Dartmouth Engineering Faculty Bring Expertise to CERAWeek
Apr 07, 2025 | Irving Institute
Dartmouth Engineering faculty brought their insights and expertise to CERAWeek 2025, one of the world's most influential energy conferences, showcasing Dartmouth's leadership in addressing global energy challenges. This year's theme—Moving Ahead: Energy strategies for a complex world—addressed the major changes in policy, technology and geopolitics currently shaping the energy landscape.
Master of Engineering Management student Tim Lee speaks to US Secretary of Energy at CERAWeek 2025.
CERAWeek, held in Houston from March 10 to 14, drew nearly 10,000 executives, policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs, and scientists from around the world. Dartmouth's delegation also included Professor of Earth Sciences Mukul Sharma, Director of Technology Transfer Kim Rosenfield, and Irving Institute Executive Director Derek Walker, along with other faculty, staff, and students.
Highlights include:
High-Risk, High-Reward Research and Innovation
Professor Geoffroy Hautier spoke about his research using AI-driven screening to discover new materials for solar cells.
Hodson Family Professor of Engineering Geoffrey Hautier shared his research on applying AI to high-throughput screening to discover Earth-abundant solar cell materials. If commercialized, these innovations have the potential to lead to gigaton-scale carbon removal solutions and increase solar photovoltaic efficiency by 10-20%, respectively.
Lee Lynd, the Paul E. and Joan H. Queneau Distinguished Professor of Engineering, and his company Terragia presented about the future of biofuels. His cellulosic biofuel production methodology, when combined with carbon capture techniques, can achieve a carbon intensity as low as minus 150–essentially removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Professor Lee Lynd spoke about the future of biofuels.
Professor Junbo Zhao spoke about the next wave of AI innovations.
AI and Energy Systems
The conversations surrounding AI's opportunities and challenges within energy systems were abundant. Geoffrey Parker, Charles E. Hutchinson '68A Professor of Engineering Innovation and Irving Institute's Faculty Director, discussed the impact of AI on labor markets and how it can optimize efficiencies in manufacturing and energy systems.
Professor Junbo Zhao highlighted the importance of AI interventions that enhance rather than replace human judgment, advocating for designs that are fundamentally human-centered.
"Dartmouth's presence at CERAWeek is a testament to our commitment to driving transformative change in the energy sector. Through innovative research and meaningful collaborations, we are poised to help shape the evolution of affordable, reliable, and equitable energy systems. Our engagement at this prominent conference gives us a stronger platform to tackle some of the most urgent energy challenges facing the world today."
—Derek Walker, Executive Director of the Irving Institute
Professor Erin Mayfield spoke about the impact of federal energy policy on manufacturing and other industry.
Energy Policy
Discussions on energy policy spanned both domestic and international landscapes. Erin Mayfield, Hodgson Family Assistant Professor of Engineering, who conducted rigorous modeling to inform implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, explored how these landmark policies could invigorate American manufacturing and job growth.
Vikrant Vaze, the Stata Family Career Development Associate Professor of Engineering, shared his research on developing green energy infrastructure in conflict-affected regions of Africa, focusing on the critical interplay between sustainability, energy security, and finance.
