Michael Bishop – Co-President energyclub@mit.edu
Michael is currently a 2nd year MBA student at the MIT Sloan School of Management focusing on the intersection of cleantech and finance. This past spring and summer he worked at Black Coral Capital, a private equity firm investing exclusively in the cleantech / renewable energy arena, where he was responsible for evaluating and analyzing new investment opportunities. His previous leadership roles at MIT include Marketing Director for the MIT Clean Energy Prize, Pitches Lead for the MIT Energy Conference and Director of Outreach for the Sloan Energy Finance Forum.
Prior to joining MIT, Michael was an Associate in the Investment Banking Division of Nomura Securities in Sydney, Australia, where he focused on cross-border M&A and financing opportunities in the natural resources, real estate and financial institutions sectors. Prior to arriving in Sydney, Michael worked for Lehman Brothers' Real Estate Investment Banking Group in New York. He holds a BBA from the University of Michigan.
Caleb Waugh – Co-President energyclub@mit.edu
A native of Colorado, Caleb is a first year PhD candidate in Nuclear Sciences and Engineering where he works with the High Energy Density Physics Division supporting inertial confinement fusion energy research. Prior to commencing his PhD, Caleb pursued a masters degree in Technology and Policy with the MIT Engineering Systems Division working in the Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change conducting research related to energy economics and climate policy. His broader interests include strategic planning and development between government and industry to achieve long-term energy sustainability that is economically feasible, environmentally friendly, and technically sound.
Prior to coming to MIT, Caleb interned extensively at Sandia National Laboratory working on projects related to fusion energy. Caleb holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering and Bachelor’s of Art in Philosophy from Brigham Young University as well as minors in mathematics and logic. In his spare time, Caleb enjoys mountain climbing, sailing, and jazz and classical music performances.
David Cohen-Tanugi – Vice-President energyclub@mit.edu
David is a Ph.D. candidate in materials science & engineering at MIT. His research focuses on computational approaches to clean water technology. Prior to joining MIT, David served as the China-US climate and energy policy liaison for NRDC, an environmental organization in Washington, DC. He is especially interested in the international aspects of clean tech development, the water-energy nexus, and the interplay between energy production and local environmental concerns. David hails from Paris and misses French baguette when he is in Boston. He holds a bachelor's degree in Physics from Princeton University.
Barbara Berska – Finance Director
Coming soon.
Christine Marcus – Director of Strategy and Outreach
Christine is currently an MBA candidate in the MIT Sloan Fellows program. Prior to attending MIT, Christine was the US Department of Energy's Deputy Chief Financial Officer. As the DOE's Deputy CFO, she was the senior career official within the Office of the CFO, involved with budget formulation, execution, and oversight of the DOE's annual $27 billion budget. Christine also led the DOE's pension management program, with assets of roughly $24 billion. Prior to becoming the Deputy CFO, Christine served as the DOE's first Director of Risk Management for the CFO.
Working with historic funding levels, as the Risk Management Director, overseeing nearly $32 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) funding, Christine designed a comprehensive financial risk management program and established the internal controls needed to ensure that the DOE met the unprecedented levels of accountability and transparency required by the Act. Prior to joining DOE, Ms. Marcus was a Senior Program Analyst at the US Department of Commerce, where her work focused on oversight of international trade programs.
Christine is a Certified Public Accountant and is licensed in Virginia.
David Parkin – Marketing Chair
David is a Sloan Fellow at the MIT Sloan School of Management, with a particular focus on energy and climate change. Prior to arriving at Sloan, David formed and led the Renewable Energy division of Engineering Consultancy Atkins, focusing on offshore wind.
David holds a Master of Engineering Degree from University of Cambridge, and a Master of Science Degree in Engineering Business Management from the University of Warwick. He worked in the Aerospace and Defence sector for 7 years, leading multidisciplinary new product development teams before moving into Energy 3 years ago.
