Katie Kloska is a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry, working in the Esser-Kahn group in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering. Her research is focused on reducing the dependence on traditional energy sources for engineered carbon capture systems by developing capture methods which use sunlight to regenerate sorbent. Kloska is passionate about the intersection of science, policy, and business to promote the buildout of climate technologies. She is currently a research intern at the U.S. Department of State, focusing on environmental cooperation in Free Trade Agreement countries. She previously worked as an associate at Helikon Consulting, performing technical due-diligence on climate and biotechnologies.
Kloska attended CERAWeek 2025 as a student delegate.
“Attending CERAWeek was a rare and exciting opportunity to speak directly with thought-leaders, innovative climate-tech startups, and students within the energy space,” she said. “Many climate technologies face uncertain pathways to scale, and CERAWeek highlighted both regulatory and technical challenges, as well as potential avenues to deployment. Many of the discussions highlighted the need for new market development to support products coming out of hydrogen and carbon capture. It also emphasized the role large corporations play in not just decarbonizing their own industries, but in scaling and commercializing nascent decarbonization technologies such as direct air capture (DAC), nuclear, and energy storage.
“I especially appreciated attending with the University of Chicago Institute for Climate
and Sustainable Growth, as it offered plenty of opportunities to connect offline with
students and leadership within the institute—informing my perspective on effectively
implementing energy systems in a warming climate.”