Pages (6 results)
TopFaculty by Primary Interest
Areas of Interest Climate ChangeEcologyEnergyGovernanceWaterInternational Climate Change ERG CORE David Anthoff David Anthoff is an environmental economist who studies climate change and environmental policy. He co-develops the integrated assessment model ... Continue Reading »
Affiliated Faculty
ERG has a small core faculty but a much larger group of affiliated faculty. Affiliated faculty are based in other departments on campus or at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, ... Continue Reading »
Water Group
The ERG Water Group as an interdisciplinary collaboration focused on the social dimensions of water. Members work on issues of equitable access and efficient, sustainable management of freshwater resources for both humans and the environment in the US and across the globe.
ERG Admissions FAQ
Below is a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) we receive and their answers. If you don’t find what you need on this page, please email us at erggrad@berkeley.edu. [bs_collapse ... Continue Reading »
Summer Instructors
The Energy and Resources Group summer instructors understand the complex and interdisciplinary nature of sustainability. All have significant experience teaching and/or professional experience in the subject areas of their courses. ... Continue Reading »
Minor/Certificate in Sustainability — Courses
Summer 2022 Curriculum ERG’s minor and certificate require a minimum of five courses and 15 total units of coursework, completed over one or two summers (or for a UC Berkeley ... Continue Reading »
Faculty (5 results)
TopMeg Mills-Novoa
Assistant Professor
Meg Mills-Novoa is a human-environment geographer who researches the enduring impacts of climate change adaptation projects. She is jointly appointed to the Energy and Resources Group and the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management.
- climate change adaptation
- critical development studies
- Deforestation
- Latin America
- participatory mixed methods
- political ecology of global change
- water justice
Youjin Chung
Assistant Professor
Youjin Chung is Assistant Professor of Sustainability and Equity with a joint appointment in the Energy and Resources Group and the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management.
David Anthoff
Associate Professor
David Anthoff is an environmental economist who studies climate change and environmental policy. He co-develops the integrated assessment model FUND that is used widely in academic research and in policy analysis.
Margaret Torn
Adjunct Professor
The focus of my work is carbon and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems and trace-gas flux between soil and atmosphere. I conduct research on soil carbon, global change, and the impacts of human activities on ecosystem processes.
Duncan Callaway
Associate Professor, ERG Chair
Dr. Callaway’s teaching focuses on power systems and energy efficiency. His research can be categorized in three areas: modeling and control of aggregated storage devices; power management; and system analysis of energy technologies and their impact.
Students (10 results)
TopSasha Figel
MS
Sasha is a first-year Master’s student interested in land and resource management. Her research is focused on how various groups value natural resources, how the value can be quantified, and ... Continue Reading »
Nicole Lau
MS
As a M.S. student at UC Berkeley’s Energy and Resources Group, Nicole is interested in researching how climate change is affecting the way disturbances (wildfires, bark beetles…) interact with Western ... Continue Reading »
Hilary Yu
MS
Mining Data on Reclaimed Coal Mines: a Machine Learning Approach to Assessing Habitat Suitability (MS ’18) Hilary received her B.A. in Government and Biological Sciences, with a concentration in Ecology ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- development
- ecology
- economics
- energy
- environmental justice
- Science and Law
- sustainable development
- water
Kelly Archer
MS
Kelly is a Master’s student at ERG (class of 2024). She has a background in environmental engineering, specifically in water/wastewater treatment and remediation. At ERG, she is excited to branch ... Continue Reading »
Jill Moraski
PhD
Jill is interested in addressing electric grid reliability and resilience challenges in a future characterized by economy-wide decarbonization, climate vulnerability, and deep risk uncertainty. Specifically, she’s interested in adapting best ... Continue Reading »
Cristina Crespo Montanes
MS, PhD
Focusing on innovations in renewable energy infrastructure and the potential impacts of such technology in the energy markets, my main interest lies in mechanisms to enhance reliability of fully renewable ... Continue Reading »
Taryn Fransen
PhD
Taryn Fransen is a PhD student with the Energy and Resources Group and a Senior Fellow at the World Resources Institute. Her research interests center on the design and implementation ... Continue Reading »
Micah Elias
MS, PhD
Payment for Watershed Ecosystem Services: Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Equity (MS ’20) Micah Elias earned his B.S. in International Agricultural Development from UC Davis in 2012. After graduating he worked with ... Continue Reading »
Anaya Hall
MS, PhD
Modeling Organic Waste Management for Soil Carbon Sequestration in California (MS ’19) Anaya (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) at UC Berkeley. She is ... Continue Reading »
Dennis Best
MS, PhD
Dennis has focused his career on technology and sustainability policy in emerging and developing economies. His research interests include technology and innovation policy and impacts to resource and rural development, ... Continue Reading »
- Agriculture
- China
- climate
- economics
- energy
- energy policy
- environmental markets and design
- geospatial analysis
- industrial ecology
- Innovation systems
- rural development
- South East Asia and Latin America
- technology policy
Alumni (27 results)
TopDanielle Svehla Christianson
MS, PhD
At times the problem of understanding phenomena is one of seeing. That is why Danielle explores new ways of demystifying complexity through visual representation. She seeks new techniques to illustrate often-forgotten, yet fundamental dependencies between human society and the natural world. One such technique is terrestrial laser scanning (also known as LIDAR), which she used to create a 3-D model of her ecological study site in the Sierra Nevada. This along with her seedling research seeks to inform the uncertain future of resource management.
Molly Oshun
MS
Putting biodiversity on the map: exploring spatial dimensions of California biodiversity for conservation planning (MS ’22) Molly studies California watersheds. Her research investigates strategies to improve forest health, protect biodiversity, ... Continue Reading »
Oliver James
MPP, MS
Oliver is a concurrent ERG/MPP student at UC Berkeley. His research and policy interests lie at the intersection of climate change, conservation, and natural resource management in California and the ... Continue Reading »
Edem Yevoo
MS
Edem received his B.S in Environmental Science and Technology, with a concentration in Ecological Technology Design and minor in Geographic Information Science (GIS) from the University of Maryland, College Park ... Continue Reading »
Alana Siegner
MA, PhD
Alana Siegner received her B.A. from Tufts University in Environmental Science and International Relations, and served as an AmeriCorps National Teaching Fellow in Boston for two years after graduating from ... Continue Reading »
- climate change education
- environmental education
- Food Justice
- Sustainable food systems
- urban agroecology
Alana Siegner
MA, PhD
Growing Environmental Literacy: On Small-Scale Farms, in the Urban Agroecosystem, and in School Garden Classrooms (PhD ’20) Alana Siegner graduated from Tufts University in 2012 with a double major in ... Continue Reading »
Rebekah Shirley
MS, PhD
Rebekah Shirley believes that there is more than one path to a bright, energy secure future. Developing nations strive to connect more and more of their communities to energy. Many have emulated the fossil fuel intensive model of developed nations, but Rebekah believes that this is not necessarily the only way.
Michelle Sims
MS
At ERG, Michelle is interested in environmental and equity challenges within global food systems. In particular, her research focuses on the dynamics of land use change in agricultural landscapes in ... Continue Reading »
Sangcheol Moon
MA
Sangcheol is interested in feedstock resources and materials loop modeling under the scenario of institutional regulation to support circular economy, Industrial ecology, green chemistry, and the design and implementation mechanisms ... Continue Reading »
Bodie Cabiyo
MA, PhD
Bodie uses interdisciplinary approaches to investigate nature-based solutions to climate change. He currently studies how policy and innovative technology can enable carbon-beneficial forest management. This work bridges industrial ecology, forest ... Continue Reading »
Emma Tome
MS
Who Governs a Sustainable Neighborhood? Planning a Community-scale Retrofit in Oakland, California (MS ’18) Emma’s interests are at the intersection of climate change adaptation, environmental justice, and science and technology ... Continue Reading »
Jonathan Lee
MS, PhD
The Cost of Reliability in Decentralized Solar Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (MS ’18); Energy Management in Community Microgrids (PhD ’22) Jonathan studies transitions in electric power systems and electricity markets, ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- development
- energy
- RAEL
- renewable energy integration
- rural electrification
- solar energy
- sustainable energy development
Adam Hanbury-Brown
MS, PhD
Predicting the future of forests under global change: the critical role of the regeneration process (PhD ’22) Adam is a PhD focused on ecosystem modeling and remote sensing. His research ... Continue Reading »
- Agriculture
- climate
- Earth System Models
- ecology
- Forest Regeneration
- Movement Ecology
- remote sensing
- Vegetation Dynamics
- Wildlife Ecology
Felipe Castro
PhD
On Rate Regulation in Modern Electricity Sectors (PhD ’17) Felipe was a Ph.D. Candidate with ERG. His research seeks to improve the understanding and organization of energy systems, leveraging methods, ... Continue Reading »
- computational optimization
- EMAC
- energy policy
- industrial organizations
- mathematical programming
- microeconomics
- operations research
- Power Systems
Laura Moreno
MS, PhD
Everyday Transformations of Food to Waste: What and Why Food is Discarded in U.S. Households (PhD ’19) From digging through trash to looking inside of people’s refrigerators, Laura researches household-level ... Continue Reading »
Britt Shaw
MS
At ERG, I am exploring the barriers to renewable projects that are stalled or abandoned in emerging markets and potential solutions. By striving to answer that question, I hope to help move electricity sector development forward — especially in East Africa.
- Africa
- development
- economics
- Emerging Markets
- energy
- Energy Access
- Off-Grid Power
- renewable energy integration
- water
- water-energy nexus
José Daniel Lara
MS, PhD
Modeling and Simulation of Electric Power Systems with Large Shares of Renewable Energy (PhD ’22) Jose Daniel was born in San José Costa Rica, received his B.Sc. and Licentiate in ... Continue Reading »
- development
- economics
- energy
- energy policy
- Energy System Modeling
- Optimization
- power systems operation
- power systems planning
- RAEL
- transportation
- water
Julia Szinai
MPP, MS, PhD
Julia studied economics and Spanish at UC Berkeley as an undergraduate, and realized her interest in energy and environmental issues while a research assistant at the UC Energy Institute. After ... Continue Reading »
- climate change
- demand response
- electric system planning
- electric vehicles
- energy policy
- energy water nexus
- renewable integration
Katie Epstein
MA
Katie’s interests are in community forestry, natural resource conflict management, cultural dimensions of ecosystem management and place studies. She graduated with a BA in Anthropology from Davidson College (2010) and ... Continue Reading »
Jim Williams
MS, PhD
M.S. 1986 – A Vehicular Power Plant Application of the Monolithic Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Ph.D. 1995 – Fan-Lizhi’s Big Bang: Science and Politics in Mao’s China ERG alumnus Jim Williams, now ... Continue Reading »
- acid rain
- Arctic haze
- China
- comparative religion
- cosmology
- dissidents and outlaws
- economic globalization and cultural survival
- fuel-cell powered vehicles
- global change
- over the last ten years: speech synthesizers
- science and politics
- the theory and practice of Utopia
Deborah Moore
MS
Opportunities for Basinwide Cooperative Management of Water Resources in the Verde River Basin, Arizona (’89 M.S.)
- bank reform
- environmental restoration
- irrigation
- multilateral development
- Native American resource issues
- population/over-consumption
- sustainable development
- water conservation
- water quality
- Water Resource Management
Michael Kiparsky
MS, PhD
Science-Policy Interface in the Case of Climate Change and California Water Management (MS ’04) A Risk Analysis for Water Resources Under Climate Change, Population Growth and Land Use Change (PhD, ... Continue Reading »
- climate adaptation in water resources management
- governance and management of complex systems
- risk and decision making in water resources
- science/policy interface
Erica Newman
MS, PhD
Erica’s niche is fire, particularly in the ecologically sensitive region of French Polynesia. She has already been trained as a physicist, but her curiosity draws her to ecology. ERG has become a unique place for Erica to explore her aspirations in the biological sciences alongside those who have successfully trekked through similar transitions. Read in her own words how Erica has fine-tuned her fascinations while at ERG.
- anthropogenic impacts on fire regimes
- California chaparral
- climate change and biodiversity interactions
- Fire ecology and natural disturbance
- French Polynesia cloud forests and wet montane forests
- macroecology
Kripa Jagannathan
MS, PhD
Ready-to-use? Bridging the Climate Science Usability Gap for Adaptation (PhD ’19) Kripa’s research interests are in the field of climate change adaptation and climate-resilient planning. Her PhD focuses on improving ... Continue Reading »
- Adaptation
- Agriculture
- Carbon markets
- climate change
- climate-resilient planning
- co-production of knowledge
- science usability
- stakeholder engagement
- water
Christopher Hyun
MA, PhD
With 10+ years of international field experience, 5+ in water and sanitation, as well as project management and professional development in higher ed, I aim to create a better society and environment for all.
Sasha Harris-Lovett
MS, PhD
Decision Support for Multi-benefit Urban Water Infrastructure (PhD ’18) Sasha Harris-Lovett received a PhD from the Energy and Resources Group in 2018. Her dissertation research focused on urban water and ... Continue Reading »
Zubair Dar
MA
Zubair is a Master’s student who researches water policy and management of international river basins, and is particularly focused on hydro-politics of the Indus basin. He has researched the relationship ... Continue Reading »
- Energy Efficiency
- Hydroelectric Power Projects
- International Conflicts
- River Basin Management
- sustainability
- Water and Renewable Energy
- Water Resource Management
News (11 results)
TopERG’s Bodie Cabiyo on How Innovative Use of Low-Value Wood Can Advance Carbon-Beneficial Forest Management
December 8, 2021
A new research paper exploring the potential for the innovative use of low-value wood was recently published in PNAS by Bodie Cabiyo, a PhD candidate at ERG, with corresponding author Daniel Sanchez (PhD '15). Their research supports that the innovative use of low-value wood has the ability to reduce wildfire risk, and reduce California's net emissions. (Photo by Olena Sergienko)
ERG’s Andy Jones and Julia Szinai: What a No-Snow Future Means for Water Management
November 4, 2021
A new study from ERG's Andy Jones and Julia Szinai at the Berkeley Lab considers how dwindling mountain snowpacks will implicate water management.
ERG Alum Patrick Gonzalez Testifies Before Congress as Expert Witness
February 21, 2019
During a recent House Natural Resources Committee event titled “Climate Change and Public Lands: Examining Impacts and Considering Adaptation Opportunities,” ERG alumnus Patrick Gonzalez (PhD ’97) provided testimony as an ... Continue Reading »
Advocating for Women on World Water Day
March 22, 2023
New commentary published in the Lancet on World Water Day (March 22) calls on researchers, policy makers, and professionals to strengthen their commitment to addressing gender inequities in global water delivery systems. Co-authored ... Continue Reading »
ERG Alum Kripa Jagannathan Awarded EESA Early Career Development Grant
February 2, 2021
Congratulations to ERG alumna Kripa Jagannathan for receiving the Early Career Development Grant from Earth & Environmental Sciences (EEPS)! Kripa specializes in the field of climate change adaptation and climate-resilient planning. EEPS describes her most recent research being focused on "improving the ‘usability’ of climate science, and enabling science-based adaptation decision-making for water resources management and agricultural planning."
Challenges ERGies Contribute to IEEE “Electricity for All: Issues
September 9, 2019
Several ERGies recently contributed articles to an IEEE Special Issue on "Electricity for All: Issues, Challenges, and Solutions for Energy-Disadvantaged Communities."
ERG Alumnus Patrick Gonzalez Speaks to Congress on Climate Change
June 27, 2019
ERG alum, Dr. Patrick Gonzalez presents scientific findings to Representative Mike Quigley and other members of the U.S. House of Representatives Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition Members in the U.S. Capitol
Campus and Alumni Mourn the Passing of ERG Professor Gene Rochlin
November 28, 2018
It is with a very heavy heart that I have to pass on the news that University of California Berkeley Energy and Resources Group (ERG) core faculty emeritus Gene Rochlin passed away this weekend.
ERG Alumna: Disrupting the Social-Change Industry Scholz
October 26, 2016
Alumna Astrid Scholz (PhD 2001, Energy and Resources Group) seeks to disrupt the social-change industry with Sphaera Solutions.
Narain calls for Reinventing India’s Growth
April 22, 2014
Watch Sunita Narain's "thought provoking and disturbing" conversation during ERG's 20th Annual Lecture co-hosted with the Center for South Asia Studies.
50% of U.S. household carbon footprint Suburban sprawl
January 8, 2014
Chris Jones (ERG PhD) and Prof. Dan Kammen point out that U.S. households are responsible for about 20% of annual worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, which are driving climate change.