Energy Experts

From biofuels to batteries, UW–Madison has a wealth of expertise in energy. The researchers working in energy at UW–Madison are generating the knowledge and clean technologies that will accelerate a transition to sustainable, resilient, and affordable energy systems. This resource connects you to UW–Madison faculty conducting research in all areas of energy. If you are a UW–Madison faculty member working in energy and would like to be added to this list, please email communications@energy.wisc.edu

For specific media requests, please contact Mary Blanchard.

Name/Email Title/Department Research Interests

Paul Block

paul.block@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Associate Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Methods, models, and tools for managing climate variability and change
  • Hydrologic forecasting and integration into decision models
  • Addressing water quality and quantity extremes
  • Hydro-economics and policy mechanisms
  • Risk, reliability, and uncertainty
  • Sustainable approaches

Paul Evans

pgevans@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Materials Science & Engineering
College of Engineering

  • X-ray diffraction
  • Microscopy
  • Optics
  • X-ray probes for ultrafast dynamics
  • Micro-and-nanoscale properties of magnetic materials
  • Magnetism
  • Domains and switching in ferroelectric materials
  • Surfaces and interfaces of organic and inorganic materials
  • Epitaxial crystallization processes in oxide thin films and nanostructures

Paul Kelleher

paul.kelleher@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Associate Professor of Medical History and Bioethics, Philosophy
School of Medicine & Public Health

  • Ethical and philosophical aspects of climate change policy
  • Ethics and economics of pricing carbon dioxide emissions
  • Health and environmental policy

Paul P.H. Wilson

paul.wilson@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Grainger Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Chair of Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics
College of Engineering

  • Monte Carlo methods
  • Nuclear fuel cycles
  • Energy policy
  • Proliferation analysis
  • Transmutation/depletion/activation

Peter Carstensen

peter.carstensen@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor Emeritus of Law
University of Wisconsin Law School

  • Relation of competition policy and law to regulated industries
  • Relationship between antitrust law and regulation
  • Buyer power issues
  • The operation and regulation of markets for agricultural commodities

Philip Romero

promero2@wisc.edu

Affiliate

Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Protein engineering
  • Computational modeling and machine learning
  • Automated and high-throughput technologies

R. William Provencher

bill.provencher@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Agricultural & Applied Economics
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Environmental and resource economics
  • Demand-side management of energy
  • Valuation of ecosystem services
  • Socio-ecological interactions
  • Dynamic allocation of resources

Randy Jackson

rdjackson@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Campbell-Bascom Professor of Grassland Ecology
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Structure and function of managed, semi-natural, and natural grassland ecosystems
  • Landscape-level nutrient exchange
  • Ecosystem-level carbon and nutrient cycling
  • Plant community responses to disturbances

Rebecca Larson

rebecca.larson@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Associate Professor of Environmental Studies
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies

  • Biological waste
  • Manure management
  • Handling and treatment of agricultural and food processing waste
  • Land application of various waste streams
  • Waste-to-energy technologies

Rebecca Smith

rasmith29@wisc.edu

Investigator

Scientist
Wisconsin Energy Institute

  • Lignin biosynthesis, structure, chemistry, and reactions
  • Lignocellulosics bioprocessing
  • Development of synthetic methods for biosynthetic products

Reid Van Lehn

vanlehn@wisc.edu

Affiliate

Hunt-Hougen Associate Professor
College of Engineering

  • Molecular simulation
  • Machine learning
  • Solvent effects
  • Nano-bio interactions
  • Engineering nanomaterials and soft materials
  • Multiscale modeling

Richard Amasino

amasino@biochem.wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Biochemistry
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Plant genetics
  • Plant flowering
  • Vernalization 
  • Arabidopsis thaliana
  • Brachypodium distachyon

Richard Lindroth

richard.lindroth@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Vilas Distinguished Achievement and Douglas D. Sorenson Professor of Entomology
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Genetic and environmental factors influencing poplar production
  • Plant chemistry
  • Sustainable forestry

