ERG’s sixty plus graduate students are geographically and ethnically diverse. About half are in the masters-degree program and half in the PhD program. The students come from a wide variety of disciplinary backgrounds in engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities; the characteristics they have in common are an ability to cross disciplinary boundaries, an interest in the complex problems at the interface of technology and society, and the intellectual credentials to succeed in a rigorous academic program. Graduates of the program are employed across the United States and around the world in governmental and international agencies, legislative staff positions, national laboratories, public and private utilities, other energy and resource companies, consulting firms, public-interest organizations, and universities.

ERG students have been recognized nationally and internationally for their research. Click here to find a selection of recent grants and fellowships awarded to ERG students.

Students

Abayo, Aline

Aline Abayo

MS

Aline is a master’s student at ERG focusing climate finance, critical minerals, the economics of renewable energy, and the relationship between climate and development goals. Prior to joining ERG, Aline ... Continue Reading »

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Adachi, Eleanor

Eleanor Adachi

MPP, MS

Eleanor Adachi (she/her) is a Master’s student in both the Energy and Resources Group and the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley and a NSF Graduate Research Fellow. ... Continue Reading »

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Akinsipe, Gbemisola

Gbemisola Akinsipe

MS, PhD

Gbemi is a MS/PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group. Her primary research revolves around electricity systems planning and markets in Nigeria and West Africa with a focus on ... Continue Reading »

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Alford-Jones, Kelsey

Kelsey Alford-Jones

MA

Kelsey is a PhD candidate, focusing on qualitative research spanning the fields of global climate and environmental politics, political ecology, critical development studies, human and Indigenous rights, and environmental conflict. ... Continue Reading »

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Ball-Burack, Ari

Ari Ball-Burack

PhD

Ari Ball-Burack is a first year PhD student in the Energy & Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley, advised by Dr. Dan Kammen. He studies data and computational ... Continue Reading »

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Ballagh, Alana

Alana Ballagh

MS

Alana Ballagh (she/her) is a first year Master’s student at the Energy and Resources Group. Alana is interested in exploring the role of more participatory decision-making in renewable energy planning ... Continue Reading »

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Best, Dennis

Dennis Best

MS, PhD

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, ... Continue Reading »

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Brown, Colette

Colette Brown

MS, PhD

Colette Brown is a PhD student at the Energy and Resources Group. Brown previously graduated from the ERG Master’s program; where she used Landsat 7 imagery and machine learning to ... Continue Reading »

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Brown, Sean

Sean Brown

MS

Sean Brown is a first year Master’s student interested in using the framework of complex systems to better understand natural and human subsystems as parts of a larger, integrated system, ... Continue Reading »

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Campbell, Nica

Nica Campbell

MS, PhD

Nica Campbell is an PhD candidate at the Energy and Resources Group. Her research interests include corporate sustainability, environmental justice and policy making mechanisms. At ERG, she explores ways to ... Continue Reading »

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Carleton, Elliot

Elliot Carleton

MS

Elliot is an MS student in the Energy and Resources Group focusing on sustainable land management and conservation. His research interests are motivated by the time he spent working with ... Continue Reading »

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Chang, Jack

Jack Chang

MA, MPP, PhD

Hydrogen’s Potential Role is California’s Zero Emissions Future (MA ’20) I have been focusing on building decarbonization policy, renewable hydrogen and and island electrification as part of my master’s degrees ... Continue Reading »

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Chaudhry, Nabig

Nabig Chaudhry

MS, PhD

Nabig Chaudhry is an MS/PhD student at UC Berkeley. His research lies at the intersection of climate and data science and focuses on building tech and data-enabled climate adaptation solutions. ... Continue Reading »

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Choi, Minah

Minah Choi

MS

Minah Choi (she/hers) is a first year Master’s student at the Energy and Resources Group. Her research interests include political ecology, community-based conservation, and STS. At ERG, Minah hopes to ... Continue Reading »

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Chojkiewicz, Emilia

Emilia Chojkiewicz

PhD

Emilia is a PhD student at ERG and a Research Affiliate at both the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) and UC Berkeley’s India Energy and Climate Center (IECC). Her research ... Continue Reading »

