Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Showing 41-59 of 59 Results
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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.
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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. -
Alicia Seiger
Affiliate, Bank of America
Visiting Scholar, Precourt Institute for EnergyBioAlicia Seiger is a recognized expert at the intersections of climate, technology, policy, finance, and innovation. She is a Visiting Scholar at SDSS and an occasional lecturer. Alicia currently directs the climate program at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). Prior to CZI, Alicia led sustainability and energy finance initiatives at Stanford Law, Graduate School of Business, and the Doerr School for Sustainability. Alicia has served as an advisor to the Governors of California and New York, the New York State Comptroller, and numerous pension fund, endowment, and family office CIOs on the topics of climate risk, opportunity, and resiliency. For over two decades, Alicia has designed and executed climate and energy strategies for businesses, foundations, investors, and NGOs. She has led on the management teams of multiple startups, including at TerraPass, a pioneer of the US voluntary carbon offset market, and Flycast Communications, one of the world’s first web advertising networks. She co-founded Stanford Professionals in Energy (SPIE) and serves on the boards of Prime Coalition and The E-liability Institute and on the Editorial Board of the Oxford Open Climate Change Journal.
Her first book, "Settling Climate Accounts: Navigating the Road to Net Zero" contextualizes the history of climate action, examines the practices of pursuing net zero, and makes recommendations for the road ahead. Alicia received her BA from Duke University in a self-designed curriculum intersecting environmental science and policy with cultural anthropology, and earned her MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. -
Maksim Sonin
Hydrogen Projects Fellow, Precourt Institute for Energy
BioDr. Maksim Sonin is an energy executive and 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 and geographies, from the Arctic to the Arabian Desert, with teams spanning 5 continents.
Dr. Sonin has held executive roles and served on the Boards of UCC (with a $10B+ capital projects portfolio), Silleno ($7B+ world-scale petrochemical complex, 1250 kta), KMG Petrochem ($2B+ 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 urea, with the highest capacity per train. He has worked with Chevron, Shell, and ExxonMobil in consortium venture and collaborated with other global players.
Holding an MS in Management from Stanford University as a Sloan Fellow, a PhD in Engineering, and an MS in Finance from different institutions, Dr.Sonin's academic achievements are further complemented by distinguished certifications in his field. He is a Projects Fellow at Stanford's Precourt Institute for Energy, an elected Fellow (FEI) of the Energy Institute (UK), and a member of both the Forbes Technology Council and 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) -
Katie Taflan
Assistant Director, Explore Energy, Precourt Institute for Energy
Current Role at StanfordProgram Manager, Precourt Institute for Energy
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Cynthia Williams
Assistant Director, Net Zero Energy Alliance, Precourt Institute for Energy
Current Role at StanfordAssistant Director, External Engagement, Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy
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Audrey Yau
Director, Sustainability Accelerator Fellowship & Stanford Energy Fellowship, Precourt Institute for Energy
BioAs a Director in the Precourt Institute for Energy and the Sustainability Accelerator in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, Audrey is responsible for the overall strategic and operational leadership for the Stanford Energy Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Summer Undergraduate Program on Energy Research, and the Stanford Sustainability Accelerator Fellowship. In her role, Audrey develops educational experiences that connect academic learning with real world impact for undergraduates and postdoctoral scholars in Stanford's newest school.
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Miki Yu
Assistant Director, Strategic Outreach, Precourt Institute for Energy
BioMiki Yu joined Precourt Institute for Energy (PIE) as an Event and Outreach Program Planner. In this role she will help shape the programs that PIE, TomKat Center and GCEP offer as they build greater visibility within the Stanford community, the energy community at large, and throughout the world.
Miki started at Stanford working for the Office of Development in 2002, where she reported to the Vice President’s office. She then joined the Stanford Challenge Campaign as an initial team member, working with OOD partners and engaging volunteers and donors at every stage to build and direct momentum for The Stanford Challenge campaign. She was instrumental in executing the Leading Matters component of the campaign, which achieved record breaking attendance and engagement results. -
Yutong Zhu
External Engagement Specialist, Precourt Institute for Energy
BioWhen in school, I won a nationwide competition in China to make art out of trash. I built a miniature “Olympic stadium” from styrofoam, a winning submission whose prize was a week-long trip to Hong Kong to learn about recycling. Visiting the city’s recycling facilities changed my life: growing up in the heavily polluted city of Xi’an in the 90s, Hong Kong’s cleanliness shocked me. It was my first encounter with the term “sustainability” and determined my career’s trajectory.
Carbon-capture materials, hydrogen-producing catalysts, energy-efficient aluminum production: all the products and processes that I developed and commercialized at Australia’s national lab have eliminated millions of tons of carbon dioxide and saved clients millions of dollars in energy expenses. I also helped two battery startups commercialize their technologies, and I evaluated hundreds of climate tech companies at an early-stage venture capital firm.
Equipped with ten years experience commercializing deep tech from zero to one in the sustainability and climate space, I want to build and scale high-efficiency, mass-market climate solutions after Stanford. Interested? Let’s chat.