Jorge Moreno – Lecture Series Co-Chair jorge.moreno@sloan.mit.edu
As Lecture Co-Chair, Jorge is responsible for identifying speakers and organizing the club's lecture and speaker series. Jorge is a Master’s candidate in the System Design and Management (SDM) Program, a joint program between MIT's School of Engineering and the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Prior to joining MIT, Jorge led studies at Systep, a consulting company in Chile that focuses on energy markets. He worked on technical and financial assessment and market regulatory analysis for generation, transmission and distribution companies, large energy customers, and the National Energy Commission.
Now at MIT, Jorge is focussing his studies in renewable energy, project development and energy policy; learning how to apply a systems thinking perspective that integrates management, technology, and social sciences.
David Jenicek – Lecture Series Co-Chair
David Jenicek is a first year PhD student at MIT investigating the improvement of electrodes for use in high energy-density ultracapacitors. It seems he can't get enough of the MIT student life: originally of Czech decent, his first trip to America was to come to MIT as an undergraduate in 2005. Since, he has completed two undergraduate degrees in Electrical Engineering and Management Sciences, as well as a Master's of Engineering in Electrical Engineering. His principal interests are large scale power systems, power electronics, electric machines, and energy storage. In his spare time, David is an avid alpine skier, cyclist, and pianist.
Rebecca Dell – Discussion Chair rwdell@mit.edu
Rebecca organizes the Energy Club Discussion Series, a regular round-table that provides members of the MIT energy community with an informal forum to ask questions and share knowledge on a variety topics in energy. Last year the series featured discussions on topics as varied as emissions markets, battery technology, and grid development in the developing world. The events are based on topical readings and are open to all.
Rebecca is a Ph.D student in Physical Oceanography in the MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program, where her research focuses in mixing in the deep ocean, and its importance for understanding the energetics of ocean circulation. Her research has taken her to sea on two research cruises, both of which featured hurricane-force winds. Outside of her research, she has a strong interest in climate and energy policy, and has been an intern and observer at the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, and the UN Climate Secretariat in Bonn, Germany. She also loves to sail and has a black belt in Taekwon Do.
Aziz Abdellahi – Energy 101 Chair
Aziz is in charge of organizing the Energy 101 Series, a set of lectures designed to provide Energy Club members with a fundamental and broad understanding of topics relevant to energy research, as well as updated information on where the industry and policy are headed.
Aziz is a third year PhD student in the Materials Science and Engineering Department. As part of professor Ceder's Computational Materials Group, his research focuses on the development of improved lithium-ion batteries for the electric automobile industry. More specifically, Aziz uses computer simulations to study and improve the charging rates of important cathode materials such as lithium iron phosphate.
Aziz holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the Ecole Polytechnique (Paris, France) and a Master's Degree in Nuclear Engineering from the Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal (Montreal, Canada). Outside of his academic work, Aziz is also a serious adept of Taekwondo, martial art in which he holds a black belt. During the course of his studies at MIT, Aziz is has been named Canadian champion on two occasions and has participated in two World Championships.
Sean Reusch – Alumni Relations Chair
Coming soon.
Benjamin Britt – EnergyClub@Sloan
Ben is a second year MBA student at MIT Sloan School of Management where he focuses on energy finance, sustainability, and clean technology. His leadership roles at MIT include Director of Content for the MIT Energy Finance Forum, Category Lead for the MIT Clean Energy Prize, and Co-President of the Sloan Veterans Association. He is currently at GE Energy Financial Services for the summer where he is working on financing capital-intensive energy investments.
Ben formerly served in the United States Navy, primarily as a nuclear engineer aboard the USS Pennsylvania (SSBN-735), and also as the Branch Head of the submarine communications branch at SPAWAR Systems Center. He then worked in various financial and leadership positions at Goal Financial in both their Capital Markets and New Ventures group. While at Goal Financial, he co-founded the subsidiary WiseChoice, an on-line college planning services provider.
