Precourt Institute for Energy


Showing 1-50 of 55 Results

  • Brian Bartholomeusz

    Brian Bartholomeusz

    Executive Director of Innovation Transfer, TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy, TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy Operations

    Current Role at StanfordBrian is the TomKat Center’s executive director of innovation transfer. In this position, he helps assist in the commercialization of energy related technology inventions and innovations resulting from research at Stanford.

  • Naomi Boness

    Naomi Boness

    Managing Director Natural Gas Initiative, Precourt Institute for Energy

    Current Role at StanfordManaging Director, The Stanford Natural Gas Initiative
    Co-Managing Director, The Stanford Hydrogen Initiative

  • Jimmy Chen

    Jimmy Chen

    Managing Director StorageX Initiative, Precourt Institute for Energy

    BioJim Chen leads a number of energy programs at Stanford Energy,
    including Stanford’s new Hydrogen Initiative; Stanford’s energy storage initiative,
    StorageX; and Stanford’s integrated energy program, Stanford Energy Corporate
    Affiliates (SECA). Dr. Chen was also the founding Managing Director of Bits & Watts,
    Stanford’s initiative focusing on the grid of the 21st century, launched in 2016.

    Dr. Chen is enthusiastic about the global energy transformation and building a more
    sustainable society through innovation. At Stanford, Dr. Chen creates and expands
    impactful global communities of practice that enable industrial-academic-government
    collaboration in energy research and scale-up. Dr. Chen is also a leader in Stanford
    Energy’s global events including its regional roundtables and Global Energy
    Forum. Finally, Dr. Chen is deeply involved in Stanford’s innovation ecosystem,
    advising student groups, start-up companies, and accelerators. Dr. Chen’s research
    interests include hydrogen, energy storage, the circular economy, decarbonizing
    transportation, and integrated energy systems. Dr. Chen’s teaching roles include
    lecturing for Stanford’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and for
    Stanford Energy’s Hydrogen Economy Seminar.

    Dr. Chen is passionate about global energy entrepreneurship and innovation. He works
    with energy agencies around the world promoting global collaboration, accelerating
    innovation, and sparking entrepreneurship. He also serves on a number of advisory
    councils, including on EPRI and GTI’s Low Carbon Research Initiative’s (LCRI)
    technical advisory board.

    Dr. Chen came to Stanford University after 25 years in industry, bringing a broad
    background in energy and technology, with a specialization in technology and product
    development. He has held technical positions at Lawrence Berkeley Labs, GTE Labs,
    IBM, and AT&T Bell Labs, as well as technology executive positions at both starts-ups
    and Fortune 500 companies, including FormFactor and Eaton.

    Dr. Chen received a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and MS from
    the University of California, Berkeley — both in materials science and engineering —
    and holds a BS from the University of California, Berkeley in electrical engineering.

  • Justine Dachille

    Justine Dachille

    Understand Energy Program Manager, Precourt Institute for Energy

    Current Role at StanfordUnderstand Energy, Program Manager

  • David Danielson

    David Danielson

    Adjunct Professor

    BioDavid T. Danielson became a Precourt energy scholar at Stanford in 2016. With Stuart Macmillan and Joel Moxley, Dave co-teaches the yearlong course "Energy Transformation Collaborative." This project-based course provides a launchpad for the creation and development of transformational energy ventures. Interdisciplinary student teams research, analyze and refine detailed plans for high-impact opportunities in the context of the new energy venture development framework offered in this course.

    Since January 2017, Dave has been managing director of Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a $1 billion fund focused on fighting climate change by investing in clean energy innovation.

    From 2012 to 2016, Dave was assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy. There, he directed the U.S. government’s innovation strategy in the areas of sustainable transportation, renewable power, energy efficiency and clean-energy manufacturing, investing about $2 billion annually into American clean-energy innovation. He is considered a global expert in the development of next generation clean-energy technologies and the creation of new R&D and organizational models for high-impact clean energy innovation.

    Prior to being appointed by President Obama as assistant secretary, Dave was the first hire at DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency– Energy (ARPA-E), a funding agency that focuses on the development of high-risk, high-reward clean-energy technologies. Prior to his government service, he was a clean-energy venture capitalist and, as a PhD student at MIT, was the founder and president of the MIT Energy Club.

  • Jeffrey Decker

    Jeffrey Decker

    Program Director, Precourt Institute for Energy

    BioJeff Decker is managing director of the Technology Transition for Defense Program and co-instructor of Hacking for Defense course at Stanford University. Hacking for Defense uses the Lean Startup technique to tackle complex problems critical to the government around national security, energy networks, cyber security, and AI, and develop new technologies with teams of engineers, scientists, MBA’s and policy experts. With the program, Jeff has taught more than 300 students, faculty, and government personnel user-centered design from over 2 dozen colleges and universities, helping them solve more than 75 unique national security challenges for the Defense Department and related industries. Several student teams have gone on to form companies winning Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, gaining venture capital funding, and one team even became a program of record. Jeff’s work and research focuses generally on defense innovation and dual-use technologies, with a focus on developing go-to-defense market strategies for technology startups and fostering defense-industry partnerships. With his Lean Startup experience and expertise with Hacking for Defense, plus his military service, Jeff is a sought-after expert when it comes to national security and solving Defense Department challenges.

    Jeff served in the U.S. Army as a 2nd Ranger Battalion light infantry squad leader in Iraq and Afghanistan. Following his service, he earned a MS in International Relations (Laws), and a doctorate in International Relations before conducting national security and international affairs research at the RAND Corporation.

  • Mark Golden

    Mark Golden

    Director of Communications, Precourt Institute for Energy

    BioWorking with the Precourt Institute's small communications team, my principal responsibility is to inform the public about energy research and education at Stanford through articles, press releases, social media, Stanford Energy newsletter, printed materials and presentations. I also aid reporters writing about energy. I began work at Stanford in 2011, when I joined the Precourt Institute's communications team as a writer.

    Before coming to Stanford, I taught in the San Francisco public schools for several years. Previously, I was a reporter for Dow Jones & Co. for 10 years, primarily covering the U.S. natural gas and power industries. I also worked in Kiev, Ukraine in 1996-97, editing a weekly news magazine on that country's economic and political development. I also worked for Columbia University, writing on public health research.

  • Diana Gragg

    Diana Gragg

    Managing Director Explore Energy, Precourt Institute for Energy

    Current Role at StanfordManaging Director, Explore Energy, Precourt Institute for Energy
    Core Lecturer, Civil and Environmental Engineering

  • Holmes Hummel, PhD

    Holmes Hummel, PhD

    Managing Director Energy Equity & Just Transitions, Precourt Institute for Energy

    Current Role at StanfordEnergy Equity & Just Transitions, Managing Director
    Precourt Institute for Energy

    Resident Fellow, Explore Energy House

    Coordinating Council Member, Environmental Justice Working Group

    Advisory Member, Partnership in Climate Justice in the Bay


    Collaborator in Collaborative Learning about Equity and Rapid Decarbonization (CLEAR Decarbonization), one of the first projects selected for an award from the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator

  • Arpita Kalra

    Arpita Kalra

    Program Manager, Precourt Institute for Energy

    BioArpita Kalra is a program manager at the Precourt Institute for Energy. In this role she supports the Institute's outreach efforts and manages current and upcoming external engagement programs. Prior to Stanford, she worked in the advertising industry as a media planner and buyer where she developed and executed marketing campaigns across print, electronic and social media. Arpita holds a masters in Marketing Communications from the Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA) in India and a bachelors in Statistics from Delhi University.

  • Karalee Elizabeth Kokeny

    Karalee Elizabeth Kokeny

    Financial Analyst, Precourt Institute for Energy

    Current Role at StanfordFinancial Analyst, Precourt Institute for Energy

  • Joyce Lee

    Joyce Lee

    Explore Energy Program Manager, Precourt Institute for Energy

    BioJoyce Lee is a program manager for the Explore Energy program at the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University. In this role, she supports the Energy@Stanford & SLAC conference, the Stanford Energy Student Lectures, and works closely with the Explore Energy peer advisors to serve as a resource for students interested in and passionate about all things related to energy across the campus. Prior to joining Precourt, Lee was a research project manager at Stanford's Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, where her research focused on policy analysis and development in Northeast Asia--especially regarding the two Koreas. Prior to Stanford, Lee held research and administration positions at the Asia Foundation's Center for U.S.-Korea Policy, the United States Congress, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, and the Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign. Lee graduated from the University of Washington with a double bachelors degree in political science and psychology and received a master's degree in public policy from Cornell University.

  • Amory B Lovins

    Amory B Lovins

    Adjunct Professor

    BioPhysicist Amory Lovins (1947– ) is Cofounder (1982) and Chairman Emeritus, and was Chief Scientist (2007–19), of RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute, www.rmi.org), with which he continues to collaborate. He has designed numerous superefficient buildings, vehicles, and industrial plants, and synthesized an "integrative design" method and practice that can make the energy efficiency resource severalfold larger, yet cheaper, often with increasing returns. Since 1973 he has also advised major firms and governments in >70 countries on advanced energy efficiency and strategy, emphasizing efficiency, renewables integration, and the links between energy, resources, environment, security, development, and economy. He is a Visiting Scholar of the Precourt Institute for Energy.

