The Yale Climate and Energy Institute

Sponsors & Organizers

Sponsors

Organizers

The Yale Climate & Energy Institute (YCEI) seeks to understand Earth's climate system, ecological and social impacts of climate change, the strengths and weaknesses of current political and economic system's ability to respond to climate change, and to provide realistic, implementable solutions to societies and communities around the world.

The YCEI is an umbrella organization within Yale University, composed of all relevant departments, centers, and faculty. Its mission is to promote a multidisciplinary approach to learning, research, and the development of strategies that help societies contribute to solutions and adapt to the challenges of local and global climatic changes.

A special thank you goes out to the members of the conference organizing team, including:

Brian Marrs

SOLAR FUELS, ROUNDTABLE, SPONSORSHIP, FEATURED SPEAKERS,STUDENT COORDINATION, OUTREACH

Brian Marrs is currently a Graduate Student at the Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in the field of energy economics and policy, and a Fellow of the Swedish Institute in Nordic energy studies. Prior to Yale, Mr. Marrs worked as a corporate energy specialist in the United States, the European Union, and several developing countries before serving as a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellow at the German Energy Agency (dena) and Vattenfall Europe, the fifth-largest power provider in the EU. His expertise includes large-scale project development and finance for renewable energy installations, such as offshore wind and solar thermal generating stations, natural gas generation facilities, and energy efficiency improvements. At Yale, his research concentrates on low-carbon energy system planning.

In addition to his professional experience, Mr. Marrs actively supports several organizations committed to the future of energy, including the German World Energy Council, the Transatlantic Climate Bridge, the Robert Bosch Foundation, the American Council on Germany, and most recently the Yale Climate & Energy Institute. Mr. Marrs is a Graduate of the University of Virginia (CLAS, 2005), where he serves as a guest lecturer on energy system planning.

Joseph Edgars

BATTERIES AND ENERGY STORAGE, ROUNDTABLE, SPONSORSHIP, FEATURED SPEAKERS,STUDENT COORDINATION, OUTREACH

Joseph Edgar is an Associate Energy Consultant at the Pataki-Cahill Group in New York, and is pursuing a Juris Doctorate (JD) from Pace University School of Law and a Masters of Environmental Management (MEM) from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University. Throughout the course of his graduate studies, Joseph has focused on the environmental and legal issues pertaining to climate change and has conducted extensive research on energy system flows and environmental degradation. His current research includes carbon-based policy initiatives and postfossil fuel energy systems. In addition to serving as a Climate and Energy Fellow at
the Yale Climate and Energy Institute, he also serves as the Program Director for the Brazil-American Institute for Law and Environment (BAILE), an organization dedicated to intertwining environmental aspects of Brazilian and American law. Previously, Joseph served as the Vice President of Operations at Hydraulitcall, Inc., where he supervised environmental remediation activities throughout North America. Joseph holds a B.A. in Political Science from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Denina Hospodsky

PRE-CONFERENCE EVENTS

Denina is a Ph. D. candidate enrolled in the Yale Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department researching the application of molecular biology and next generation DNA sequencing to indoor air to investigate sources and environmental transport of airborne microorganism. Her work sits at the nexus of atmospheric science, molecular biology and public health. She is a co-leader of the Yale Climate and Energy Congress, the student group of the YCEI. Denina received a BSc and MSc degree in Environmental Engineering from the Technical University of Berlin in Germany. She conducted research at Duke University and at Beijing Institute of Technology.

Yoni Cohen

GENETICS AND BIOENERGY

Yoni Cohen is a second-year student at the Yale Law School. He is interested in cleantech investing and entrepreneurship. During the school year, Yoni reports for Greentech Media. Last summer, he worked at Israel Cleantech Ventures, a cleantech venture capital firm in Israel. Before Yale, Yoni served as a press secretary and
legislative assistant for a Member of Congress, a communications adviser to numerous candidates for Congress, and a college basketball reporter for Fox Sports. Yoni received a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, where he graduated summa cum laude with a double-major in finance and political science.the United States, in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Other student organizers include:

Shiyue Wang