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Cliburn, Cora

Cora Cliburn

MA

Cora Cliburn (she/her) is a first year master’s student in the Energy and Resources Group. Her research interests include food sustainability, waste politics, and political ecology. At ERG, Cora hopes ... Continue Reading »

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Crespo Montanes, Cristina

Cristina Crespo Montanes

MS, PhD

I am an Industrial Engineer, a PhD Candidate at the Energy and Resources Group (UC Berkeley), and a researcher in the Energy Markets and Policy Department at the Lawrence Berkeley ... Continue Reading »

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Cullen, Kate

Kate Cullen

PhD

Kate Altemus Cullen (she/her) is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Energy & Resources Group and Fulbright-Hays Fellow. Her dissertation research examines the role of climate change in exacerbating issues ... Continue Reading »

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Djoulakian, Hasmik

Hasmik Djoulakian

MS

Hasmik Djoulakian (she/her) is a Master’s student in the Energy Resources Group. Her research interests involve applying frameworks of feminist political ecology, cultural geography, and environmental justice to examine the ... Continue Reading »

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Dolton-Thornton, Nathaniel “Nate”

Nathaniel “Nate” Dolton-Thornton

PhD

Nathaniel Dolton-Thornton is a first year PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group. Dolton-Thornton’s research interests center on China, the Belt and Road Initiative, Latin America, and the clean ... Continue Reading »

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Elias, Micah

Micah Elias

MS, PhD

Payment for Watershed Ecosystem Services: Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Equity (MS ’20) Micah Elias earned his B.S. in International Agricultural Development from UC Davis in 2012. After graduating he worked with ... Continue Reading »

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Fransen, Taryn

Taryn Fransen

PhD

Taryn Fransen is a PhD student with the Energy and Resources Group and a Senior Fellow at the World Resources Institute. Her research interests center on the design and implementation ... Continue Reading »

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Freitas, Nancy

Nancy Freitas

MS, PhD

Arctic Lake Emissions in a Warming World (MS ’20) At ERG, Nancy research focuses on identifying existing gaps in climate science and decision-making. In her master’s research, she used a ... Continue Reading »

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Gill-Wiehl, Annelise

Annelise Gill-Wiehl

MS, PhD

Annelise Gill-Wiehl is currently an NSF Graduate Student Researcher and a Ph.D. Candidate in the Energy & Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley, co-advised by Dr. Dan Kammen ... Continue Reading »

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Gonzales, Adriana

Adriana Gonzales

PhD

Adriana Gonzales is a PhD student at the Energy and Resources Group. Gonzales’ interests includes examining how the responses of local Caribbean communities to energy inequities in the wake of ... Continue Reading »

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Grayson, Alexandra

Alexandra Grayson

MS

Alexandra (she/her) is a second-year Master of Science candidate in the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley. She is particularly interested in furthering procedural environmental justice ... Continue Reading »

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Griffin-Carney, Jesse

Jesse Griffin-Carney

MS, PhD

Jesse is a PhD candidate at ERG conducting research which utilizes optimization and techno-economic modeling to evaluate the feasibility of energy system decarbonization strategies. She earned her undergraduate degree at ... Continue Reading »

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Haley, Ben

Ben Haley

PhD

Ben has unique experience developing energy system models to support energy transformation decision making in his role as Co-Founder of Evolved Energy Research. His models have been utilized by parties ... Continue Reading »

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Hall Rocha, Alex

Alex Hall Rocha

MS

Alex Hall Rocha is a Master’s student at the Energy and Resources Group. Her interests include community-based participatory research and how it can be used to address cases of environmental injustice. ... Continue Reading »

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Hall, Anaya

Anaya Hall

MS, PhD

Modeling Organic Waste Management for Soil Carbon Sequestration in California (MS ’19) Anaya (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) at UC Berkeley. She is ... Continue Reading »

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Hunter, Chris

Chris Hunter

MA, MPP

Chris is a M.A./M.P.P. student with the Energy & Resources Group and the Goldman School of Public Policy, focused on advancing effective and equitable climate and energy policy at the ... Continue Reading »

