Interested in energy, the environment and climate change but not sure how to make a career out of it? There are a wide array of exciting career pathways to choose from across these topics for young people with various skill sets and passions. To provide UChicago students of all levels and schools with insight into the range of opportunities and what’s it’s like to work in these positions, EPIC is hosting a virtual career series with young UChicago alumni—starting with EPIC’s own former Bartlett and DRW Fellows. Alumni will share insights into their day-to-day lives, how they got to where they are, and what they wish they knew when they were UChicago students.

For our first career talk, EPIC welcomed Harris Public Policy ’20 graduate Kurt Nugent, an energy industry analyst at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

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Bio: 

Kurt Nugent currently works as an Energy Industry Analyst for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). He provides analysis to ascertain and identify cases of manipulation in energy markets. Previously Kurt has worked in Program Evaluation in the nonprofit sector. A Bartlett Fellow from 2018-2019 and a 2020 graduate from the Harris School of Public Policy with a Masters in Public Policy, he has since relocated to DC for work. His passion for environmental justice and climate change and the capacity for FERC to make meaningful shifts in the energy landscape have motivated his career shift.

Interested in energy, the environment and climate change but not sure how to make a career out of it? There are a wide array of exciting career pathways to choose from across these topics for young people with various skill sets and passions. To provide UChicago students of all levels and schools with insight into the range of opportunities and what’s it’s like to work in these positions, EPIC is hosting a virtual career series with young UChicago alumni—starting with EPIC’s own former Bartlett and DRW Fellows. Alumni will share insights into their day-to-day lives, how they got to where they are, and what they wish they knew when they were UChicago students.

Join us as we welcome Harris Public Policy ’19 graduate Medy (Shujie) Xu, a forecasting data analyst at ICF.

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Bio:

Medy (Shujie) Xu is currently working as a Forecasting Data Analyst for ICF, a global management consulting company in Oak Brook, IL. She is responsible for creating performance reports for two Energy Efficiency Programs that are initiated by ComEd. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from Beloit College 15’ and a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harris 19’. While she was at Harris, she was very active in promoting awareness of sustainability among Harris students as the Director of Harris Sustainability Initiative (HSI) and a member of Harris Energy and Environmental Association (HEEA).

Interested in energy, the environment and climate change but not sure how to make a career out of it? There are a wide array of exciting career pathways to choose from across these topics for young people with various skill sets and passions. To provide UChicago students of all levels and schools with insight into the range of opportunities and what’s it’s like to work in these positions, EPIC is hosting a virtual career series with young UChicago alumni—starting with EPIC’s own former Bartlett and DRW Fellows. Alumni will share insights into their day-to-day lives, how they got to where they are, and what they wish they knew when they were UChicago students.

Join us as we welcome Harris Public Policy ’20 graduate Joshua Kruskal, Director of Finance and Operations at Global Energy Monitor.

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Bio: 

Joshua Kruskal is the Director of Finance and Operations at Global Energy Monitor, a nonprofit research organization that provides energy data services to groups including Bloomberg, the Economist, the International Energy Agency, the IPCC, NRDC, Oxfam, the UN Environment Programme, and the World Bank. In his current role, he oversees a broad range of internal functions and systems at GEM, including budgeting, project planning, staffing, compliance, grant management, and more. He joined GEM in 2020, and much of his recent work has dealt with the logistics of maintaining an organization in the midst of a global pandemic. Previously, he worked for EcoLogic Development Fund, an NGO that supports sustainable development programs in low-income, high-biodiversity regions. He has also worked for WEEMA International, a nonprofit promoting development in rural Ethiopia. He began his career working with a pro-bono nonprofit management and financial consulting agency. He is passionate about clean energy, the environment, conservation, and sustainable development.

While earning his MS in Environmental Science and Policy at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, he worked as a Program Manager with the University’s Office of Civic Engagement. In this role, the supported research investigating housing and development trends in Chicago’s South Side. During his graduate studies, he also worked as an EPIC Bartlett Fellow in the Environmental Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory, a facility operated by the US Department of Energy. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Chicago Policy Review and as a member of Harris Student Government. He earned his BA in International Politics and Economics from Middlebury College. He currently resides in Boston.

