People

Dr. Bryan Willson is Executive Director of the Energy Institute at Colorado State University, and the Bryan Willson Presidential Chair. He also serves as a Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Maury serves as the External Engagement Administrator for the Energy Institute. She is also the Executive Director of the Colorado Energy Research Collaboratory, which is a successful energy research partnership between CU Boulder, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University and National Renewable Energy Laboratory. 

Kate Laughery is the Energy Institute’s Associate Director for Operations and is responsible for the financial, human resources and building operations of the Energy Institute.

Anthony J. Marchese is the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, Director of the Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory and Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering at Colorado State University. Marchese holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University and B.S. and M.S. […]

Jeff D., Muhs is the Energy Institute’s Associate Director for Programs and Initiatives.  He is responsible for increasing campus-wide faculty engagement in various EI activities, convening interdisciplinary working groups on research topics of mutual interest, interfacing with regional innovation ecosystem partners to help spur entrepreneurship and innovation, administering donor-funded seed grant and student internship programs, […]

Bill Ritter, Jr. is the founder and director of the Center for the New Energy Economy (CNEE) at Colorado State University which launched on February 1, 2011. The Center employs an assistant director, three senior policy advisors, an executive assistant and a team of student researchers. The Center works directly with governors, legislators, regulators, planners, […]

Members of the media seeking immediate assistance with a story about the work happening at the Energy Institute should contact Communications Specialist Joanna McWilliams

Dr. Bryan Willson is Executive Director of the Energy Institute at Colorado State University, and the Bryan Willson Presidential Chair. He also serves as a Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Lynn Badia is Assistant Professor of English at Colorado State University specializing in Environmental and Energy Humanities. Dr. Badia is currently working with the Energy Institute in efforts to research the intersection of energy and society.

Dr. Todd Bandhauer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at CSU and the Director of the Interdisciplinary Thermal Science Laboratory (www.theitslab.com). His expertise and interests include thermal energy systems, electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems, and microscale phase change heat transfer.

Clay Bell is a research scientist working under the supervision of Daniel Zimmerle to lead the design, construction and operation of the Methane Emission Technology Evaluation Center (METEC).

Dr. Thomas H. Bradley is Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Colorado State University. He earned BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California – Davis, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology with an emphasis in systems engineering and decision support. Primary research interests […]

Dr. James Cale is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Colorado State University. His research focuses on modeling, control and design optimization of energy sources and systems. His background and interests are in the areas of energy conversion, power-electronic drive systems, microgrids, finite-inertia power systems, computational and applied electromagnetics, biologically-inspired optimization methods, […]

Dr. Susan De Long is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at CSU. She has Bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Science and Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley and earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from The University of Texas, Austin. She has over 18 […]

Bruce Draper is a professor of Computer Science at Colorado State University and holds an appointment in the Molecular, Cellular and Integrated Neuroscience (MCIN) program. His research is in visually recognizing people, their gestures, and actions, and in applying these techniques to complex systems of interacting people and machines.

Jerry Duggan is the Lab Manager at Colorado State University’s Smart Village Microgrid Lab at the Energy Institute, which does research in village-scale microgrids, DC power distribution systems, and AC/DC efficency studies.

Kirk was raised on a southeastern Colorado farm. He attended Garden City Community College from 1992 – 1994 as a part of the John Deere Agricultural Technician Program.

As director of the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML), Erica Fleishman guides development and implementation of the center’s priorities and its collaborations with federal, state, university, and other partners. She facilitates provision of research, services, and education by CEMML, and seeks to maintain and increase the center’s diversity and inclusivity.

Shantanu has a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in Engineering and Public Policy and leads the Laboratory for Air Quality Research at the Energy Institute.

Dr. Christian L’Orange is a Research Scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Colorado State University. His work is focused around engineering for public health. Dr. L’Orange’s research projects include the development of low-cost, next generation pollution monitors for quantifying exposure to pollution and the evaluation and testing of the biomass cookstoves used by nearly 50% of the world’s population.

Tony Maciejewski joined Colorado State University in 2001 and is currently a Professor and Head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).

John Mehaffy is a lab manager and exposure assessment specialist in Dr. Volckens’ group. John is responsible for air sample collection and analysis, chamber testing for equipment design and validation, human subject research testing, and other duties.

John Mizia leads the Advanced Biomass Combustion Lab at the Powerhouse Energy Institute and is also the CEO and co-founder of Qapture Inc.

Dr. Daniel B. Olsen is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Colorado State University (CSU).

Quinn’s research focuses on sustainability assessments through life cycle and techno-economic modeling leveraging experimental data for system model validation.

James Sites studies the device physics of low-cost CdTe and CIGS thin-film solar cells. He received his PhD from Cornell in 1969 and has been on the Colorado State Physics faculty since 1971.  His photovoltaics lab makes precision electrical and optical measurements on solar cells fabricated at Colorado State and by several partners in the […]

Sid Suryanarayanan is an associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Colorado State University (CSU). He received the PhD in electrical engineering from Arizona State University in 2004 with a specialization in power systems engineering.

Dr. John Volckens is a professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Director of the Center for Energy Development and Health at Colorado State University (CSU). He holds affiliate appointments in Environmental Health, Biomedical Engineering, the Colorado School of Public Health, and the CSU Energy Institute. His research interests involve air quality, low-cost sensors, aerosol technology, […]

As State Energy Specialist for CSU Extension and Director of CSU’s Rural Energy Center, Cary develops and delivers energy programs to help people across Colorado make more informed energy decisions. This work includes economic feasibility assessments for on-farm renewable energy, community and local government energy assessments, home energy workshops, publications, managing Your Energy Colorado and directing Rural […]

After receiving his Ph.D. degree from the University of Florida in August 2009, Dr. Bret Windom was awarded a National Research Council postdoctoral fellowship to work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, CO.

Azer Yalin is a Professes in Mechanical Engineering conducting research on laser diagnostics applied to
plasma, combustion, and the environment.

Derek young is a Research Associate with the Interdisciplinary Thermal Science Laboratory at the Energy Institute, focusing on technoeconomic modeling of a thermally activated cooling system.

Peter Young is a Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering. His
research interests include mathematical system theory, controller
analysis/synthesis methodologies, and applications to microgrids
incorporating clean energy generation and distribution.

Dr. Zhao’s research interests include biologically inspired robotics, mechanism design, dynamic systems, mechatronics, 3D printing, and vision based control. His research on meso-scale jumping robots has been reported by many media such as Popular Science, Discovery News, PHYS.org, IEEE Spectrum etc. He has won several rewards such as the finalist for best student paper in […]

Daniel Zimmerle is a Senior Research Associate in the Energy Institute @ Colorado State. Zimmerle was a principal investigator on three major studies of methane emissions in the natural gas supply chain, and for METEC, the ARPA-E MONITOR test facility at CSU.

Members of the media seeking immediate assistance with a story about the work happening at the Energy Institute should contact Communications Specialist Joanna McWilliams

Dr. Bryan Willson is Executive Director of the Energy Institute at Colorado State University, and the Bryan Willson Presidential Chair. He also serves as a Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Kristine works at the Program Manager for METEC. METEC CSU is a project in collaboration with ARPA-E and their methane initiatives. The goal of the facility is to provide a location that models natural gas facilities, so that researchers can test low-cost methane sensing technologies and evaluate their performance.

Annabelle is a PhD Candidate in Economics and Graduate Research Assistant for Extension’s State Energy Specialist. She conducts research pertaining to energy efficiency and renewable energy outreach and education throughout the state.

Maury serves as the External Engagement Administrator for the Energy Institute. She is also the Executive Director of the Colorado Energy Research Collaboratory, which is a successful energy research partnership between CU Boulder, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University and National Renewable Energy Laboratory. 

Kirk was raised on a southeastern Colorado farm. He attended Garden City Community College from 1992 – 1994 as a part of the John Deere Agricultural Technician Program.

Wendy supports Dr. Willson, the Executive Director of the CSU Energy Institute and Gov. Ritter and his team at the Center for the New Energy Economy. 

Kate Laughery is the Energy Institute’s Associate Director for Operations and is responsible for the financial, human resources and building operations of the Energy Institute.

David Leith served on the faculty of Harvard University for ten years, then served at the University of North Carolina where he was Professor of Environmental Sciences and Engineering for over 30 years.  He has retired from UNC and is now a summer intern at CSU, where he works in the lab of Professor John Volckens. 

