On campus and beyond, MITEI fosters dialogue within the research community and across the academic, industry, and government sectors and provides the public with context on current energy issues.
Priority update
Engage more broadly with MIT campus
A major priority for MITEI in FY25 was to strengthen MITEI’s connection across campus and ensure a better understanding of MITEI’s mission. MITEI did this by launching a new podcast, What if it works?, and speaker series, MITEI Presents: Advancing the Energy Transition, in fall 2024. MITEI also increased its collaborations with other departments, labs, and centers (DLCs) and campus groups. On campus and beyond, MITEI’s outreach efforts foster dialogue within the research community and across the academic, industry, and government sectors and provide the public with context on current energy issues. In FY25, the MITEI communications team published 25 original news articles, including event coverage, research reports, and explainers, to highlight MIT energy researchers and students, and their work across print and digital platforms. MITEI articles are frequently republished by MIT News, providing broader reach through MIT News’ channels. Additionally, MITEI worked with other DLCs to bring important industry and policy leaders to campus to engage with the MIT community. This included a partnership with MIT Ukraine, MIT Security Studies Program, and the Belfer Center at Harvard University to bring Volodymyr Kudrytskyi, the former CEO of Ukraine’s electric grid operator Ukrenergo, to discuss the challenges of securing Ukraine’s energy system throughout the war.
At MITEI’s 2024 Annual Research Conference, Energy UROP students presented their research to MITEI’s corporate members and conference attendees during poster sessions. Photo: Jake Belcher
Outreach highlights
MITEI Presents: Advancing the Energy Transition speaker series
Launched in September 2024, this speaker series connects the MIT community with energy experts and leaders who are actively working on the scientific, technological, and policy solutions we urgently need to transform our energy systems. Six speakers were brought to campus this FY, including Alicia Barton, CEO of Vineyard Offshore; U.S. Representative Sean Casten of Illinois; Joseph F. DeCarolis, administrator of the U.S. Energy Information Administration; Emily Knight, president and CEO of The Engine; Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council (more below); and Emily A. Carter, the Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment at Princeton University.
Podcast: What if it works?
In October 2024, MITEI launched its podcast series, What if it works? Season one gained more than 1,000 subscribers with 18 published episodes by the end of FY25. Every two weeks, MITEI hosts Rob Stoner, MITEI’s former deputy and interim director, and Kara Miller spoke with energy experts about the science, technology, and policies that can transform our energy systems and give us a more sustainable future. Guests included Ernest Moniz, former U.S. Secretary of Energy, MIT professor emeritus, and MITEI founder; Susan Solomon (Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences); Climate Project Mission Directors Elsa Olivetti (Material Science and Engineering) and Christopher Knittel (MIT Sloan); Howard Herzog (MITEI); and Namrata Kala (MIT Sloan).
The Energy of the Future video series
In March 2025, MITEI launched a video series on social media showcasing the work of MITEI’s energy students and their efforts to advance the energy transition and expand energy access. This series supports MITEI’s priority of engaging more broadly with campus and growing its social media audiences. In FY25, MITEI published five videos featuring Energy UROP participants on Instagram and LinkedIn. MITEI promoted the videos across campus with both print and digital advertisements and a special display in the Infinite Corridor.
Lucia Tian (center), the head of clean energy and decarbonization technologies at Google, discusses the challenges and opportunities that AI and rapid electrification bring to electricity demand during a panel at the 2025 MIT Energy Conference. Photo: Rory Fisher
Spring Symposium
In May 2025, MITEI advanced its focus on data centers at our Spring Symposium, which brought together researchers, industry leaders, and academic experts to explore artificial intelligence as both a problem and solution for the clean energy transition. Speakers included Vijay Gadepally, a senior scientist at MIT’s Lincoln Lab; Evelyn Wang, MIT Vice President for Energy and Climate; Antonia Gawel, global director of sustainability and partnerships at Google; and Dustin Demetriou, senior technical staff member in sustainability and data center innovation at IBM.
Earth Day Colloquium
As part of MIT’s celebration of Earth Week, MITEI hosted Manish Bapna, the president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the United States’ largest environmental organizations, who advocated for reinstating climate action as a national priority.
At MITEI’s Earth Day Colloquium, Manish Bapna, the president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council, advocated for reinstating climate action as a national priority. Photo: Kelley Travers.
Congressional Staff Seminar 2025
MITEI, the MIT Washington Office, and the Climate Policy Center jointly hosted a bipartisan group of 27 U.S. House, Senate, and Congressional committee staffers for three days of panels, tours, and presentations from faculty, research scientists, and students about energy and climate research. Topics included climate & AI, the role of nuclear energy in U.S. power generation, and electricity transmission, among others.
Annual Research Conference 2024
Energy researchers, policy makers, and industry members came together this year to explore the topic of “A durable energy transition: How to stay on track in the face of increasing demand and unpredictable obstacles.” The conference included eight panels that featured MIT moderators, 13 MIT panelists, and 19 panelists from other academic institutions, government, or industry. MIT President Sally Kornbluth opened the conference, and the keynote speaker was Praveer Singh, CEO and Managing Director of the Tata Power Co, Ltd. In collaboration with MIT’s Industrial Liaison Program, the conference also highlighted seven companies with a Startup Showcase session. MITEI’s summer UROP students participated in a slam, presenting their research to MITEI’s corporate members and conference attendees.
C3E 2024 Women in Clean Energy Symposium
In November 2024, the 13th annual Clean Energy, Education, and Empowerment (C3E) Women in Clean Energy Symposium and Awards was hosted by Stanford Energy in collaboration with MITEI, the U.S. Department of Energy, and Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University. The conference featured award presentations, as well as diverse speakers and rich conversations on pursuing sustainable clean energy goals. The U.S. C3E Initiative advances clean energy by closing the gender gap and increasing the participation, leadership, and success of women in clean energy fields.