Ben graduated from the United States Naval Academy with honors and has a MS in Finance from the University of Maryland-College Park.
Lucy Fan – Undergraduate Energy Chair
Lucy Fan is a rising senior studying Chemical Engineering with a minor in Energy. This past summer, Lucy worked with Exelon's Power Team in their strategic analytics department. Lucy has been involved with the MIT Energy Conference for the past two years as part of the marketing team and the operations team. In her free time Lucy enjoys photography and anything outdoors.
Ece Gulsen – Energy and Environment Community Chair ece@mit.edu
Ece is an MSc candidate in Materials Science & Engineering and Technology & Policy.
She has worked in various energy projects from characterizing lithium-ion batteries at MIT, to fabricating polymer solar cells at Sabanci University, analyzing energy efficient window coatings at Uppsala University, and to modeling energy efficient data networks at Bell Labs. She is currently involved in optimization modeling of biofuel feedstock use with uncertain technical specifications and emission characteristics. In 2010-2011, she served as the Environmental Chair of Sidney-Pacific, MIT's largest graduate residence. As the chair of the new Energy & Environment Community, her goal is to vitalize and reveal the connection of energy technologies and policies to the environment.
Prior to coming to MIT, Ece received her BS in Materials Science & Engineering with a minor in Chemistry from Sabanci University, Istanbul, where she started an Energy Club after interning at MIT in 2008. She enjoys salsa dancing, reading and cooking in her spare time.
Sergio Castellanos – Solar Community Chair
Sergio Castellanos is a graduate student in the Photovoltaic Research Lab within the Mechanical Engineering department. Before coming to MIT, he received his BSc. Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arizona in 2009. During his studies, he has worked with solar energy at different levels: from installing solar panels in the Tucson, AZ roofs, riding a solar car, to performing research on organic solar cells in Duisburg, Germany. He has also been involved in different competitions such as the EPA's P3 as well as the Solar Decathlon. His involvement in the Energy Club has been with the 2010 Energy Night as the Content Director, and previously on the 2010 Energy Conference as a panel organizer. He is currently working with Professor Tonio Buonassisi, investigating different techniques that could be potentially employed to reduce the amount of defects in multicrystalline silicon solar cells to improve their efficiency.
Fuxian Song – Oil & Gas Community Chair
Fuxian is a PhD candidate in Reservoir Geophysics and Seismology, with researches focused on fracture characterization and hydraulic fracturing monitoring for unconventional oil & gas production especially shale reservoir development. He has worked for the Schlumberger, Halliburton, ExxonMobil and PIRA Energy Group. He was a contributor to the MIT Natural Gas study, reviewing emergent technologies and providing recommendations on unconventional gas exploration and production. He has helped organize the 2nd and 4th MIT energy conference. He is interested in technological innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities in the oil & gas, and geothermal sector.
Leah Stokes – Wind Community Co-Chair wind@mit.edu
Leah Stokes is a second year PhD student in Environmental Policy and Planning. Her research focuses on the politics behind renewable energy and climate policy, particularly feed-in tariffs, as well as international environmental treaty-making. She has an MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University and a BSc in Psychology from the University of Toronto. Leah has worked as an environmental consultant and as a legislative assistant at the Parliament of Canada. In her free time, Leah enjoys biking, gardening and speaking french.
Alex Kalmikov – Wind Community Co-Chair wind@mit.edu
As Wind Community Co-Chair, Alex is in charge of Club's educational activities in wind physics and technology areas, providing MIT community members opportunities to learn and discuss advances in wind power through interaction with members of industry, government, academia and community groups. He also leads the MIT Wind Energy Projects in Action (WEPA) team conducting wind resource assessment and project feasibility studies on the MIT campus and in neighboring communities.
