UT Energy Symposium
A weekly guest lecture series that is both free and open to the public and available for course credit.
In an effort to provide a multidisciplinary platform for UT faculty and students to interact on the most pressing energy issues facing our world, the Energy Institute sponsors the UT Energy Symposium (UTES), which entered its 28th semester in spring 2025.
The UTES serves as a “convener” for the campus community, uniting students interested in energy issues with faculty and others working on sustainable energy security. Students who register for the symposium receive one credit hour for the 15-week seminar course, which is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. The course is taught in both the fall and spring semesters.
Ongoing themes for UTES include climate change policy, innovation and diffusion of energy technologies, low-carbon technology options and status, and behavioral aspects of energy consumption.
Each UTES talk is recorded and posted on this page and on the Energy Institute YouTube channel.
Instructor: Carey King
Unique Number (Fall 2025): 65605 (graduate students) / 65310 (undergraduates)
Day & Time: Tuesday, 12:30 – 1:45 p.m.
If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact Christa Hopkins, who can be reached at 512-475-8447 or christa@energy.utexas.edu, no later than five (5) business days prior to the event.
UT Energy Symposium Talks
April 27, 2017
Redesigning Civilization: And Other Small Things
Matt Grocoff, Principal, THRIVE Collaborative
April 20, 2017
ExxonMobil 2017 Outlook for Energy: A View to 2040
Robert Gardner, Manager, Economics and Energy Division, Corporate Strategic Planning at ExxonMobil
April 13, 2017
The Evolving Utility Business Models – The Electric Cooperative Story
Peter Muhoro, Director of Energy Research and Strategies, Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC)
April 6, 2017
Mexican Energy Reform in a time of Insecurity
Lorne Matalon, UT Energy Journalism Fellow and reporter for National Public Radio in West Texas
March 30, 2017
Energy and the Anthropocene
David Biello, Science Curator at TED Conferences
March 23, 2017
U.S. & World Nuclear Energy
Dale Klein, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research for the UT System and Professor of Mechanical Engineering
March 9, 2017
The Geopolitics of Oil: Western Hemisphere Scenarios
Jorge Piñon, Director of UT Austin’s Latin America and Caribbean Energy Program
March 2, 2017
The Art of Doing Good Science: Experiences in Interdisciplinary Energy Research
Varun Rai, Associate Professor at the UT Austin LBJ School of Public Affairs
February 23, 2017
Building a smart grid through smart decision-making and smart organizations
Michael Legatt, CEO and Founder at ResilientGrid
February 16, 2017
Decoupling energy consumption from GDP under induced technological change
Eric Kemp-Benedict, Senior Scientist, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
February 2, 2017
Climate Change, Methane, and the Global Oil and Gas system
Daniel Zavala, post-doctoral-scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund
January 26, 2017
Beyond the Texas Restructured Electric Markets Giving Power and Value to Consumer Energy Resources
Jon Wellinghoff, Chief Policy Officer at SolarCity and former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (2009 – 2013)
May 3, 2012
Americans’ Vehicle and Travel Choices: Opportunities for Plug- In Vehicles in the Nation’s Fleet Evolution
Dr. Kara Kockelman, Professor & William J. Murray Jr. Fellow, Department of Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
April 26, 2012
The Future of Water in Texas, and What It Means for Energy
Thomas Mason, Former General Manager of the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) and currently with the law firm Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody
April 12, 2012
Taking Green Technologies from Innovation to the Market: A VC’s Perspective
Ashmeet Sidana, General Partner, Foundation Capital
April 5, 2012
California’s March Towards Sustainable Energy: Assessing the Record and Lessons for Future
Andrew McAllister, Managing Director, California Center for Sustainable Energy
March 29, 2012
Simulating Complex Systems: Applications to Energy
Dr. Charles Macal, Senior Systems Engineer, Argonne National Laboratory
March 22, 2012
The Energy Industry’s Media Triumphs and Disasters
Mark Fischetti, Energy and Environment Editor, Scientific American
March 8, 2012
National Oil Companies: Fueling Anxiety
Mark Thurber, Associate Director for Research, Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, Stanford
March 1, 2012
What the Characteristics of Wind and Solar Electric Power Production Mean for Their Future
Jay Apt, Professor of Technology, Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University
February 23, 2012
From Here to Eternity (and Beyond): Transforming to a Clean Energy Economy
David Crane, President and CEO, NRG Energy
February 16, 2012
Student Research Showcase
- Sudamsh Bai-Reddy, McCombs School of Business See PDF slides in a new window
- Benjamin Sigrin, Energy and Earth Resources and LBJ School of Public Affairs See PDF slides in a new window
- Dave Tuttle, Electrical and Computer Engineering See PDF slides in a new window
- Dan Weisberg, Pecan Street Inc. See PDF slides in a new window
February 8, 2012
Geopolitical Implications of Shale Gas
Amy Jaffe, Fellow in Energy Studies and Director of the Energy Forum, Baker Institute, Rice University
January 19, 2012
Utility of the Future
Roger Duncan, Research Analyst, Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy