John Harte is a physicist turned ecologist. His research interests span ecological field research, the theory of complex systems, and policy analysis. Current interests include applying insights from information theory to the analysis of complex ecosystems and empirical investigation of climate-ecosystem feedback dynamics.

Lara Kueppers is an Assistant Professor in the Energy and Resources Group, with a Faculty Scientist appointment at Berkeley Lab. She is an interdisciplinary environmental scientist, whose research focuses on ecological responses and feedbacks to climate change.

Professor Ray’s research interests are water and development; technology and development; common property resources; and social science research methods. Her research projects focus on access to water and sanitation for the rural and urban poor, and on the role of technology in improving livelihoods.

Transportation has long been dominated by the personal gasoline-powered automobile, but breakthroughs in electric vehicles, shared mobility, and automation promise to disrupt the sector. Gordon’s research focuses on leveraging these disruptions to maximize both social and environmental sustainability, drawing on insights from a variety of disciplines to understand how people might interact with these new […]

Dennis has focused his career on technology and sustainability policy in emerging and developing economies. His research interests include technology and innovation policy and impacts to resource and rural development, technology transfer and the political economy of land use management. He has led programs with the Paris based International Energy Agency, as an official of the […]

High-resolution weather and climate data is fast becoming cheap and ubiquitous. As a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellow, Ian works to capitalize on this increasing availability of data to drive improvements in forecasts of the impacts of climate change on water and energy resources. In parallel to this work, he is also […]

Bodie’s interests lie at the intersection of health, environment, and energy access. To date, Bodie has primarily focused on modernizing cooking in South Asia and Sub Saharan Africa. This work has taken him from rural villages building mud “chulhas” to high-tech cookstove manufacturing and testing facilities. Presently, he is working to understand the social, economic, […]

Since graduating as an electronics engineer in 2004, JP Carvallo has been working, studying, and researching different aspects of the energy field. His current interests relate to varied topics in sustainable development for less industrialized economies, with a geographical focus in Latin America and Asia. He brings together different disciplines – engineering, economics, political science, and […]

John is interested in the geographic dimensions of environmental politics and policy. As an undergraduate researcher, he used geospatial tools to connect the environmental history of North Georgia to observed changes in land use. As a Masters candidate, his research explored the politics of distributed solar energy in conservative-leaning states. He is also very interested […]

As a NSF, Chancellor’s, and InFEWS Fellow in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG), Pierce investigates frameworks, methodologies, and contexts for evaluating innovation for social change. By understanding how socially-minded organizations integrate, support, and channel innovation-incentivizing processes to generate value for end consumers, he characterizes current best practices for developing novel products, agnostic of geographic, […]

Will’s primary research interests involve assessing the opportunity for distributed energy resources to participate on the electric system while investigating their technical impact on the grid. Prior to joining ERG, he worked for the Brattle Group’s utilities group in Boston studying electricity markets and renewable energy. He holds a B.S. in chemical engineering and a […]

Adam is interested in how climate change and biodiversity loss can be mitigated through agriculture, forestry, and conservation strategy. Prior to joining ERG, Adam worked with an early stage agriculture technology company called TerViva where he conducted research and business development to expand the adoption of novel, sustainable crops on marginal land. This work exposed […]

Sasha Harris-Lovett is a PhD candidate in the Energy and Resources Group and a NSF Graduate Research Program Fellow. Her research focuses on urban water and wastewater management, decision analysis for socio-environmental problems, and collaborative environmental planning. She is dedicated to making science accessible to students, policy-makers, and community members. Outside of school, she works […]

Zeke is an energy systems analyst and data scientist with a strong interest in climate science and policy. He is currently the VP of Energy Science at Essess, Inc, an energy efficiency startup that develops vehicle mounted thermal imaging systems, a research scientist at Berkeley Earth, and the senior climate analyst at Project Drawdown. He […]

Chris Hyun comes from a decade of experience in South Asia, focused on water, pollution, culture, religion, and development, particularly in the Ganges River Basin. He has been involved with a variety of NGOs, working on income generation, capacity building, education, watershed management, and river advocacy. Though he has a variety of interests in the […]

Jose Daniel was born in San José Costa Rica, received his B.Sc. and Licentiate in Electrical Engineering from the University of Costa Rica in 2009 and 2012 respectively, his M.Sc. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Waterloo, Canada in 2014, and his M.S. in Energy and Resources from the University of […]

Sophie Major’s interests are found at the intersection of political philosophy and contemporary issues of social justice. She is currently researching the roles of narrative theory and emerging political psychology research for understanding international climate politics. Her MA thesis investigated the philosophical assumptions underlying the concept of “path dependency” in political studies. Prior to joining […]