Jeff D., Muhs is the Energy Institute’s Associate Director for Programs and Initiatives.  He is responsible for increasing campus-wide faculty engagement in various EI activities, convening interdisciplinary working groups on research topics of mutual interest, interfacing with regional innovation ecosystem partners to help spur entrepreneurship and innovation, administering donor-funded seed grant and student internship programs, […]

Bill Ritter, Jr. is the founder and director of the Center for the New Energy Economy (CNEE) at Colorado State University which launched on February 1, 2011. The Center employs an assistant director, three senior policy advisors, an executive assistant and a team of student researchers. The Center works directly with governors, legislators, regulators, planners, […]

Joanna L. McWilliams is the communications specialist for the Energy Institute, and the main point of contact for media.

The Sambur group focuses on synthesizing nanomaterials and developing imaging techniques to understand structure/function relationships with the highest possible spatial and temporal resolution. The group aims to understand how single nanomaterials behave in working solar energy conversion and catalytic devices. Justin was an NSF ACC-F postdoctoral fellow at Cornell University in the laboratory of Dr. […]

Laura Smith is the Events Coordinator for the Energy Institute and works with leadership, researchers, staff, and students.

Members of the media seeking immediate assistance with a story about the work happening at the Energy Institute should contact Communications Specialist Joanna McWilliams

In May 2016, Alyssa graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.S. in Environmental Engineering where she worked as an Undergraduate Research Assistant on projects related to UV disinfection and ion exchange to treat drinking water and wastewater. Alyssa is a member of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society, and served as President […]

Sulaiman is a graduate student researcher in the Advanced Power Engineering Laboratory at Colorado State University where he is pursuing his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering.

Radi Alsulami is a PhD student in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Colorado State University under the advisement of Dr. Bret Windom. His research focuses on investigating the effect of atomization and evaporation processes – preferential vaporization for multicomponent fuels – as well as the physical and chemical properties of single and multicomponent liquid fuels on flame behavior and stability.

Annabelle is a PhD Candidate in Economics and Graduate Research Assistant for Extension’s State Energy Specialist. She conducts research pertaining to energy efficiency and renewable energy outreach and education throughout the state.

Diego Bestel is a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering working with Laser Diagnostics in Combustion under Dr. Bret Windom, and has experience working in engine testing and fuels.

Shelby is a Media & Communications Intern working under Joanna McWilliams. She assists with running the Energy Institute’s social media presence, blog, newsletter, and various other communications endeavors.

Fathalla Eldali is pursuing his Ph.D. at the Advanced Power Engineering Laboratory (APEL) at CSU. His main areas of interest are electric power systems, grid integration of renewable energy, and Demand Side Management.

Kyle is completing the second year of his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at CSU. He is a researcher for John Mizia in the Advanced Biomass Combustion Lab and is currently developing a low-firepower fecal dust combustor for sanitation applications in developing countries.

Achyut is a master’s student in Mechanical Engineering with the Interdisciplinary Thermal Science Lab at the Energy Institute. His current research is focused on waste heat recovery systems and efficiency improvement strategies for thermal power plants.

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System after Mercury. In English, Mars carries a name of the Roman god of war, and is… Wait, no. Wrong Mars. Mars is a prior Navy Sailor who enjoyed working on missile systems but did not enjoy back-to-back-to-back deployments. After […]

Michael is a second-year graduate student at Colorado State University in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a Student Ambassador for the Energy Institute. His current research focuses on engineering process modeling of microalgae-based biofuel production systems and corresponding sustainability analysis, including Life-Cycle Analysis and Techno-Economic Analysis. Additional research interests include other sources of renewable […]

Evan is a PhD student researching the sustainability of emerging technologies in agriculture, bioprocessing, and transportation.

Wendell is a first-year graduate student in the Systems Engineering Department at CSU. His current work focuses on analyzing Fort Collins’ electrical grid to identify areas that may be susceptible to power issues when distributed electricity generation is more widespread in the future.

Hailey is a PhD student researching sustainability of agriculture, bioprocessing and food-related systems through life cycle and economic analyses.

After Ethan graduated from nursing school and began working in healthcare, he never thought I would end up working alongside engineers and studying air pollution. His career path led him to pursue a Master’s degree in Public Health, where he joined the Volckens group and began studying the health effects of household air pollution from […]

Members of the media seeking immediate assistance with a story about the work happening at the Energy Institute should contact Communications Specialist Joanna McWilliams