Alex is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. His primary research area is physics and numerical modeling of oceanic and atmospheric flows, focusing on development of inverse modeling, uncertainty quantification and data assimilation techniques. Alex earned Master degrees in Mechanical and Ocean Engineering from the MIT/WHOI Joint Program and in Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences from the Tel-Aviv University. His undergraduate degree is in Physics and Mathematics from the Talpiot Program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Jamie Fordyce – MIT Energy Conference Managing Director
Jamie Fordyce is the Managing Director of the MIT Energy Conference. Jamie is a second-year MBA candidate at the MIT Sloan School of Management with a focus on entrepreneurship, innovation, and clean technology. This past summer he worked at GE Power & Water, where he was responsible for identifying emerging market growth opportunities for its water purification business.
Prior to coming to MIT, he served as an advisor to Commissioner Dian Grueneich of the California Public Utilities Commission. There, his work addressed regulatory challenges in California’s electricity, gas and water industries, with a focus on greenhouse gas reduction, demand side management, and the deployment of smart grid infrastructure. Prior the CPUC, Jamie spent two years on the staff of the Environmental Defense Fund in California.
Jamie received his Bachelor’s from Harvard University in 2005 with a joint concentration in Environmental Science & Public Policy and Economics.
Christina Karapataki – MIT Energy Night Managing Director
Christina Karapataki is a graduate student in the Technology and Policy Program within the Engineering Systems Division. She received her BA and MEng in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cambridge in 2010. She has experience in the oil and gas industry working as a business analyst for ExxonMobil in both the European and North America offices and has also worked in the venture capital space as an analyst for Venrock. She is very passionate about entrepreneurship and was the Judging Co-Director for the MIT Clean Energy Prize 2011. She is currently working with Professor Trancik from the MIT Energy Initiative on developing new frameworks to compare and optimize energy technologies by integrating technological details based on innovation, performance and scalability potential.
Tim Fu – Energy Finance Forum Director
Tim works with colleagues at Yale's School of Management to host the energy efficiency webinar series, "Blueprint for Efficiency." This series is a collaboration between MIT's Energy Club and Yale's Center for Business and the Environment. Tim also served as Director of Operations for the Energy Finance Forum in December 2010.
Tim worked as an HVAC engineer in New York City for several years before deciding to pursue an MBA at MIT's Sloan School of Management. He is a LEED Accredited Professional and professional engineer. Tim also contributed to OPOWER's efforts to use peer pressure to drive residential energy efficiency.
Tim has a passion for both energy and entrepreneurship and hopes to make renewable energy more affordable and accessible for the general public. He earned a BS and M.Eng in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University in 2005.
Betar Gallant – Clean Energy Prize Managing Director cleanenergyprize@mit.edu
Betar Gallant is a fourth-year graduate student in Mechanical Engineering and a National Science Foundation fellow. She received her S.B. and S.M. degrees from M.I.T. She is passionate about changing the clean energy scene through the development of new devices and materials that can store and convert energy electrochemically. Her research focuses on nanoscale energy storage materials for lithium-ion and lithium-air batteries, electrochemical capacitors and desalination applications. Betar’s experience includes work as a technology program specialist at the U.S. Department of Energy, where she helped develop policy to encourage more students to pursue careers in science and technology. She is also a 2012 Managing Director of the M.I.T. Clean Energy Prize.
Robbie Hobbs – Clean Energy Prize Managing Director cleanenergyprize@mit.edu
Robbie Hobbs is co-Managing Director of the 2012 MIT Clean Energy Prize and a second year MBA student at the MIT Sloan School of Management specializing in entrepreneurship and innovation in the energy and clean-tech sectors.
Robbie is a Chartered Engineer and Scientist with a PhD in Materials Science & Metallurgy from the University of Cambridge and a BEng in Materials Engineering and a BA in Spanish from Monash University, Australia. Robbie has five years of professional experience with Rolls-Royce plc leading advanced alloy development programs and managing the corporate materials university research portfolio.