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Jones, Ryan

Ryan Jones

PhD

Ryan has spent the last decade developing modeling tools to explore technology pathways for deep decarbonization with special focus on electricity systems. His current research works to incorporate additional dimensions ... Continue Reading »

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Karasaki, Seigi

Seigi Karasaki

MS, PhD

Seigi’s research focus is on the intersection of drinking water access, social justice, institutional capacity, and individual agency. He is primarily interested in weaving together historical and current race- and ... Continue Reading »

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Katz, Jessica

Jessica Katz

MS, PhD

Siting Renewable Energy in a Changing Climate: A Reimagining of BLM’s Solar Energy Zones (MS ’20) At ERG, Jessica is focusing on learning advanced methods to comprehensively evaluate the ecological, ... Continue Reading »

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Kersey, Jess

Jess Kersey

MS, PhD

Jess Kersey is a fourth-year PhD student broadly interested in technology, regulation, and policy to improve energy access and climate adaptation efforts across multiple geographies including East Africa, Latin America, ... Continue Reading »

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Kingdon, Cora

Cora Kingdon

MS, PhD

Cora Kingdon is a PhD candidate in the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley. As an interdisciplinary scholar, she draws from environmental economics, climate science, decision making under deep ... Continue Reading »

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Kirby, Lily

Lily Kirby

MS

Lily is a Master’s student in the Energy and Resources Group. Her research focuses on expanding utility access for medically vulnerable and low-income American communities. Lily’s work is also concerned ... Continue Reading »

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Kudrimoti, Aaditee

Aaditee Kudrimoti

MS, PhD

Aaditee Kudrimoti is a M.S./Ph.D. student in the Energy and Resources Group. She completed undergraduate degrees from UC Berkeley in Political Science and Public Policy (go bears!). Aaditee is interested ... Continue Reading »

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Larson, Clara

Clara Larson

MS

Clara Larson is a Master’s student at the Energy Resource Group. Larson’s interests includes exploring computational methods for earth and environmental science and using computational research to inform decision making ... Continue Reading »

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Lazarus, Eli

Eli Lazarus

MS, PhD

Eli is an Ecological Economist working on comprehensive welfare measurement, tracking, and optimization. His research investigates and contributes to filling the gap between market optimization/welfare and broader social welfare. Recent ... Continue Reading »

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LeBerth,Megan

Megan LeBerth

MS

Megan LeBerth is a Master’s student at the Energy Resources Group. LeBerth interests includes, researching the equitable expansion of clean energy. Prior to joining ERG, LeBerth holds a BA from ... Continue Reading »

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Lockwood, Cello

Cello Lockwood

MS

Cello focuses on the environmental impacts and social implications of the proposed Circular Economy with specific attention to application in the textile industry. Her current research seeks to measure and ... Continue Reading »

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Longmate, Julia

Julia Longmate

MS, PhD

Julia’s research focuses on the performance and usability of climate model outputs at decision-relevant scales. She received her S.B. in Environmental Engineering from MIT in 2016 where she studied the ... Continue Reading »

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Lottman-Craigg, Jessica

Jessica Lottman-Craigg

PhD

My research focuses on the social, spatial, and climate implications of energy transition in the Atlanta area. I draw on political ecology, energy geography, and political economy of development and ... Continue Reading »

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Luo, Annika

Annika Luo

MS

Annika is an MS student in the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on sustainable systems, environmental justice, industrial pollution, and political ecology. She is particularly ... Continue Reading »

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Manocha, Aneesha

Aneesha Manocha

PhD

Aneesha Manocha (she/her) is a PhD student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley in the Energy Resources Group. She is particularly interested in developing optimization ... Continue Reading »

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Mazur, Anna

Anna Mazur

MS

Anna Mazur is a Master’s student at the Energy and Resources Group. Mazur interests includes developing new facilities and strategic planning of generation portfolios, revising outdated policies like capital cost ... Continue Reading »

