Cheer on this year’s Lightning Talk finalists as they present energy-related research in engaging TED-style talks for a live audience and panel of judges. You’ll get a lightning-fast look at energy through the disciplines of science, engineering, and policy.
This collaborative event is hosted by the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research, Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology, and Kleinman Center for Energy Policy.
Student Speakers and Topics:
- Mayesha Ahmed, PhD Student, Chemistry: Shaping the Future of Energy: How Artificial Photosynthesis Can Transform Policy and Power
- Gwen Cochran, Master Candidate, Environmental Studies: An Exploration of Solar Access: How Can Tenants Benefit from Solar Financing Policies?
- Max Huang, Undergraduate, Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER): Accelerating Green Hydrogen: Using Computational Models for Water Splitting Efficiency
- Kritika Jha, PhD Candidate, Chemistry: Slashing Greenhouse Emissions with Nano Superheroes
- Tony Tian, Undergraduate, Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER): Quantum Dots for Energy-Efficient Optoelectronics: An Interdisciplinary Approach
- Samuel Veroneau, Postdoctoral Researcher, Chemistry: Moving Beyond Carbon-Based Fuels
Mayesha Ahmed
PhD Student, Chemistry
School of Arts and Science
Mayesha Ahmed is a 3rd year Chemistry PhD student studying strategies for conversion of carbon dioxide into liquid fuels using solar energy. She is interested in energy technology, policy, and social leadership.
Gwen Cochran
Master Candidate, Environmental Studies
School of Arts and Science
Gwen Cochran is the 2024 Kleinman PEA Fellow at the Philadelphia Green Capital Corps and a Master of Environmental Studies candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on leveraging energy policy to drive carbon emission reductions and foster economic development. Before joining Penn, Gwen worked on the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Sustainable Cities team, where she supported an international portfolio of carbon reduction initiatives, focusing on subnational transportation and building electrification projects. Passionate about tackling climate change at the local level, she serves on the board of the Wharton-Weitzman Future of Cities Conference, sits on the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy student council, and is an active member of the Wharton Climate and Energy Club. Gwen holds a bachelor’s degree in International Business with a minor in Sustainability from The George Washington University, bringing a multidisciplinary approach to her work in climate finance, policy, and urban sustainability.
Max Huang
Undergraduate, Physics and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER)
Max Huang is a second-year undergraduate pursuing degrees in Physics and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering through the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER). He works as a research assistant in Dr. Aleksandra Vojvodic's lab, focusing on computationally driven materials design. Additionally, he serves as a peer advisor for the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and competes in Division 1 college ultimate frisbee.
Kritika Jha
PhD Candidate, Chemistry
School of Arts and Sciences
Kritika Jha is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry and works with Prof. Zahra Fakhraai. Her research focuses on investigating the kinetic stability of highly confined molecular glasses using solvent vapor annealing techniques to develop more biodegradable and enhanced shelf-life coating and packaging materials. She is a Vagelos Institute of Energy Science and Technology (VIEST) Graduate Fellow. Kritika graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur with a master’s in chemistry in 2020.
Dongli (Tony) Tian
Undergraduate, Physics and Material Science and Engineering
Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER)
Dongli (Tony) Tian is a Penn second- year from Vancouver, Canada studying Physics and Material Science and Engineering, with a minor in Statistics. He is a member of the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) and is curious and passionate about advancing energy technology to meet humanity's growing needs. Tony is also a researcher in the Cherie Kagan Lab, specializing in quantum dots and other nanomaterials for optoelectronic applications. Outside of classwork and research, you can find Tony reading, hiking, doing arts and crafts, or digging into a meal exploring Philly's food scene.
Sam Veroneau
Postdoctoral Researcher, Chemistry
School of Arts and Sciences
Sam Veroneau grew up in Virginia and studied chemistry at the University of Chicago. He returned to the East Coast and received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University in 2024 under the guidance of Prof. Daniel Nocera. Sam's graduate studies focused on the electrochemistry of water splitting catalyst for green hydrogen production. His postdoctoral research will explore reactive nitrogen-based fuels under the supervision of Profs. Tom Mallouk and Daniel Mindiola. Sam enjoys making soup, doing puzzles, and hiking.
Sanya Carley (Judge)
Mark Alan Hughes Faculty Director
Kleinman Center for Energy Policy
Sanya Carley is the Mark Alan Hughes Faculty Director of the Kleinman Center and Presidential Distinguished Professor of Energy Policy and City Planning at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design. She holds secondary appointments at the Wharton School and the School of Social Policy and Practice. She also co-directs the Energy Justice Lab and is a Resources for the Future (RFF) university fellow.
Carley’s research focuses on energy justice and just transitions, energy insecurity, electricity and transportation markets, and public perceptions of energy infrastructure and technologies. With the Energy Justice Lab team, she built and maintains the Utility Disconnection Dashboard. Carley is an author of the Fifth National Climate Assessment report and a member of the Innovation Policy Forum and the Roundtable on Macroeconomics and Climate-related Risks and Opportunities, respectively, for the National Academies.
Prior to her appointment at Penn, Carley was a Paul H. O’Neill Professor at Indiana University, and held administrative positions there as a Chair, Program Director of the top-ranked Master of Public Affairs program, and as Associate Vice Provost of Faculty & Academic Affairs. Before academia, she worked at the World Bank Group as a consultant.
Carley received her Ph.D. in public policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her M.S. in urban and regional planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and bachelor’s degrees in economics and sustainable development from Swarthmore College.
Lorena Grundy (Judge)
Practice Assistant Professor
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Lorena S. Grundy is a Practice Assistant Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. She earned her BSE from Princeton University in 2017 and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 2022, both in Chemical Engineering. Her PhD research investigated ion transport and morphology in polymer electrolytes for lithium metal batteries. After graduate school, she transitioned to engineering education research with a postdoc at Tufts University supported by the American Society for Engineering Education. At Penn, she is developing curriculum and programming in energy and sustainability for undergraduate and graduate students, combining her interests in sustainable energy technologies and engineering education.
Benjamin Schmitt (Judge)
Senior Fellow
Kleinman Center for Energy Policy
Benjamin L. Schmitt is a senior fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, where he holds a joint academic appointment between the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy. At Penn, Schmitt focuses on the project development and field deployment of the Simons Observatory, a new set of experimental cosmology telescopes and energy support infrastructure under construction at a high-altitude site in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. In his joint role at Penn, he also pursues research and teaching related to European energy security, transatlantic national security, export control policies, and modern sanctions regimes.
Previously, Schmitt was a research associate and project development scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, where he supported the technical design, project management, and deployment of novel instrumentation and infrastructure for next-generation experimental cosmology telescopes at the South Pole. For this work, he traveled to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica in early 2020 and is a recipient of the U.S. Antarctica Service Medal. Schmitt remains an affiliate of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and is also an associate of the Harvard-Ukrainian Research Institute.
Schmitt is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is co-founder of the Duke Space Diplomacy Lab, where he is also a fellow of Duke’s Rethinking Diplomacy Program. Schmitt is also a senior fellow for Democratic Resilience at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), where he focuses on transatlantic energy and national security analysis, as well as emerging space security challenges to the transatlantic community.