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
May 3, 2022
April 26, 2022
Environmental justice, climate change, air pollution, and decisions in the U.S. power sector
Inês Azevedo, Associate Professor, Energy Resources Engineering, Stanford University
April 19, 2022
Confronting Climate Gridlock: Technologies to Unlock a Clean Energy Future
Dr. Daniel Cohan, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University
April 12, 2022
ESG and the future role of oil and gas in the global energy mix
- Castlen Kennedy, Vice President, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Apache Corporation
- Leslie Beyer, CEO, The Energy Workforce & Technology Council in Houston, Texas
April 5, 2022
Beyond the Plug: Volkswagen Group Innovation is looking at The Future of Energy Systems
William A. Paxton, Senior Scientist, Energy Storage, Innovation Center California, Volkswagen Group of America
Max Thum, Mechatronics Engineer, Innovation Center California, Volkswagen Group of America
March 29, 2022
Location, Location, Location: Deploying Batteries in the Right Time and Place for a Transitioning Grid
Caitlin Smith, Sr. Director, Regulatory, External Affairs and ESG, Jupiter Power
March 22, 2022
Resilient Distributed Energy Future
Javad Mohammadi, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
March 8, 2022
Gaslighted: How the Oil and Gas Industry Shortchanges Women Scientists
Christine Williams, Professor of Sociology and the Elsie and Stanley E. (Skinny) Adams, Sr. Centennial Professor in Liberal Arts, The University of Texas at Austin
March 1, 2022
The Future of Energy
Bruce Niemeyer, Vice President, Chevron Strategy and Sustainability
February 15, 2022
Exploring Inequities in Energy and Transportation Systems in the US and Mexico
Sergio Castellanos, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
February 8, 2022
Introduction to ISO New England and Resource Capacity Accreditation
Steven Otto, Economist, ISO New England
February 1, 2022
Integrating Massive Amounts of Wind and Solar in Electric Power Systems
Ben Kroposki, Director, Power Systems Engineering Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
January 25, 2022
Grid Modernization and Energy Storage at Sandia National Laboratories – Challenges, Priorities, and Key Projects
Charles Hanley, Senior Manager, Grid Modernization and Energy Storage Programs, Sandia National Laboratories
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