This March, the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth sponsored its second cohort of students to attend the annual high-profile CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, Texas. The 17 students hailed from UChicago’s College, Booth School of Business, Harris School of Public Policy, and PhD programs, and were joined by seven scholars from across the University and several members of the Institute’s staff. During a full week of panels, presentations, discussions and more, the students, scholars and staff shared their knowledge and perspectives while learning from executives and experts at the cutting edge of the energy industry.
“During my week at CERAWeek, I was fully immersed in the world of energy,” said Sophia Li, Harris ‘26. “From Innovation Agora to executive meetings, from the Nexus exhibition floor to various company houses, every moment, every corner, and every person I encountered became a source of knowledge and meaningful connections.”
The students had plenty of interesting UChicago faculty talks to choose from at the conference. They heard from Energy Technologies Initiative (ETI) faculty Chibueze Amanchukwu on using AI to discover battery materials and Shrayesh Patel on engineering low-cost batteries, as well as from ETI Founding Faculty Director Shirley Meng on advanced battery materials with low-carbon intensity.
Climate Systems Engineering initiative (CSEi) scholar Pete Irvine presented on stratospheric aerosol injection, while CSEi Founding Faculty Director David Keith joined a panel on geoengineering policy.
Additionally, EPIC India’s Executive Director Kaushik Deb explored the trends shaping the energy transition in the Global South and Institute Founding Director Michael Greenstone discussed a practical path forward for global climate action.
Outside of faculty talks, each student set their own agenda, taking in the latest insights on nuclear, geothermal, clean hydrogen, and more. Between sessions, the delegates explored immersive installations from organizations including Aramco, GE Vernova, Honeywell and S&P Global Energy. At small-group Exchange Sessions, students exchanged ideas on a chosen topic with a mixed group of fellow CERAWeek attendees.
“It was one week packed of discussions on current trends in the industry which provided an excellent macro view of everything happening. It was like a crash course,” said Yukta Maheshwari, Harris ’27.
Leonardo Quai, College ’29, agreed. He said: “Attending CERAWeek allowed me to hear industry experts discuss how geopolitics remains the backbone of energy and commodity markets, especially amid energy security concerns and shifting trade flows that are shaping decision-making. Africa’s role as a strategic battleground for investment and partnerships in critical minerals proved to be another key theme, alongside the use of artificial intelligence as a co-pilot in commodity demand forecasting and supply chain flows. Moreover, speakers at the conference reinforced that sustainable growth depends on maintaining a stable and reliable energy grid. Reconnecting with familiar faces and building new relationships across the industry made this experience in Houston especially valuable.”
The cohort also kept the Institute’s Innovators Row booth busy with a full slate of scholar and student research presentations. Each of the presentations dove deep into a topic at the forefront of today’s energy conversation, including electric car racing, virtual power plants, nuclear energy policy, and more. The presenters drew a steady stream of spectators throughout their hour-long presentations, practicing their research presentation skills by fielding questions and comments from a wide range of industry experts.
“Attending CERAWeek as part of the UChicago student delegation pushed me out of my comfort zone, in ways both expected and unexpected,” said Rachel Suominen, Harris ’26. “Presenting on Innovator’s Row at CERAWeek was at first intimidating, but it unexpectedly became a highlight of the conference, providing an opportunity to engage with professionals across the energy industry. It was a rare chance to discuss analysis I’d done as a policy student with practitioners, and their questions gave me fruitful ideas for future analysis on nuclear energy’s position in clean energy legislation.”
In the evenings, UChicago students, scholars, alumni and other members of the University community gathered for dinners and networking receptions to connect, share insights, and reflect on their time at CERAWeek.
“CERAWeek was an incredibly rewarding experience for me,” said Richard Li, Booth ’27. “Over five days, the sessions and meetings covered a remarkable range of cutting-edge topics shaping today’s energy landscape…I was also fortunate to present my research on U.S. power market financing, which sparked thoughtful questions and led to meaningful conversations with industry professionals. It was an inspiring opportunity to learn, exchange ideas, and build connections.”