    Lovins has received the Blue Planet, Volvo, Zayed, Onassis, Nissan, Shingo, and Mitchell Prizes, MacArthur and Ashoka Fellowships, 12 honorary doctorates, the Heinz, Lindbergh, Right Livelihood, National Design, and World Technology Awards, many other energy and environment recognitions, and Germany’s highest civilian honor (the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit). A Harvard and Oxford dropout, former Oxford don, honorary US architect, Swedish engineering academician, and 2011–18 member of the US National Petroleum Council, he has taught at ten universities—most recently the US Naval Postgraduate School and Stanford (spring 2007 MAP/Ming Visiting Professor, half-time 2020–  Adjunct Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering in his teaching terms)—teaching only subjects he hasn’t formally studied, so as to cultivate beginner’s mind. In 2009, Time named him one of the world’s 100 most influential people, and Foreign Policy, one of the 100 top global thinkers. His most recent books, mostly coauthored, include Natural Capitalism (1999), Small Is Profitable (2002), Winning the Oil Endgame (2004), The Essential Amory Lovins (2011), and Reinventing Fire (2011). His avocations include fine-art landscape photography (the profession of his wife Judy Hill Lovins, www.judyhill.com), music, writing, orangutans, great-ape language, linguistics, and Taoist thought.

    COURSES: Lovins and Dr. Joel Swisher PE, as CEE Adjunct Professors in teaching quarters, cotaught in 2023 iterations 9–10 of their flagship course applying whole-system thinking and integrative design for radical energy efficiency and profitable climate solutions: CEE 107R, CEE 207R: "E^3: Extreme Energy Efficiency." They will next offer it in Winter and Spring Quarters 2024.

    PUBLICATIONS

    Lovins has authored 31 books and over 880 papers in a wide range of disciplines. His recent peer-reviewed papers include:

    "How big is the energy efficiency resource?," Env. Res. Ltrs., Sep 2018, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aad965
    "Recalibrating climate prospects," coauthored, Env. Res. Ltrs., Dec 2019, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab55ab
    "Can a virus and viral ideas speed the world's journey beyond fossil fuels?," with K. Bond, Env. Res. Ltrs., Feb 2021, https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abc3f2
    "Reframing automotive fuel efficiency," SAE J-STEEP, Apr 2020, https://doi.org/10.4271/13-01-01-0004

    His Aug/Sep 2020 Electricity Journal interview on the future of electricity is at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tej.2020.106827.
    His 11 Nov 2020 Precourt Institute for Energy seminar on "Integrative Design for Radical Energy Efficiency," with Dr. Holmes Hummel, is at https://energy.stanford.edu/events/special-energy-seminar-amory-lovins-holmes-hummel.
    Profitably abating heavy transport and industrial heat: https://www.rmi.org/profitable-decarb/ and ($6.95 paywall) https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/decarbonizing-our-toughest-sectors-profitably/, both 2021.
    “US nuclear power: status, prospects, and climate implications,” El. J., 6 May 2022, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tej.2022.107122.

  • Julien Maire

    Julien Maire

    SUSTAINABLE FINANCE FELLOW (CLIMATE RISK), Precourt Institute for Energy

    BioJulien Maire is a Research Fellow at the Sustainable Finance Initiative (SFI) of the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University, where he focuses on climate risk management. Specifically, he works on designing insurance markets to address increasing climate risk. Other research areas of interest include the role of banks in transition pathways and assessing the macroeconomic implications of climate transition.

    Julien received his master’s degree in economics from Ecole Polytechnique, ENSAE and HEC Paris and graduated from Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay. He previously held research positions at the World Bank, the Peterson Institute for International Economics and was involved in various research projects with U.C. Berkeley and MIT Sloan.

  • Jennifer Milne

    Jennifer Milne

    Associate Director for Advanced Research Projects, Precourt Institute for Energy

    BioJennifer is a scientist with more than a decade's experience in identifying research needs in energy and shaping the energy research agenda at Stanford. She joined the Global Climate and Energy Project in 2007, as an energy analyst, where she led the bioenergy area of the portfolio. She now leads the Advanced Research Projects at the Precourt Institute for Energy, working with the Director of Precourt and other stakeholders to foster energy research at Stanford. In 2023, Jennifer joined the technology team of the Sustainability Accelerator, helping to identify solutions for real-world impact across broad sustainability challenges.