Rob Anex

anex@wisc.edu

Investigator

Professor of Biological Systems Engineering
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Carbon Direct Removal and Decarbonization
  • Biological systems analysis and assessment
  • Life cycle assessment
  • Techno-economic analysis

Robert J. Hamers

rjhamers@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Wisconsin Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Steenbock Professor of Physical Science
College of Letters & Sciences

  • Chemistry, photochemistry, electronic properties, and atomic-level structure of semiconductor surfaces and interfaces
  • Chemical transformations and environmental impact of nanomaterials
  • Development and implementation of novel analytical probes and characterization tools for in situ chemical analysis at surfaces and interfaces
  • Electrochemical energy storage

Robert Landick

landick@bact.wisc.edu

Investigator

Dr. Laurens Anderson Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, Faculty Affiliate for Bacteriology
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Regulation of transcript elongation in bacteria and humans
  • Genetic analysis of RNA polymerase
  • RNA polymerase structure and function
  • Regulation of Bacterial RNAP
  • Transcriptional Regulation in vivo

Robert Lasseter

rhlasseter@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor Emeritus of Electrical & Computer Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Distributed resources
  • Restructuring of electrical power system
  • Application of power electronics to utility systems
  • Simulation methods
  • Power electronic circuits and control
  • HVDC, SVC, FACTS and custom power applications

Rolf Reitz

reitz@engr.wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Combustion, gas dynamics
  • Spray motion and formation
  • Hydrocarbon kinetics
  • Engine fluid dynamics
  • Computer modeling

Sage Kokjohn

kokjohn@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering

  • High efficiency energy conversion
  • Thermodynamics and fluid mechanics
  • Turbulent combustion modelling

Sara Patterson

spatters@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor Emerita of Horticulture
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Developmental and genetic characterization of the abscission process and senescence in plants
  • Role and value of school and community gardens

Sarah Johnston

sarah.johnston@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Assistant Professor of Agriculture and Applied Economics
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Industrial organization
  • Energy and environmental economics
  • Renewable energy subsidies

Scott Williams

spwilliams@wisc.edu

Investigator

Research and Education Coordinator
Wisconsin Energy Institute

  • Collegiate energy education
  • Energy career opportunities
  • Energy policy and regulation
  • Wind energy training

Sebastian Bednarek

sybednar@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Biochemistry
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Plant cell biology
  • Intracellular protein trafficking
  • Membrane biogenesis
  • Plant cell cytokinesis

Shannon Stahl

stahl@chem.wisc.edu

Investigator

Professor of Chemistry, Steenbock Professor of Chemical Sciences
College of Letters & Sciences

  • Catalysis (homogeneous, heterogeneous, and electrochemical)
  • Fuel cells and flow batteries
  • Hydrocarbon and biomass conversion and upgrading
  • Selective oxidation
  • Electrochemical energy storage and conversion
  • Green chemistry

Shawn Kaeppler

smkaeppl@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Seed development and composition
  • genetic and genomic analysis
  • Lignocellulosic biofuel
  • Abiotic stress tolerance
  • Epigenetics

Sheldon (Xiaodong) Du

xdu23@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Associate Professor of Agriculture & Applied Economics
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Economics of energy
  • Commodity markets
  • Economics of agriculture
  • Applied econometrics

Siddarth Krishna

krishna3@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Assistant Professor of Chemical & Biological Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Renewable fuels and chemicals
  • Metabolic engineering/synthetic biology
  • Sustainable catalytic technologies
  • Kinetics and mechanisms

Song Jin

jin@chem.wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Chemistry
College of Letters & Sciences

  • Solar energy conversion 
  • Energy storage
  • Nanomaterials
  • Renewable Energy applications

Steph Tai

tai2@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Law
University of Wisconsin Law School

  • Judicial decision-making about environmental and energy regulation
  • Development of private systems for environmental governance

Stephanie Diem

sjdiem@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Assistant Professor of Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics
College of Engineering

  • fusion energy
  • experimental plasma physics
  • microwave heating of plasmas
  • magnetically confined plasmas
  • electron Bernstein wave heating