Adam returned to graduate school after a career as an attorney specializing in environmental, energy, and natural resources litigation. He came to Berkeley to focus on what the law can be, and should be. His research interests – ranging across the environmental, energy, and natural resources sectors – include public policy analysis and development, public […]

Gauthami’s research interests focus on how social networks influence health behaviors and decisions around access and use of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructures and its implications on the health and dignity of women and children in developing countries. More broadly, she is interested in exploring the intersection of urban planning and women’s health. Previously, […]

Phillippe is an MS student at ERG. His research interests are in the integration of distributed energy resources and the decarbonization of the electricity sector. In 2005, Phillippe enlisted in the US Navy where he worked on an aircraft carrier as a nuclear power plant electrician. After six years, he left the Navy to obtain […]

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I’m a first years master’s student and received a B.S. & B.A. from UC Berkeley in Integrative Biology and Molecular Environmental Biology. Prior to coming to ERG, I worked on quantifying rates of nitrogen fixation by bacteria associated with conifer foliage in Western U.S. forests. I’m broadly interested in the dynamics of community-level responses to […]

Jess studies the impact of and adaptation to climate change on Latin America’s coasts. Currently, she travels on her 39-foot sailboat, Oleada, down the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America, through the Panama Canal, and into the Caribbean to document local climate knowledge through GIS mapping and personal narratives. You can follow her journey […]

Lisa is interested in using computer science to explore issues related to the economic impacts of climate change. She has spent the past three years working at an environmental consulting firm called Industrial Economics Inc. where she leveraged data analysis, computer programming, and GIS to work on projects related to the economic affects of climate […]

Esther is interested in integrated assessment models and the role of tropical forests and land cover in climate change mitigation. She also studies sustainable agroforestry and the environmental governance of global supply chains. Prior to beginning her graduate studies at UC Berkeley, she worked for the U.S. Department of Justice as a statistician in the […]

Alana Siegner graduated from Tufts University in 2012 with a double major in Environmental Studies and International Relations. She was the Local Outreach Chair of the Tufts-Engineers Without Borders chapter, and spent 3 summers traveling to Uganda to work on an EWB clean water storage project. Before coming to ERG, Alana served for 2 years […]

The world is witnessing a rapid advance in renewable energy with China as one in the forefront. However, adding enough renewable energy to satisfy China's growing power needs is quite complex. ERG Ph.D. candidate, Froy Sifuentes, focuses on the challenges of integrating wind power to help make China's grid cleaner. Read on and learn more about Froy and his work (and fun) at ERG.

Emma’s interests are at the intersection of climate change adaptation, environmental justice, and science and technology studies, with a focus on renewable energy technology adoption in under-resourced communities. She received her B.A. in Geography and B.S. in Environmental Sciences at UC Berkeley in 2011, and her undergraduate research focused on critical approaches to GIS technology […]

Hilary received her B.A. in Government and Biological Sciences, with a concentration in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in the latter, from Cornell University, where she graduated in 2015. At ERG, Hilary is interested in exploring the science-law nexus and the factors – political, economic, and social – that inform the translation of science into legislation. […]

Rot is Hot: Home Composting in Alameda County (91 MA) Research Interests: How do we make the shift to sustainable economy and society? Compost, ride a bike, eat, buy, and grow organic food. The search continues for new ways to promote this shift, and have FUN!

The Costs of Environmental Degradation (’78 M.S.) Emission Sources Contributing to Acid Precipitation in the Western United States (’86 Ph.D.)

Targeted Efficiency: Using Customer Meter Data to Improve Efficiency Program Outcomes (PhD ’14) Sam’s works focuses on tools to scale up and improve the performance of energy efficiency programs in support of renewable energy integration and climate mitigation goals. His work combines insights from building science, behavioral sciences, and engineering to interpret patterns in building […]

On Rate Regulation in Modern Electricity Sectors (PhD ’17) Felipe was a Ph.D. Candidate with ERG. His research seeks to improve the understanding and organization of energy systems, leveraging methods, and concepts developed in fields including operations research, microeconomics, and industrial organization. Felipe’s work puts a particular emphasis on the development and application of data […]

Dr. Chafe works at the intersections of public health, air pollution, climate change, and energy use. She holds a PhD from the Energy and Resources Group (ERG), as well as an MPH from UC Berkeley. She has been a researcher/consultant for entities such as the World Health Organization, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, […]

At times the problem of understanding phenomena is one of seeing. That is why Danielle explores new ways of demystifying complexity through visual representation. She seeks new techniques to illustrate often-forgotten, yet fundamental dependencies between human society and the natural world. One such technique is terrestrial laser scanning (also known as LIDAR), which she used to create a 3-D model of her ecological study site in the Sierra Nevada. This along with her seedling research seeks to inform the uncertain future of resource management.

Assessing Instream Flow Standards Under Climate Change Implications for State-Level Policy in the U.S. (MS/MPP ’17) Rebecca completed a Master’s degree in both the Energy and Resources Group and the Goldman School of Public Policy (MA/MPP). Her research interests focus on the sustainable use of water resources, integrating work in ecology, equity, and climate change […]

Michael Cohen puts the power and complexity of the grid into students' hands via a video game. We asked Michael about his innovative project and his unique experience at ERG. "In addition to developing the game itself, I am working with teachers at local high schools to develop curriculum around it and try it out with their students this year. I hope to not only create a solid educational product but also gain some insights into how technology can be used to support learning about complex systems in general."

Getting Serious About Water Wheeling in California: Learning from the Experience of the Natural Gas and Electric Industries (01 MS) Research Interests: Removing impediments to water markets and transfers in the Western U.S. Focused on how experience in restructuring of the natural gas and electric industries can encourage more active water markets. In particular studying […]

Katie’s interests are in community forestry, natural resource conflict management, cultural dimensions of ecosystem management and place studies. She graduated with a BA in Anthropology from Davidson College (2010) and focused undergraduate research on sense of place in Southern Appalachian coal communities. Katie previously worked as a field educator for the Teton Science Schools in […]

Common Resources, Private Benefits: Shifting Access in Mexico’s Community Forests (’08 MS)

Julian’s interests lie in the relationships between water use and economic development, focusing on modeling and governance. Mr. Fulton’s previous research includes water use in the transportation sector, conservation strategies among California utilities, and European flood management policy. He recently completed a Fulbright Fellowship in the Netherlands and holds an M.S. in Civil and Environmental […]

I am a third year PhD student at UC Berkeley, in the Energy and Resources Group. I came to graduate school after nearly two and a half years of development work in Latin America, as well as short stints in research and advocacy. My current interests include energy access business models, private financing of energy […]

Mitigation Banking: Protecting Resources or Minimizing Enforcement Costs? (’87 M.S.) Population Differentiation in Tree-Ring Growth Responses of White Fir (Abies Concolor) to Climate: Implications for Predicting Forest Responses to Climate Change (’93 Ph.D.)

Josiah Johnston grew up in a rural part of the Ozark Mountains. He is great at construction and swinging a pick. Between college and grad school he lived in Baltimore for five years. When Josiah left for grad school, he was a tenured researcher in a genetics lab and had a seat on the board […]

Chris Jones is lead developer at the CoolClimate Network, an applied research consortium at UC Berkeley’s Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory that supports the development of comprehensive, socially integrated carbon footprint management tools and programs for individuals, schools, businesses and communities. His primary research interests intersect the fields of industrial ecology, environmental psychology, and climate […]

Financial Incentive Policies to Promote End-Use Solar Technologies in a Restructured Electricity Industry: Comparing the Costs (’97 M.A.)

Joe’s broad research interests include sustainable consumption and pro-environmental behavior change. His dissertation explores the linkages between psychological well-being and the environment, arguing that happiness and sustainability are synergistic concepts and that delving into how people use their time is a practical means of concurrently pursuing both goals. Joe’s own happiness has historically been pursued […]

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Ann Kinzig Ph.D. ’94 Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University Perhaps more than most alumni, Ann Kinzig’s intellectual path has traversed ERG’s interdisciplinary bounds, grappling with the physical, life and social science aspects of the world’s ecological and social problems during, and especially after, her time at ERG. […]

"23% fewer women than men are online in developing countries. If no concerted effort is taken, that internet gap is going to grow. When women see role models—people doing things—it enables them and empowers them to think, 'Well, I can do that as well.' And, accessing the internet and using technologies exposes them to an entirely new world," says ERG Alum, Dr. Renee (Kuriyan) Wittemyer. She is Intel's Director of Social Impact.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: SHARAD LÉLÉ Ph.D. 1993 Senior Fellow, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (Bangalore) Sharad Lele never intended to become an academic. And even though his resume is chock-full of scholarly publications, he still believes that applying the interdisciplinary academic knowledge gained at ERG defines ERG’s crucial role. After all, he says, […]

Hongyou is a concurrent MS-MPP student in ERG and the Goldman School of Public Policy. She also works at the China Energy Group of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Her research focuses on industrial energy assessments, industrial energy efficiency, low carbon policies, and introducing international best practices to China. Her previous work also include tool […]

The Economic Costs and Potential of Increased Water-Use Efficiency in California’s Residential Sector (’02 M.A.)