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McAdams, Jasmine

Jasmine McAdams

MS, PhD

Jasmine is a MS/PhD student at UC Berkeley’s Energy and Resources Group, with a passion for supporting robust and equitable decision-making in climate and energy. Her research interests include developing ... Continue Reading »

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Miles, Samuel

Samuel Miles

PhD

Samuel Miles is a Ph.D. student in the Energy and Resources Group at the Uni­ver­sity of Cal­i­for­nia, Berkeley. Sam studies electrical and political power systems. He pairs frameworks from environmental ... Continue Reading »

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Moraski, Jill

Jill Moraski

PhD

Jill is interested in addressing electric grid reliability and resilience challenges in a future characterized by economy-wide decarbonization, climate vulnerability, and deep risk uncertainty. Specifically, she’s interested in adapting best ... Continue Reading »

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Moses Mbewe, Edward

Edward Moses Mbewe

MS

Edward Moses Mbewe is a Master’s student at the Energy and Resources Group. Mbewe interests includes identifying, critically reviewing, and publishing on sustainable and environmental developments in energy. Mbewe’s goal ... Continue Reading »

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Munnings, Clayton

Clayton Munnings

MS, PhD

Clayton’s research focuses on design evaluations and performance assessments of carbon offsets, carbon prices, and clean electricity standards with a geographic emphasis on the United States and China. He founded ... Continue Reading »

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Murayama, Hikari

Hikari Murayama

PhD

Hikari’s research largely focuses on combining remote sensing and machine learning methods to study human impacts on large spatial scales. She was selected to be a Data Science Fellow at ... Continue Reading »

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Murillo, Sara

Sara Murillo

MS

Sara (she/her) is a first-year MS student in the Energy and Resources Group with a passion for advancing solutions to domestic energy equity issues. Her research interests are centered around ... Continue Reading »

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Owusu Sarfo, Kwabena

Kwabena Owusu Sarfo

MS

Kwabena Owusu Sarfo is a Master’s student at the Energy and Resources Group. Kwabena interests includes, energy system modeling and analysis, decarbonizing electric power grids, and renewable energy integration research. ... Continue Reading »

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Pekerti, Dakota

Dakota Pekerti

MS

Dakota Pekerti (he/him) is a first-year Master’s student in the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley. Dakota is passionate about working in sustainable development in Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, ... Continue Reading »

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Penakalapati, Gauthami

Gauthami Penakalapati

MS, PhD

Evaluation of Social Networks and Measures of Empowerment Among Adolescent Girls in Uttar Pradesh, India (MS ’19) Gauthami’s interdisciplinary research intersects global health, feminist theory, science technology studies, social network ... Continue Reading »

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Pesek, Sophie

Sophie Pesek

PhD

Sophie Pesek is a PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) at UC Berkeley. She is interested in using causal inference and remote sensing techniques to support vulnerable ... Continue Reading »

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Rempel, Jenny

Jenny Rempel

MS, PhD

Surfacing Overlying Rights: Assessing Transitions in Overlying Rights to California’s Groundwater Basins (MS ’20) Jenny grew up in Fresno, California, and graduated from Stanford University with an interdisciplinary environmental science ... Continue Reading »

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Rennels, Lisa

Lisa Rennels

MS, PhD

Sobol Sensitivity Analysis for Integrated Assessment Models: Supporting Result Characterization (MS ’19) Lisa is interested in using computer science to explore issues related to the economic impacts of climate change, ... Continue Reading »

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Santasheva, Ana

Ana Santasheva

MS

Ana Santasheva is a Master’s student at the Energy and Resources Group. Santasheva’s interests includes, exploring how to leverage new tools, technologies, policies, and consumer engagement to help us predict and ... Continue Reading »

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Sarfaty Epstein, Sarah

Sarah Sarfaty Epstein

MS

Sarah Sarfaty Epstein is an MS student in the Energy and Resources Group interested in on-farm climate adaptation, resilience and mitigation projects from both the ecological and social perspectives. While ... Continue Reading »