Interested in energy, the environment and climate change but not sure how to make a career out of it? There are a wide array of exciting career pathways to choose from across these topics for young people with various skill sets and passions. To provide UChicago students of all levels and schools with insight into the range of opportunities and what’s it’s like to work in these positions, EPIC is hosting a virtual career series with young UChicago alumni—starting with EPIC’s own former Bartlett and DRW Fellows. Alumni will share insights into their day-to-day lives, how they got to where they are, and what they wish they knew when they were UChicago students.

Join us as we welcome Harris Public Policy ’20 graduate Emily Bablitch, Experienced Consultant, Energy & Utilities practice, West Monroe Partners.

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Bio:

Emily Bablitch is an Experienced Consultant in the Energy & Utilities practice at West Monroe Partners and currently working on a Distribution Automation telecommunications project for a large utility. She is a 2020 Harris School of Public Policy grad, who focused on energy and environmental policy and was a Bartlett and DRW Fellow at EPIC. She interned as a Policy Intern at the Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC) for summer of 2019 and previously worked as an Environmental Educator at a non-profit in Milwaukee, teaching 4,000+ students a year. Prior to that, she worked as an Outdoor Educator, leading extended wilderness expeditions for teenagers, from the Great Lakes region to Malaysia. Outside of work, you can find Emily outside on walks, riding her pandemic Peloton, or attempting a new recipe.

Interested in energy, the environment and climate change but not sure how to make a career out of it? There are a wide array of exciting career pathways to choose from across these topics for young people with various skill sets and passions. To provide UChicago students of all levels and schools with insight into the range of opportunities and what’s it’s like to work in these positions, EPIC is hosting a virtual career series with young UChicago alumni—starting with EPIC’s own former Bartlett and DRW Fellows. Alumni will share insights into their day-to-day lives, how they got to where they are, and what they wish they knew when they were UChicago students.

Join us as we welcome Harris Public Policy ’20 graduate David Foote, power market analyst at LS Power.

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Bio:

Dave Foote works as a Power Market Analyst at LS Power, in an office that mainly focuses on trading FTR’s. In his position, Dave spends most of his time writing Python code to help model and analyze the electrical grid and the economics behind it. Before working at LS Power, Dave was a Research Assistant at EPIC for Dr. Eyal Frank. He received a Master of Science in Computational Analysis and Public Policy from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy in 2020.

Interested in energy, the environment and climate change but not sure how to make a career out of it? There are a wide array of exciting career pathways to choose from across these topics for young people with various skill sets and passions. To provide UChicago students of all levels and schools with insight into the range of opportunities and what’s it’s like to work in these positions, EPIC is hosting a virtual career series with young UChicago alumni—starting with EPIC’s own former Bartlett and DRW Fellows. Alumni will share insights into their day-to-day lives, how they got to where they are, and what they wish they knew when they were UChicago students.

Join us as we welcome Yuqi Song, PhD candidate at the Harris School of Public Policy.

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Bio: 

Yuqi Song is a 3rd year PhD student at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. Her research interest lies with environmental, energy and climate economics. She is currently working on projects related to the effects of energy policies and the impacts of advancing forecast technology in China. Before entering Harris, she worked as a Pre-Doctoral Fellow at the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago, and earned an MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with a focus on finance. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Economics from MIT.

Interested in energy, the environment and climate change but not sure how to make a career out of it? There are a wide array of exciting career pathways to choose from across these topics for young people with various skill sets and passions. To provide UChicago students of all levels and schools with insight into the range of opportunities and what’s it’s like to work in these positions, EPIC is hosting a virtual career series with young UChicago alumni—starting with EPIC’s own former Bartlett and DRW Fellows. Alumni will share insights into their day-to-day lives, how they got to where they are, and what they wish they knew when they were UChicago students.

Join us as we welcome Harris Public Policy ’19 graduate Andrew Bray, Founding Principal at MXV Ventures.

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Bio: 

Andrew is a former energy trader, current energy policy wonk, and advisor to climate tech startups, research organizations, and investors. His experience includes venture diligence, financial modeling, fund design, business operations, and capital markets. Currently, Andrew is working with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) to develop a technology roadmap outlining opportunities to digitize wind power plant operations, and he works with startup clients to help them develop financial models and improve their business models. Previously, Andrew helped Powerhouse Ventures with deal diligence, and he contributed to an academic study of human behavior in energy. Andrew has a B.S. in industrial systems engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.S. in Environmental Science and Public Policy from the University of Chicago. As an MXV Principal, Andrew is responsible for fund operations, policy and economic assessment, deal structuring, financial modeling, and the diligence process.

