Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Showing 1-5 of 5 Results
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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
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. -
Bria Sabine Schraeder
Product Manager, Precourt Institute for Energy
BioBria Schraeder is a Product Manager for the Understand Energy program at the Precourt Institute for Energy. In this role, she supports the development and management of educational content across various platforms, including the Understand Energy class, workshop series, Learning Hub, staff seminar, and newsletter. She also works on strategic marketing and outreach efforts to expand the program's reach and impact.
In her free time, Bria enjoys recipe testing, watercolor painting, and long walks and hikes. -
Maksim Sonin
Hydrogen Projects Fellow, Precourt Institute for Energy
BioDr. Maksim Sonin is an energy thought leader who drives strategic global investments, and executes large-scale capital developments worth over $15B per project, from inception to operation across major sectors, with teams spanning 5 continents.
Dr. Sonin has held executive roles and served on the Boards of UCC ($10bn+ capital projects portfolio), Silleno ($7bn+ world-scale petrochemical complex, 1250kta), KMG Petrochem ($2bn+ gas treatment plant, 9 bcma), and other organizations, focusing on humanitarian and global energy concerns. This includes leading the development of the world’s largest plants for producing ammonia and fertilizers, with the highest capacity per train. His expertise covers all project phases from inception to operation, and major sectors, ensuring the satisfaction of governments and multinational conglomerates.He has worked with Chevron, Shell, and ExxonMobil at consortium venture, and collaborated with other global players.
Holding an MS in Management from Stanford Graduate School of Business as a Sloan Fellow, a PhD in Engineering from Scientific Research Institute of Natural Gases and Gas Technologies, and an MS in Finance, Dr. Sonin's academic achievements are further complemented by distinguished certifications in his field, such as Portfolio Management Professional (PMI PfMP®) and Program Management Professional (PMI PgMP®), among others. He is a Projects Fellow and a member of the Stanford Hydrogen Initiative.
Recent / Coming speaking engagements:
• Global Hydrogen Leaders, S&P Global(May’24)
• Reuters Events, Energy (September’24)
• Stanford Ammonia Symposium (October ’24)
• Global Clean Hydrogen (November ’24)
• S&P Global, World Hydrogen (March ’25)
• Argus, Clean Ammonia (April ’25)
• 5th American Hydrogen Forum, Houston (May ’25)
• The Energy Projects, EPC Show (June ’25)
• Carbon Capture Technology Expo North America (June ’25)
• Hydrogen Technology North America Expo (June ’25)
• Green Hydrogen Summit, Seattle (September ’25
• Experience Power (EP) week, Denver. A POWER magazine Advisory Board Member (Oct-Nov ’25)
• Global Sustainable Energies. Milan. TBC
• American Data Centers & AI (November’ 25)
Selected interviews:
1. Nikkei BP (Savior of data centers, green hydrogen made from offshore wind power will save Japan's power shortage)
2. S&P Global ( Datacenters balancing sustainability goals with accelerating AI demand)
3. IBM (Can nuclear power fuel AI's growing energy needs?)
4. Power Magazine (Power Demand from Data Centres Keeping Coal-Fired Plants Online; Central Theme for Energy’s Future: Decentralizing Power Generation):
5. The Epoch Times (EIA Forecasts US Fuel Stockpiles Headed for 25-Year Low by 2026; AI Data Center Build-Out Raises Concerns About America’s Future Power Needs)
6. ReadWrite (How AI Will Soon Disrupt the Greater Energy Industry)
7. Mashable (Ammonia Could Play a Key Role In Creating a Low-Carbon Energy System)
8. Inc.com (Building a Sustainable Future: How Companies Can Make a Positive Impact
9. Investing.com (a Global, Low-Carbon Economy Isn’t as Far-Fetched as Many Might Think
10. International Business Times (Why Leaders Can't Be Afraid to Push Boundaries)
11. PMI PM Network (Cold Rush: Tapping the Arctic's Frozen Assets Starts with Navigating Extreme Risks)
