Special Seminar: From Climate Risk to Resilience—Quantitative insights at the intersection of energy, water, and public health

**In-person seating is limited. Please arrive early or join via Zoom**

ZOOM LINK
Meeting ID: 991 5688 7636        
Passcode: 994243

Climate-driven extreme events place escalating and uneven pressure on the critical systems we rely on to deliver electricity, clean water, and public health protections. Vulnerabilities from prolonged drought, extreme heat, and wildfires vary widely across space, time, and populations—shaped by interactions between physical infrastructure, environmental conditions, and social, economic, and biological determinants. Fortifying these interconnected systems requires analytical frameworks that advance our quantitative understanding of three core dimensions of vulnerability: the intensity and frequency of climate stressor exposure; the sensitivity of infrastructure and individuals to those stressors; and the capacity to anticipate, absorb, and recover from disruption.

In this seminar, I present research diagnosing climate-related vulnerabilities across three domains. First, I explore how energy services mediate vulnerability to extreme heat—both as protective infrastructure (e.g., air conditioning) and as an exacerbating influence (e.g., anthropogenic waste heat). Second, I examine the energy sector’s dependence on water, and system design strategies to reduce its susceptibility to heat and hydrologic stress. Third, I assess engineering innovations that diversify and secure climate-resilient water supplies, thereby reducing vulnerability to climate-related disruption. While each domain underscores tensions between climate change adaptation and mitigation priorities, the second half of the seminar presents frameworks for designing equitable, demand-side management strategies in the power sector that offer "win-win" outcomes—reducing emissions and water use, strengthening grid resilience, lowering costs, and avoiding maladaptive responses.

About the Speaker(s)

Kelly Sanders
Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, USC

Kelly Sanders is an associate professor in the University of Southern California's Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her research evaluates strategies to accelerate decarbonization and electrification, analyzes tensions between climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, and quantifies the environmental impacts of energy and water services. In 2024, she served as assistant director for energy systems innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, advising the Biden Administration on energy and climate mitigation priorities—particularly at the intersection of artificial intelligence, US load growth, grid modernization, and clean energy commercialization. Sanders has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications and has been recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 in Energy, MIT Technology Review's 35 Innovators Under 35, and the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists' 40 Under 40 for her contributions to the energy field. She holds a BS in bioengineering from Pennsylvania State University, and an MSE in mechanical engineering and PhD in environmental engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Contact

For more information, contact Ashley Parker at ashley.l.parker@dartmouth.edu.