Youjin Chung is Assistant Professor of Sustainability and Equity with a joint appointment in the Energy and Resources Group and the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management.

My research focuses on the intersections between renewable energy, gender, and rural life in northern Tanzania. Informed by critical social theory and political economy and ecology of energy, my work pivots around the gendered dimensions of rural energy use in a region where more and more large-scale ‘energy grabs’ are throwing social relations in the […]

Decentralized Solar Energy Systems for Energy Access: Institutional Arrangements and Comparisons of Reliability (MS ’18) Isa is a MS/PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group. She is interested in the impact of renewable energy on rural electrification, global development, and the domestic energy sector. Previously, Isa gained experience on both the technical and applied […]

Annelise’s research focus is the intersection of energy issues at the rural household level in East Africa. She is interested in how social infrastructure and outreach (e.g. training local workers) can help overcome barriers to adoption of technology. Annelise is also interested in the design and implementation of microgrids in remote areas. Prior to starting […]

Joyceline is a Tanzanian who holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Rochester. Her research interest lies in energy decentralization, diversification, economics and policy making to empower women and improve the standard of living in East Africa. She currently works at the Renewable & Appropriate Energy Laboratory on Off grid systems […]

Zach’s research focuses on household water access, treatment and use. He draws on data collected in the field, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative sources. Zach is ultimately interested in the balance between sustainability, equity, health and livelihoods and he hopes his work will contribute to good water policies which reflect end-user preferences. His PhD will […]

Questioning Inevitability of Energy Pathways: Alternate Energy Scenarios for California (’02 MA) Public Service or Commodity Goods? Electricity Reforms, Access, and the Politics of Development in Tanzania (’08 PhD)

Reshaping the relationships in Ungula’s electricity sector: the advent of the prepay meter (MS ’15) Presumptions and Precarity: Probing Electricity Infrastructure (PhD ’20) Veronica Jacome is a PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) and holds a BS in Engineering Physics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At ERG, Veronica focuses on the […]

"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.

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.