Adrienne works on climate change adaptation and mitigation in the public and private forests and wild lands of California. She is interested in understanding how the natural resources in these areas, particularly water, are affected by climate change. How can we manage our forests and wild lands in order to reduce both the magnitude of […]

Andrea graduated from UC Merced with a BS in Applied Mathematics on Engineering Mechanics and a minor in Writing. During her time at UCM, Andrea interned for UCM Facilities as a Building Efficiency Intern aiding in UCM’s goal to meet a Triple Zero Challenge of zero net energy, emissions, and waste by 2020. Since graduation, […]

Reducing Photovoltaic System Costs by Use of Energy-Efficient Appliances (’85 M.A.)

Erica’s niche is fire, particularly in the ecologically sensitive region of French Polynesia. She has already been trained as a physicist, but her curiosity draws her to ecology. ERG has become a unique place for Erica to explore her aspirations in the biological sciences alongside those who have successfully trekked through similar transitions. Read in her own words how Erica has fine-tuned her fascinations while at ERG.

Development and Tests of Two Null Theories of Ecological Communities: a Fractal Theory and a Dispersal Assembly Theory (’04 PhD)

Monkgogi (who goes by MK) was born and raised in Botswana and recently graduated cum laude with her BA from Scripps College in Environment, Economics, and Politics. Personally, MK has worked extensively with and for underrepresent students in higher education through numerous leadership roles, mentorships, and volunteering opportunities. Access to and visibility of underrepresented students […]

The Implications of Time-of-Use (TOU) Electricity Rates Upon California’s Grid Load, GHG Emissions, Costs, and Potential for the Electric Space Heating and PEV Market (MA ’14)

Environmental, Economic, and Social Trade-Offs of Hydropower Relicensing (MS ’16) Joseph is interested in the social, environmental, and economic trade-offs in energy development, and in particular the social conflicts arising around utility-scale wind farm siting and hydropower relicensing. His master’s research focuses on the relicensing of the Yuba River Development Project, a large hydropower project […]

John Romankiewicz is an MS/MPP candidate in the Energy & Resources Group and Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. He is the VP of Membership for the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative and a leader of the Cleanweb Berkeley community, through which he has organized clean energy hackathons on campus. Prior to grad […]

Creating a Smooth Pathway From Innovation to Commercialization within the California Public Interest Energy Research Program (’01 M.S.) Research Interests: Performance of policy and technical analyses to increase awareness of global warming in a solutions oriented campaign to reduce energy use in California. We are pressuring public entities to increase the use of energy efficiency, […]

Classes of Ecotoxicological Tests: Their Advantages and Disadvantages for Regulation (’81 MS)

The Impacts of Real-Time Selling and Net Metering on Life-Cycle Costs for Residential Fuel Cell Systems (’01 MS)

At ERG, I am exploring the barriers to renewable projects that are stalled or abandoned in emerging markets and potential solutions. By striving to answer that question, I hope to help move electricity sector development forward — especially in East Africa.

Decarbonizing Residential Space and Water Heating in California (PhD ’17) Imran Sheikh is interested in creating business-led solutions to environmental problems, with a particular focus on energy efficiency. His current research interests are around using smart meter and internet-connected thermostat data to better target energy efficiency investments. Prior to graduate school he was a consultant for […]

Terrestrial Biological Carbon Dioxide Removal: An Ecological Perspective (MS ’12) Lydia’s research takes her to the Alaskan Arctic, where she studies soil carbon turnover and greenhouse gas emissions. Her primary interests are mechanisms of soil carbon stabilization, soil microbes, and methane. She loves being up to her knees in Arctic tundra, but tries to find […]

Private Cost of Public Action: Costs to Western Coal Producers of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (’82 M.S.)

"In a sense, we’re going through a tran­si­tion here. The indus­try is going through a tran­si­tion that we’re only see­ing the begin­ning of,” says Dr. Cyrus Wadia (PhD’08). Cyrus knows about transitions. He has been a policy advocate, business entrepreneur and scientific innovator for clean energy and human welfare prior, throughout and since his time at ERG. He has not only observed but has been part of the change in the world’s switch to solar. His multiple hats and his work on the frontline edge of policy, economics and science made him a perfect fit for the interdisciplinary program at ERG.

Alternative Windpower Ownership Structures: Financing Terms and Project Costs (’96 MS) Public Goods and Private Interests: The Role of Voluntary Green Power Demand in Achieving Environmental Improvements (’02 PhD)

In the tradition of Barad and Haraway, I practice Science and Technology Studies (STS) “from the inside”, drawing on my own natural science training to inform the theoretical frameworks I develop. My interdisciplinary outlook is grounded in training, publication, and research in hydrology, aquatic ecology, and fluvial geomorphology, as well as in social science and […]