    Jennifer is a technical resource for energy related and carbon removal projects across the University and advisor in the bioenergy area. Prior to joining Global Climate and Energy Project in 2007, she was a post-doctoral scholar at the Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of Plant Biology, at Stanford University, working on plant cell wall polysaccharides and biomass related projects. She holds a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of York, U.K. and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry (First Class Honors) from the University of Stirling, U.K.

  • Liang Min

    Liang Min

    Managing Director Bits & Watts Initiative, Precourt Institute for Energy

    Current Role at StanfordManaging Director for the Bits and Watts Initiative, Precourt Institute for Energy
    Managing Director for the Net-Zero Alliance, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

  • Kaylee Ann Nguyen

    Kaylee Ann Nguyen

    Adm Svcs Admstr 1, Precourt Institute for Energy

    Current Role at StanfordProgram Manager, StorageX Initiative
    Program Manager, Precourt Pioneering Projects

  • Nilay Papila

    Nilay Papila

    Senior Program Manager, Precourt Institute for Energy

    BioNilay Papila is an experienced senior program manager, currently working for the Hacking for Defense program at Stanford University. With a strong background in research management, pre- and post-award services, university-industry cooperation, technology transfer, intellectual property, and technology commercialization, Nilay brings a wealth of expertise to her role.

    Prior to joining Stanford, Nilay served as the Founding Director of the Technology Transfer Office at Ozyegin University in Istanbul, where she played a pivotal role in fostering innovation and collaboration. She also held positions as the Manager of the Project Development Office at Sabanci University and Associate Director of the Interdisciplinary Program Development Office at the University of Florida. Notably, she served as a national expert on the European Union 7th Framework Program (Marie Curie Actions) and as an expert/evaluator at the Technology Transfer Support Program Group at the Science and Technology Council of Turkey.

    Nilay holds a Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida, which she earned in 2001, following her completion of B.S. and M.S. degrees in the Aerospace Engineering Department of the METU in Ankara in 1994 and 1997, respectively.

    Recognized for her accomplishments, Nilay is a Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellow (2000), an NCURA (National Council of Research Administration) Global Fellow at Stanford University (2018), and a certified Registered Technology Transfer Professional (RTTP) (2018). These accomplishments highlight her dedication to advancing research and innovation within academic and industry settings.

  • Bianca Dilip Patel

    Bianca Dilip Patel

    Assistant Director, Explore Energy, Precourt Institute for Energy

    BioBianca Patel is an Assistant Director at the Precourt Institute for Energy. She oversees and leads Explore Energy, an energy education program that spans Stanford’s seven schools. She also leads Explore Energy's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts and received the Doerr School's Excellence in DEI Award in 2023. Bianca comes to Precourt with a background in sustainable development: she has worked with communities across the US and globally on development programs and policies, primarily as they intersect with education, climate resilience, and equity and justice. Bianca continues to work and teach in these areas with a focus on community-led and decolonizing approaches.

    Bianca received her MA in Development Practice from Emory University and BS in Public Health from The University of Texas at Austin. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Malaysia.

  • Blas L. Pérez Henríquez

    Blas L. Pérez Henríquez

    Senior Research Scholar

    BioBlas L. Pérez Henríquez founded and serves as Director of the California-Global Energy, Water & Infrastructure Innovation Initiative at Stanford University, sponsored by the Precourt Institute for Energy and the Bill Lane Center for the American West, focusing on regional low-carbon development opportunities. His research and teaching centers on policy analysis to advance clean innovation through novel technological, business, policy, and social solutions for a new clean economy and a net zero, carbon neutral future. He is a Senior Research Scholar at the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford University and leads the Stanford | Mexico Clean Economy 2050 program.

    He is also directs the Local Governance Summer Institute @ Stanford (LGSI) and the Smart City: Policy, Strategy and Innovation Institute @ Stanford. He has served as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the School of Engineering and Sciences of the Technological Institute of Superior Studies of Monterrey (ITESM) in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in London, United Kingdom, and as Guest Professor at the Centre of Economics Research and Teaching (CIDE) in Mexico City, Mexico.

    He is the author of “Environmental Commodities and Emissions Trading: Towards a Low Carbon Future,” Resources for the Future – RFF Press/Routledge, Washington, DC (2013) and co-editor of “Carbon Governance, Climate Change and Business Transformation,” Routledge Advances in Climate Change Research, Taylor & Francis Group, Oxford, UK (2015). He also co-edited the book "High-Speed Rail and Sustainability, Decision-making and the political economy of investment," Routlege Explorations in Environmental Studies, Taylor & Francis Group, Oxford, UK (2017). He has written on public-private environmental and energy collaboration in Silicon Valley, water-energy nexus, sustainable transportation and on the use of information technology to support environmental markets and smart policymaking.

