Twenty-seven University of Chicago undergraduate students completed an enriching summer of research and experiential learning as the inaugural class of Polsky Research Fellows. The fellows worked alongside UChicago faculty from departments across the University conducting unique climate and energy research projects. The program, sponsored by the Polsky Energy Transition Leadership Academy, is the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth’s first large-scale initiative providing full-time, paid research opportunities to UChicago undergraduates.
“I found it really interesting how interdisciplinary climate issues can be,” said Mel Xiao (’28) a mathematics major who worked as a fellow with Law Professor Hajin Kim investigating how ESG reports have changed over time. “The ESG project required knowledge of law, business, data science, and computer science. Overall, this experience reinforced my interest in pursuing an interdisciplinary career focused on climate solutions.”
Yorik Chuang (’28), a data science and political science double major, worked with Ecology & Evolution Professor Dakota McCoy. McCoy’s lab studies animals such as coral and anemones that gain energy from symbiotic relationships with photosynthetic algae, and how those relationships are disrupted by climate change-related stressors.
“I was able to model how geometry of coral skeletons are optimized to reflect light!” Chuang said. “This was very cool for me because it involved combining things I am learning for my degree with skills from my middle-school passion for game design and 3D modeling.”
The fellows also had the opportunity to get to know each other and the Institute through a series of lunch events. B.B. Cael, Assistant Professor of Geophysical Sciences, and Chibueze Amanchukwu, Neubauer Family Assistant Professor of Molecular Engineering, each presented on their research and academic journeys. Sophia Wennstedt, Assistant Director of Careers in Climate and Energy at the Office of Career Advancement, shared job hunting tips and career opportunities. Senior Instructional Professor Conor Carney gave information on the Institute’s new educational programs, including the new Climate and Sustainable Growth major.
Off campus, the cohort got insider access to exclusive industry spaces including the Aspen Ideas: Climate Chicago conference, The Plant, and Invenergy’s Grand Ridge Energy Center.
At The Plant, a Chicago small business incubator, the fellows learned about their efforts to create closed-loop food production. The fellows toured The Plant’s facilities, including their farms, and learned about the facility’s energy efficiency and waste reduction efforts.
In August, a group of fellows headed two hours southwest of campus for an in-depth tour of Invenergy’s Grand Ridge Energy Center. They toured solar and wind farms, learning about the site’s pollinator habitat projects and walking inside of an operational wind turbine.
At Aspen Ideas: Climate, the cohort attended panels with industry experts and networked with hundreds of climate leaders in downtown Chicago’s iconic Willis Tower. Yunah Chung (’28) called the conference an “incredibly inspiring experience.”
“Not only was I able to learn about the sustainable planning behind Chicago’s sports scene and the entrepreneurial thinking behind various product cycles, but I was also able to network with students and industry leaders that shared a passion for finding the intersection between technology and climate solutions,” Chung said.
Read bios, research topics, and reflections from each of our Polsky Research Fellows on the Polsky Research Fellows program homepage. For information on applications for our Summer 2026 cohort, join our student newsletter list.