjoyed the economic benefits. Katlyn Turner, a research scientist in the MIT Media Lab, is helping to lead a push in anti-racist action and accountability in the field of nuclear science and policy.
Sreya Vangara
Though working from home, sophomore Sreya Vangara is helping to put together a new data acquisition and testing system for MIT’s SPARC fusion reactor.
Mimi Wahid
By exploring her identity through writing, Mimi Wahid—a senior in urban studies and writing—has increased her passion for environmental justice and clarified her desire to serve rural Southern communities like her hometown.
Maria Zuber
Maria Zuber, MIT’s Vice President for Research, is a strong proponent of comprehensive climate action through technological and policy development and oversees many of MIT’s centers aimed at achieving these goals. Recently, she was selected to serve as the co-chair of President Biden’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
→Biden taps Eric Lander and Maria Zuber for senior science posts