Northwestern Welcomes the 2026 Sustainability and Energy Fellows
EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern University has announced the inaugural cohort of the Northwestern University Sustainability and Energy Fellows program, a new flagship initiative of the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy.
“The Northwestern University Sustainability and Energy Fellows program reflects Northwestern’s commitment to advancing bold, interdisciplinary research that addresses urgent global challenges,” said Ted Sargent, PhD, Trienens Institute executive director and Lynn Hopton Davis and Greg Davis Professor of Chemistry and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northwestern.
“These Fellows represent an extraordinary group of emerging leaders whose work will shape the future of energy and sustainability.” The prestigious fellowship program supports interdisciplinary research spanning renewable energy, climate innovation, advanced materials, policy design, urban resilience, and cleantech commercialization. The inaugural cohort brings together scholars from leading institutions around the world, including Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Cambridge, Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Colorado Boulder, AMOLF in the Netherlands, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
The inaugural fellows and their research areas include:Krishanu Dey
PhD program: Physics, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom Fellowship mentors: Richard D. Schaller, PhD, and Mercouri G. Kanatzidis, PhD, Department of Chemistry, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Krishanu Dey’s research at Northwestern will focus on developing next-generation perovskite photovoltaics that can surpass the efficiency limits of today’s solar technologies.
Sergio Dorado-Rojas
PhD program: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA Fellowship mentors: Ermin Wei, PhD, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Niall Mangan, PhD, Department of Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics, McCormick School of Engineering Sergio Dorado-Rojas plans to develop a “Google Maps” for power grids, helping operators reroute electricity around congestion and outages in real time.
Paul Ducarme
PhD program: Nonlinear Mechanics, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands Fellowship mentors: Lucia Stein-Montalvo, PhD, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Nivedita Arora, PhD, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering Paul Ducarme aims to develop buildings and architectural elements that passively change shape to help regulate heat, ventilation, light, or air pollution.
Sara Hoose
PhD program: Political Science, University of Colorado Boulder Fellowship mentors: Mary McGrath, PhD, Department of Political Science, and Keith Woodhouse, PhD, Department of History, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Sara Hoose will investigate why some environmental policies, such as access to green space, are popular across the political spectrum, and how the attributes of these policies might be used to encourage policy adoption in other, more polarized, areas.
Diana LaFollette
PhD program: Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia Fellowship mentors: Mercouri G. Kanatzidis, PhD, and Richard D. Schaller, PhD, Department of Chemistry, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Diana LaFollette aims to develop the understanding needed to improve long-term stability in perovskite solar cells and move toward a commercially viable, scalable renewable energy technology.
David Alfred Otto Meier
PhD program: Microbiology, University of California, Berkeley, California Fellowship mentors: Amy C. Rosenzweig, PhD, Department of Molecular Biosciences, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, and Keith E.J. Tyo, PhD, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering David Alfred Otto Meier will study how methane-consuming bacteria can be engineered to produce value-added products economically and sustainably.
Jinwon Oh
PhD program: Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California Fellowship mentors: Chad A. Mirkin, PhD, and Mercouri Kanatzidis, PhD, Department of Chemistry, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Jinwon Oh’s research addresses stability challenges in current catalytic systems that hinder their real-world implementation. He aims to develop catalysts that convert CO2 into valuable chemicals using renewable electricity.
Kathryn Weber
PhD program: Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin Fellowship mentors: Julia Kalow, PhD, Department of Chemistry, Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, and Cécile Chazot, PhD, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, McCormick School of Engineering Kathryn Weber will study the use of dynamic covalent bonds to stabilize the liquid-crystalline order of cellulose, aiming to produce structurally colored fibers. This work will enable the fabrication of colorful, recyclable textiles without the need for a labor- and water-intensive dyeing process.
The program provides fellows with competitive salaries, research funding, professional development opportunities, and access to Northwestern’s broader innovation ecosystem. Fellows also benefit from opportunities to connect with industry leaders and from access to the Trienens-Q Accelerator and the Querrey InQbation Lab, programs that support Northwestern’s research-driven startups.
For more information about the Northwestern University Sustainability and Energy Fellows program, visit the program page or email trienens-institute@northwestern.edu.
About the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy
The Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern University advances transformational research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and scalable solutions to address the global climate and energy transition. The Institute brings together researchers, students, industry leaders, and policymakers to accelerate innovation and create lasting societal impact.