Interested in energy, the environment and climate change but not sure how to make a career out of it? There are a wide array of exciting career pathways to choose from across these topics for young people with various skill sets and passions. To provide UChicago students of all levels and schools with insight into the range of opportunities and what’s it’s like to work in these positions, EPIC is hosting a virtual career series with young UChicago alumni—starting with EPIC’s own former Bartlett and DRW Fellows. Alumni will share insights into their day-to-day lives, how they got to where they are, and what they wish they knew when they were UChicago students.

Join us as we welcome Harris Public Policy ’20 graduate Sushmita Singha, Climate Risk and Energy Consultant at the World Bank.

Bio:

Sushmita Singha is a Climate Risk and Energy Consultant at the World Bank Headquarters, D.C. She graduated with an MS in Environmental Science and Policy (MSESP) in June 2020 from the Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago. Her prior academic training is in Economics (MS and BS). She was an EPIC Fellow during her master’s at UChicago, where she worked on randomized evaluations of energy and environmental projects. Prior to joining UChicago, she had several years of experience in professional and academic research in India. At Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), she worked on a rural electric power project and smart metering technology for reducing distribution losses. In the past, she had also worked on environment, urban, and economic research and project management at several organizations in New Delhi, including the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), and the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER).

Interested in energy, the environment and climate change but not sure how to make a career out of it? There are a wide array of exciting career pathways to choose from across these topics for young people with various skill sets and passions. To provide UChicago students of all levels and schools with insight into the range of opportunities and what’s it’s like to work in these positions, EPIC is hosting a virtual career series with young UChicago alumni—starting with EPIC’s own former Bartlett and DRW Fellows. Alumni will share insights into their day-to-day lives, how they got to where they are, and what they wish they knew when they were UChicago students.

Join us as we welcome Harris Public Policy ’21 graduate Shruti Bhimsaria, Lead – Research and Strategic Partnerships, EPIC-India.

Bio:

Shruti leads Research and Strategic Partnerships for EPIC India. In this role, Shruti develops research partnerships related to energy and environmental policy, forms strategic alliances for AQLI, manages research, and develops and expands EPIC-India’s pipeline of applied economics research projects.
Shruti recently served as the Head of Research at Climate Vault, a non-profit founded at the University of Chicago that leverages existing carbon markets to help organizations and individuals meet their carbon reduction goals. Before this, Shruti spent several years at J-PAL South Asia, where she managed their Energy and Environment Portfolio. She has experience working on energy access, air pollution, net-zero strategies, and carbon markets. She has also briefly dabbled in health and governance research. Shruti recently completed her MPP degree from the University of Chicago. She also holds a Masters in Economics from the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics and a Bachelors in Maths & Statistics from Banasthali University, India.

Interested in energy, the environment and climate change but not sure how to make a career out of it? There are a wide array of exciting career pathways to choose from across these topics for young people with various skill sets and passions. To provide UChicago students of all levels and schools with insight into the range of opportunities and what’s it’s like to work in these positions, EPIC is hosting a virtual career series with young UChicago alumni—starting with EPIC’s own former Bartlett and DRW Fellows. Alumni will share insights into their day-to-day lives, how they got to where they are, and what they wish they knew when they were UChicago students.

Join us as we welcome Harris Public Policy ’20 graduate Anna-Elise Smith, Project Analyst at Resource Innovations.

Bio:

Anna-Elise Smith is a Project Analyst in Resource Innovations’ Behavioral Science & Analytics group located in the Louisville, CO office where she focuses on demand-side management program measurement and evaluation, outage cost estimation, and energy efficiency program evaluation. She has expertise applying econometric and statistical analysis to develop insight and solutions to complex energy issues. Anna-Elise has worked on a variety of projects since joining Resource Innovations and has been responsible for estimating the load impacts and cost-effectiveness of ComEd’s Peak Time Savings program and modelling the peak load impacts, conservation effects and societal net benefits associated with Elevate Energy’s Hourly Pricing program. Prior to joining Resource Innovations, she was an MRV Initiatives Associate at The Climate Registry where she specialized in providing accessible GHG accounting tools and development of GHG quantification methods for wastewater treatment plants in California. Anna-Elise also served as a research assistant at The Energy Policy Institute at Chicago where she analyzed the costs associated with policy affecting international shipments of oil and gas. Anna-Elise holds a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago as well as a BA in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado Boulder.