    Pérez Henríquez is a member of the Distinguished Advisory Group of the Integrity Council for Voluntary Carbon Markets (IC-VCM), derived from the work of the Taskforce for Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets (TSVCM) where he served as Member of the Board of Advisors. He was a member of the Mexico – United States Entrepreneurship & Innovation Council (MUSEIC), created through the High-Level Economic Dialogue between the presidents of the United States and Mexico. He served as the U.S. Co-chair of the MUSEIC Energy & Sustainability Subcommittee. Pérez Henríquez is also on the International Advisory Board of Public Administration & Policy: An Asia-Pacific Journal. From 2002 to 2015, he directed UC Berkeley’s Center for Environmental Public Policy which he had founded, and was a faculty member of the Goldman School of Public Policy. He has served as an ex-officio member of the Goldman School advisory board (2002 -2012), and as a Quarterly Chair of the Commonwealth Club of California, the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum.

    Pérez Henríquez holds a Masters and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from UC Berkeley, a law degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), a diploma in Public Policy from the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM), and a certificate in Compared Environmental US – EU Law & Policy from Indiana University, Leiden & Rotterdam Universities.

  • Sharon Hakeman Poore

    Sharon Hakeman Poore

    Understand Energy Project Manager, Precourt Institute for Energy

    Current Role at StanfordProject Manager, Understand Energy
    Precourt Institute for Energy

  • Lesley Ryan

    Lesley Ryan

    Web Developer, Precourt Institute for Energy

    BioLesley is the Web Developer for the Precourt Institute for Energy where she builds websites for the institute and its initiatives and centers. Before coming to Stanford, she was a Web Developer at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University.

  • Nancy Sandoval

    Nancy Sandoval

    Executive Assistant, Precourt Institute for Energy

    BioNancy is the executive assistant to Yi Cui, Director of the Precourt Institute for Energy. She supports him in all facets of his day-to-day working and administrative roles.

    Nancy started at Stanford University in 2003 with the inception of GCEP and is known as “GCEP Employee #1.” Before joining Stanford, she worked for many years as an administrative assistant at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park. She has a daughter and a son who are both graduates of Stanford University.

  • Richard Sassoon

    Richard Sassoon

    Executive Director Strategic Energy Alliance, Precourt Institute for Energy

    BioRichard E. Sassoon is the Executive Director of the Strategic Energy Alliance under the Precourt Institute for Energy at Stanford. Prior to this role, he was the Managing Director of the Global Climate and Energy Project (GECP) at Stanford since November 2003. Dr. Sassoon has over 30 years of research and management experience in the fields of physical and analytical chemistry, as well as energy sciences.

    Prior to joining Stanford, Dr. Sassoon was Senior Scientist and Assistant Vice President at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), where he led systems integration efforts for nanotechnology applications. For many years, he was a contractor to the Department of Energy supporting the strategic planning and management of its environmental programs, and its hydrogen and renewable energy activities.

    Dr. Sassoon spent over a decade conducting research into photochemical solar energy conversion and storage systems, performing computer modeling of the catalytic processes involved in hydrogen production, and investigating technologies for cleanup of nuclear waste.

    Dr. Sassoon received his B.Sc. in Chemistry from Leeds University in the UK, and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. He conducted his post-doctoral activities at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Sassoon has authored over 20 research papers in peer-reviewed journals, has received several awards including the Gabriel Stein award for outstanding research during his Ph.D. studies.

  • Alicia Seiger

    Alicia Seiger

    Managing Director, Sustainable Finance Initiative, Precourt Institute for Energy

    Current Role at StanfordLecturer, Stanford Law School; Managing Director Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance; Managing Director, Precourt Institute Sustainable Finance Initiative at Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.

  • Katie Taflan

    Katie Taflan

    Program Manager, Precourt Institute for Energy

    Current Role at StanfordProgram Manager, Precourt Institute for Energy

  • Tracy Turner

    Tracy Turner

    Administrative Program Coordinator, Precourt Institute for Energy

    Current Role at StanfordAdministrative Program Coordinator - Technology Transfer for Defense/H4D, and Explore Energy House
    Precourt Institute for Energy
    Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability

  • Cynthia Williams

    Cynthia Williams

    Assistant Director, External Engagement, Precourt Institute for Energy

    Current Role at StanfordAssistant Director, External Engagement, Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy