Pages (16 results)
TopCourses
All Course Offerings Please note: This is a full list of ERG course offerings; not all courses are offered each term. For current course offerings, please refer to the online ... Continue Reading »
Students
ERG’s sixty plus graduate students are geographically and ethnically diverse. About half are in the masters-degree program and half in the PhD program. The students come from a wide variety ... Continue Reading »
Faculty 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 »
Master’s Degree Curriculum Requirements (MA or MS)
The purpose of the ERG Master’s program is to educate the next generation of interdisciplinary leaders. Specifically, students are taught the range of methods and subjects they should be able ... 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 »
Climate Futures Lab
The Climate Futures Lab is a hub of social science research on the impact and equity of climate change responses at the University of California, Berkeley. The lab is led ... Continue Reading »
About ERG
Our Mission The mission of the Energy and Resources Group is a sustainable environment and a just society. ERG is a collaborative community of graduate students, core faculty, nearly 200 ... Continue Reading »
Who We Are
A Brief History of ERG For thirty years, the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) at the University of California, Berkeley has provided its outstanding graduate students and exceptional faculty the ... Continue Reading »
Admissions
Applying to ERG The Energy and Resources Group trains interdisciplinary leaders and thinkers who are defining and solving the systemic, social, environmental, and technological challenges facing the world. The information ... Continue Reading »
Financing Your Education
COST OF ATTENDANCE Please see the UC Berkeley Registrar’ Fee Schedule for the current cost of attendance in UC Berkeley graduate academic programs. ERG is an academic program and does ... Continue Reading »
Programs
ERG Program Directory The information below is a directory of ERG programs. Please read through and contact us at erggrad@berkeley.edu for graduate program questions and ergdeskb@berkeley.edu for all other questions. ... Continue Reading »
Renewable & Appropriate Energy Laboratory (RAEL)
RAEL is engaged in projects to develop the science, technology, policy needs and to foster engagements that explore the future of energy, specifically the transition to a low-cabon, environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable energy system.
Sustainability Summer Minor and Certificate
The Minor and Certificate in Sustainability provides a comprehensive understanding of the most pressing issues facing the world today. ERG’s Minor/Certificate program offers a practical and relevant interdisciplinary approach at ... Continue Reading »
Equity Diversity
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at ERG Equity and inclusion are at the heart of our mission to provide education and research for a sustainable and just society. We aspire ... 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 »
Undergraduate Minor in Energy and Resources
The Minor in Energy and Resources offers undergraduates basic knowledge and skills to address issues arising from the interaction of social, economic, political, technical, and environmental factors shaping our world. ... Continue Reading »
Faculty (4 results)
Top
Isha Ray
Professor
Professor Ray’s research interests are water and development; technology and development; common property resources; and social science research methods. Her research projects focus on access to water and sanitation for the rural and urban poor, and on the role of technology in improving livelihoods.
Andrew D. Jones
Assistant Adjunct Professor
Dr. Jones is an Earth scientist who works at the interface of human and environmental systems. His research uses quantitative models and data analysis to understand climate change and human-Earth system interactions at decision-relevant scales. He also collaborates with social scientists and interacts closely with stakeholders to understand how science can effectively provide actionable insight into strategies for increasing resilience of energy water, food, and urban systems.
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.
Students (12 results)
Top
Sanjana Tadepalli
MA
Sanjana (she/her) is a Master’s student at ERG. She is interested in climate justice, participatory methods, and environmental communication. Before coming to ERG, Sanjana was a researcher at the Disaster ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- development
- disasters
- Environmental / Climate Equity
- environmental humanities
- ethics
- participation
- Science communication
Stephen Stack
MA
Stephen is a first year Masters student at ERG. He is interested in the economic, political, and social dimensions of the net-zero transition: What are the major obstacles to climate ... Continue Reading »
Jessica Craigg
PhD
My research is on renewable energy, gender relations, and rural life. Informed by critical social theory and political economy and ecology of energy, my work pivots around the gendered dimensions ... Continue Reading »
Hikari Murayama
PhD
Hikari’s research largely focuses on combining remote sensing and machine learning methods to study human impacts on large spatial scales. She was selected to be a Data Science Fellow at ... Continue Reading »
Jenny Rempel
MS, PhD
Surfacing Overlying Rights: Assessing Transitions in Overlying Rights to California’s Groundwater Basins (MS ’20) Jenny grew up in Fresno, California, and graduated from Stanford University with an interdisciplinary environmental science ... Continue Reading »
Gauthami Penakalapati
MS, PhD
Evaluation of Social Networks and Measures of Empowerment Among Adolescent Girls in Uttar Pradesh, India (MS ’19) Gauthami’s interdisciplinary research intersects global health, feminist theory, science technology studies, social network ... Continue Reading »
- community-based and participatory methods
- development
- GIS
- qualitative methods
- sanitation
- social network analysis
- spatial analysis
- urban planning
- water
- Water Group
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 »
Nicholas Depsky
MS, PhD
Drought in Central America: Past Patterns and Future Projections (MS ’19) Nick’s primary research focus is on the impacts of climate change on human migration and displacement. Specific focus areas ... Continue Reading »
Lisa Rennels
MS, PhD
Sobol Sensitivity Analysis for Integrated Assessment Models: Supporting Result Characterization (MS ’19) Lisa is interested in using computer science to explore issues related to the economic impacts of climate change, ... 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
Eli Lazarus
MS, PhD
Eli is an Ecological Economist working on comprehensive welfare measurement, tracking, and optimization. His research investigates and contributes to filling the gap between market optimization/welfare and broader social welfare. Recent ... Continue Reading »
- Anthoff Lab
- Computable General Equalibrium (CGE)
- ecological economics
- ecology
- economics
- energy
- Julia
- Pigouvian taxes
- Systems dynamics
- Systems Modelling
Váleri Vásquez
MS, PhD
Váleri Vásquez is a PhD candidate in the Energy and Resources Group with a Designated Emphasis in Computational Data Science and Engineering. Váleri conducts most of her work in the ... Continue Reading »
Alumni (25 results)
Top
Anushah Hossain
MA, PhD
The Value of Connectivity: A Case Study of Cellular Networks in the Rural Philippines (MA ’18) Anushah’s background is in history and economics and she is interested in questions of ... Continue Reading »
Joseph Rand
MS
Environmental, Economic, and Social Trade-Offs of Hydropower Relicensing (MS ’16) Joseph is interested in the social, environmental, and economic trade-offs in energy development, and in particular the social conflicts arising ... Continue Reading »
Arne Jacobson
PhD
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: ARNE JACOBSON Ph.D. 2004 Professor in the Department of Environmental Resources Engineering at Humboldt State University From his post at Humboldt State University, Arne Jacobson passionately extends ... Continue Reading »
- energy use and environmental impacts
- international development
- regional energy planning
- renewable energy
- renewable energy on Native American Reservation lands
- social and economic costs and benefits of energy use
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 »
Cecilia Han Springer
MS, PhD
Policies for an Ecological Civilization: China, Carbon, and Economic Reform (PhD ’19) Cecilia is a PhD candidate at ERG. Her dissertation uses economic modeling and social science to critically analyze ... Continue Reading »
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 »
Sharad Lele
PhD
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: SHARAD LÉLÉ Ph.D. 1993 Senior Fellow, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (Bangalore) Sharad Lele never intended to become an academic. And even though his resume ... Continue Reading »
- alternative models of sustainable development
- analysis of energy use
- biomass resources and biodiversity
- forest ecosystem services
- resource economics
- socio-environmental factors affecting forests
- systems analysis of surface water resource systems
- watershed development
Ann Kinzig
PhD
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Ann Kinzig Ph.D. ’94 Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University Perhaps more than most alumni, Ann Kinzig’s intellectual path has traversed ERG’s interdisciplinary ... Continue Reading »
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
Cleo Woelfle-Erskine
MS, PhD
In the tradition of Barad and Haraway, I practice Science and Technology Studies (STS) “from the inside”, drawing on my own natural science training to inform the theoretical frameworks I ... Continue Reading »
- community science
- groundwater-surface water interactions
- mediterranean streams
- rainwater harvesting
- salmonids
- Stephanie Carlson Lab
- watershed rehabilitation
Nkiruka Avila
MS, PhD
Designing and Adapting Appropriate Socio-Technical Systems for the Renewable Energy Transition (PhD ’18) Nkiruka has expertise in solar grid integration and climate policy in California, and in electricity access in ... Continue Reading »
Samira Siddique
MS, PhD
Development for the Stateless: the Displacement-Development Nexus and Implications for the Future (MS ’19) Samira Siddique is a PhD candidate and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in the Energy ... Continue Reading »
- Climate change justice
- critical development studies
- Cultural memory
- Displacement infrastructure
- Forced migration and refugee studies
- Postcolonial theory
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 »
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
Gordon Bauer
MS, PhD
Operation, Cost, and Environmental Impact of Self-Driving Electric Taxi Fleets (MS ’18) Transportation has long been dominated by the personal gasoline-powered automobile, but breakthroughs in electric vehicles, shared mobility, and ... Continue Reading »
Sophie Major
MA, PhD
Sophie Major is an interdisciplinary PhD candidate, studying and researching across the disciplines of political theory, environmental politics, and Indigenous studies. Their dissertation examines the marginalization of Indigenous people and ... Continue Reading »
- Contemporary Political Theory
- Decolonial Theory and Research Methods
- environmental justice
- History of Political Thought
- Indigenous Studies
- public policy
Ian Bolliger
MS, PhD
Monitoring and Projecting the Impacts of Climate Change with Emerging Environmental Datasets and Machine Learning (PhD ’20) Ian works to provide decision-makers with quantitative, high-resolution projections of the socioeconomic impacts ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- economics
- energy
- Global Policy Laboratory
- health impacts of climate change
- machine learning
- remote sensing
- spatial statistics
- tropical cyclones
- water
Renee Kuriyan Wittemyer
MA, PhD
"23% fewer women than men are online in developing countries. If no concerted effort is taken, that internet gap is going to grow. When women see role models—people doing things—it enables them and empowers them to think, 'Well, I can do that as well.' And, accessing the internet and using technologies exposes them to an entirely new world," says ERG Alum, Dr. Renee (Kuriyan) Wittemyer. She is Intel's Director of Social Impact.
- information and communication technologies and development
- rural development in India
- technology adoption in developing countries
- technology/society relationships
Svetlana Zenkin
MS
Challenges and Opportunities for Corporate Fleet Transitions to Lower-Carbon Fuels (MS ’14) Svetlana is interested in the intersection of public policy and corporate social responsibility, as well as in the ... Continue Reading »
Jessica Reilly
MS, PhD
Jess studies the impact of and adaptation to climate change on Latin America’s coasts. Currently, she travels on her 39-foot sailboat, Oleada, down the Pacific coast of Mexico and Central ... Continue Reading »
- climate adaptation
- coastal resilience
- GIS
- international development
- narratives as science
- renewable energy mapping
- rural resources
- Science communication
- visual media
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.
Pierce Gordon
MS, PhD
Investigating Innovation Practice: Cross-disciplinary Studies in International Development (PhD ’18) As a NSF, Chancellor’s, and InFEWS Fellow in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG), Pierce investigates frameworks, methodologies, and contexts ... Continue Reading »
- Actors/History in International Development
- Berkeley Expert System Technologies (BEST) Laboratory
- Design
- Design Thinking
- development
- Development Engineering
- Evaluation
- Impact Evaluation
- Marginalization
- Sub-Saharan Africa
Lara Cushing
MA, MPH, PhD
Lara is interested in the relationship between social inequalities and the environment, including how environmental and social stressors interact to impact health. Her work seeks to better understand the disproportionate ... Continue Reading »
- climate
- Community-based participatory research
- Environmental health
- environmental justice
- GIS
- Social Epidemiology
Michael Cohen
MS, PhD
Michael Cohen puts the power and complexity of the grid into students' hands via a video game. We asked Michael about his innovative project and his unique experience at ERG. "In addition to developing the game itself, I am working with teachers at local high schools to develop curriculum around it and try it out with their students this year. I hope to not only create a solid educational product but also gain some insights into how technology can be used to support learning about complex systems in general."
- EMAC
- energy
- Energy System Modeling
- Integration of renewable electricity into power systems
- Video Gaming for Education
Juan Pablo Carvallo Bodelon
MS, PhD
Mind the Gap: Bridging Strategies for Universal Energy Access (PhD ’19) Since graduating as an electronics engineer in 2004, JP Carvallo has been working, studying, and researching different aspects of ... Continue Reading »
- electricity and energy markets
- Latin America
- national systems of innovation
- Renewable energy policy and institutions
- sustainability in less industrialized economies
News (15 results)
Top
Anthoff & Team in Science on Social Cost of Carbon Pizer
December 6, 2014
Which way forward for the social cost of carbon? Environmental economists explain next steps in Science Magazine.
New Study by Coalition of ERG Researchers Reveals True Social Cost of Carbon
September 1, 2022
Researchers from Rausser College’s Energy and Resources Group (ERG) and Resources for the Future (RFF) have released a new estimate that the social cost of carbon (SCC), a key metric ... Continue Reading »
Equity Matters in Calculating the Social Cost of Methane Say Anthoff and Errickson
April 22, 2021
ERG assistant professor David Anthoff and alumnus Frank Errickson recently published a report on Nature finding that "by accounting for economic inequalities between countries and regions, the social cost of methane drops by almost a factor of 10 in sub-Saharan Africa and jumps by almost a factor of 10 for industrialized countries, such as the United States."
Master’s Student Gauthami Penakalapati Connects Sanitation with Mental and Social Well-Being
October 24, 2018
In her recent review on sanitation and well-being outcomes, Gauthami Penakalapati explores a more holistic definition of “health,” which includes physical, mental and social well-being. She discusses how inadequate sanitation, ... Continue Reading »
Collaborative Book “Health of People”— Kammen Contributes Chapter in Open-Access
May 22, 2020
"Health of People, Health of Planet and Our Responsibility" is a recently published, fully open-access book that came out of discussions at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences with the Pope and members of the joint Pontifical Academies of Science and Social Science. ERG Professor Dan Kammen contributed his own chapter, "Defeating energy poverty", which is included in a section on taking action from a scientific basis.
David Anthoff Leads Climate Economics Project Team for Matrix
September 16, 2019
ERG Assistant Professor David Anthoff was selected to lead a research team on climate economics for Matrix, a UC Berkeley Institute for social science research.
Isha Ray Comments on Issues Facing Clean Water Technology Implementation
February 11, 2019
In a recent article from Knowable Magazine, ERG faculty Isha Ray provides input on why many water filtering and purification technologies fail to produce significant impacts on community health in ... Continue Reading »
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 Professor Emeritus: Higher Education for a Post-Growth World Norgaard
June 30, 2017
The economy ... really is the world's greatest faith-based organization
ERG Professor Ray on Toilets and Gender Equality
June 23, 2017
"Safe drinking water and sanitation are indispensable to sustain life and health, and fundamental to the dignity of all.”
BOOK: Applying Anthropology and Physics to Sustainability
March 30, 2015
New book by Dove and Kammen released this week.
ERG Dan Kammen on What the Biden-Harris Victory Means For COVID-19 & Climate Change
November 16, 2020
ERG professor Dan Kammen recently published an op-ed on the Daily Californian, discussing the powerful impact the Biden-Harris victory has on addressing the issues of COVID-19 and climate change. Kammen further states that the new leadership's energy and climate platform can be a game-changer for achieving social and climate justice. "Science, social justice and both domestic and global partnerships to address climate change are now back on the agenda in the United States," Kammen writes. "More than any one specific action, the commitment Biden has already shown to a science-driven administration is critically important domestically and worldwide."
Mileva ERG Alumni Deshmukh
September 12, 2018
ERG alumni Ranjit Deshmukh, Ana Mileva, and Grace Wu recently published their research on alternatives to the hydroelectric power Inga III Dam in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The ... Continue Reading »
Transportation Emissions in Mexico City – How Big Data is Driving Change
March 8, 2018
Mexico City is one of the most congested cities in the world, and it’s taking a toll on the health of its citizens and the environment. Sergio Castellanos, a postdoctoral ... Continue Reading »
ERG students win United Nations award
November 13, 2013
Jalel Sager (PhD candidate) and Austin Cappon (Minor) head to Nairobi, Kenya to pick up UN prize for a sustainable energy development project in Vietnam.