Energy Week Lightning Talks

Student Speakers and Topics:

• Mayesha Ahmed, PhD Student, Chemistry: Shaping the Future of Energy: How Artificial Photosynthesis Can Transform Policy and Power
• Gwen Cochran, Master Candidate, Environmental Studies: An Exploration of Solar Access: How Can Tenants Benefit from Solar Financing Policies?
• Max Huang, Undergraduate, Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER): Accelerating Green Hydrogen: Using Computational Models for Water Splitting Efficiency
• Kritika Jha, PhD Candidate, Chemistry: Slashing Greenhouse Emissions with Nano Superheroes
• Tony Tian, Undergraduate, Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER): Quantum Dots for Energy-Efficient Optoelectronics: An Interdisciplinary Approach
• Samuel Veroneau, Postdoctoral Researcher, Chemistry: Moving Beyond Carbon-Based Fuels

This event is part of Energy Week at Penn. Check out the rest of the 2025 programming at energyweek.upenn.edu.

Student Speakers

Mayesha Ahmed

PhD Student, Chemistry

Mayesha Ahmed is a 3rd year Chemistry PhD student studying strategies for conversion of carbon dioxide into liquid fuels using solar energy. She is interested in energy technology, policy, and social leadership.

Gwendolyn K. Cochran

2024 Philadelphia Energy Authority Fellow

Gwendolyn K. Cochran is the 2024 Kleinman PEA Fellow at the Philadelphia Green Capital Corps and a Master of Environmental Studies candidate at the University of Pennsylvania.

Max Huang

Physics and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering,Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER)

Max Huang is a second-year undergraduate pursuing degrees in Physics and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering through the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER). He works as a research assistant in Dr. Aleksandra Vojvodic’s lab, focusing on computationally driven materials design.

Kritika Jha

PhD Candidate, Chemistry

Kritika Jha is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry and works with Prof. Zahra Fakhraai. She is a Vagelos Institute of Energy Science and Technology (VIEST) Graduate Fellow. Kritika graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur with a master’s in chemistry in 2020.

Dongli (Tony) Tian

Physics and Material Science and Engineering, Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER)

Dongli (Tony) Tian is a Penn second- year from Vancouver, Canada studying Physics and Material Science and Engineering, with a minor in Statistics. He is a member of the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) and is curious and passionate about advancing energy technology.

Sam Veroneau

Postdoctoral Researcher, Chemistry

Sam Veroneau studied chemistry at the University of Chicago. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Harvard University in 2024 under the guidance of Prof. Daniel Nocera. His postdoctoral research will explore reactive nitrogen-based fuels.

Judging Panel

Sanya Carley

Mark Alan Hughes Faculty Director

Sanya Carley is the Mark Alan Hughes Faculty Director of the Kleinman Center and Presidential Distinguished Professor of Energy Policy and City Planning at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design.

Lorena Grundy

Practice Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Lorena S. Grundy is a Practice Assistant Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. She earned her BSE from Princeton University in 2017 and PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 2022, both in Chemical Engineering.

Benjamin Schmitt

Senior Fellow, Kleinman Center and SAS

Benjamin Schmitt is a joint senior fellow at the Kleinman Center and the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Penn. He is also an affiliate of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and associate of the Harvard-Ukrainian Research Institute.