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Setiawan, Rachman

Rachman Setiawan

MS

Rachman Setiawan is a Master’s student for the Energy Resource Group, focusing on energy sectors. He worked as an engineer in a Solar PV company where He conducted surveys, analysis, ... Continue Reading »

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Singhal, Aaryaman “Sunny”

Aaryaman “Sunny” Singhal

MPP, MS

Aaryaman “Sunny” Singhal earned a dual-degree in 2024 from the Energy and Resources Group and the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC-Berkeley. He is interested in water security in ... Continue Reading »

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Speizer, Simone

Simone Speizer

PhD

Simone Speizer is a PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley. Her research interests center on air pollution and climate impacts, and especially their intersections with ... Continue Reading »

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Strecker, Jesse

Jesse Strecker

MA, MPP

Jesse Strecker is a researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley’s Energy and Resources Group, and an interdisciplinary political economist. They hold an MPP ... Continue Reading »

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Sungkar, Faraj

Faraj Sungkar

MS

Faraj is a Master’s student at the Energy and Resources Group (ERG). He is passionate about exploring how to address the complex challenges of balancing the energy trilemma (energy security, ... Continue Reading »

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Verley, Dawson

Dawson Verley

MS

Dawson is a Master’s student in the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley. His interests lie at the intersection of data science and sustainable development, with a focus on ... Continue Reading »

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Villalpando Páez, María

María Villalpando Páez

PhD

María is interested in exploring rural and peasant women’s role in the advancement of food sovereignty and in understanding the complex negotiation processes between communities, individuals, and the environment in ... Continue Reading »

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Wagner, Tzipora

Tzipora Wagner

MS

The Role of Stakeholder Networks in Urban Water System Innovation (MS ’20) Tzipora’s is interested in water resources and the role of technology in promoting sustainability, especially in the developing ... Continue Reading »

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Wang, Liyang

Liyang Wang

MS, PhD

Liyang is a PhD student in the Energy & Resources Group and a Senior Research Associate at Berkeley Lab. Her research interest is at the intersection of decision science, climate ... Continue Reading »

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Ward, Rachel

Rachel Ward

MS, PhD

Tropical Forests and the Allocation of Carbon to Reproduction (MS ’20) Rachel is interested in the social, ecological, and geophysical dynamics of agro-forestry coffee and cacao systems in the tropics. ... Continue Reading »

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Warner, Cody

Cody Warner

MA, PhD

Lights Off in San Diego County: the Effect of Utility Deenergization Events on Household Electrification (MA ’20) Cody applies statistical and econometric models to the electricity sector and studies how ... Continue Reading »

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Winn, Leila

Leila Winn

MS

Leila Winn (she/her) is a master’s student pursuing a MS in ERG. Her research interest lie in urban ecology with a focus on urbanization and habitat. She is also deeply ... Continue Reading »

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Worsham, Marshall

Marshall Worsham

MS, PhD

Marshall is an interdisciplinary environmental scientist with a focus on high-elevation forests of the Rocky Mountains. He applies methods spanning remote sensing, community ecology, dendrochronology, and soil science to explore ... Continue Reading »

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Xi Xi

Xi Xi

MS

Xi Xi is a Master’s student for the Energy Resource group. Xi Xi uses interdisciplinary methods such as quantitative modeling techniques and policy analyses to assess impacts on emissions, energy ... Continue Reading »

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Yu, Hilary

Hilary Yu

MS, PhD

Mining Data on Reclaimed Coal Mines: a Machine Learning Approach to Assessing Habitat Suitability (MS ’18) Hilary received her B.A. in Government and Biological Sciences, with a concentration in Ecology ... Continue Reading »

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Zahid, Mustafa

Mustafa Zahid

PhD

I’m interested in using cutting-edge data to assess how environmental factors causally affect social and economic outcomes, teasing out important impact channels and mechanisms to assess how communities and individuals ... Continue Reading »

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Zárate, Alina Leticia

Alina Leticia Zárate

PhD

Alina Leticia Zárate is a first year PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group. Zárate’s research interests center around farmworker justice and farmworker vulnerability to climate changes in addition ... Continue Reading »

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