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

Joshua Coon

jcoon@chem.wisc.edu

Affiliate

Professor of Biomolecular Chemistry & Chemistry
College of Letters & Sciences

  • Chemical instrumentation including ETD, dissociation, ion/ion reactions. PRM, and theory
  • Informatics including molecular identification, quantitation, and data visualization
  • Proteomic and metabolomic technologies

Josh Arnold

josh.arnold@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Campus Energy Advisor
Office of Sustainability

  • Energy analysis and policy
  • Energy conservation
  • Energy efficiency
  • Renewable energy projects
  • Stakeholder engagement and market development

Jordan R. Schmidt

schmidt@chem.wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Chemistry
College of Letters & Sciences

  • Next Generation Ab Initio Force Field Development
  • Microkinetic Modeling
  • Metal Organic Framework Nucleation and Crystallization
  • Nano-porous materials for flue gas separation

Jonathan Patz

patz@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Director, Global Health Institute
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies

  • Health effects of climate change
  • Global health

John Ralph

jralph@wisc.edu

Investigator

Professor of Biochemistry, Faculty Affiliate for Biological Systems Engineering
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

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

John Pfotenhauer

pfot@engr.wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Low temperature refrigeration
  • Cryogenics
  • Applied superconductivity

John Nelson

jsnelson4@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Adjunct Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Production, conversion, and consumption of energy and fuels
  • Lean facility delivery
  • Sustainable system analysis & deployment
  • Organizational value clarity

John Markley

markley@biochem.wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Steenbock Professor of Biomolecular Structure & Biochemistry
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Metabolomics
  • Macromolecular structure
  • Redox active proteins

John F. Berry

berry@chem.wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Chemistry
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Coordination chemistry
  • Catalysis 
  • Electronic structure
  • Metal-metal bonding

John C. Wright

wright@chem.wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Andreas C. Albrecht Professor of Chemistry
College of Letters & Sciences

  • Analysis of nanomaterials using imaging and photoluminescence
  • Analysis of ultrafast quantum dot dynamics
  • Femtosecond and picosecond laser systems
  • Spectroelectrochemistry
  • Spectroscopy of biologically relevant metal centers

John Booske

jhbooske@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Duane H. and Dorothy M. Bluemke & Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Plasmas, metamaterials, metasurfaces and media that have a strong interaction with electromagnetic radiation
  • Electromagnetic field effects
  • Microwave vacuum electronics
  • Innovative teaching and learning methods and instructional space design

Joel Rogers

jrogers@cows.org

Energy Expert

Sewell-Bascom Professor of Law, Political Science, Public Affairs, and Sociology
University of Wisconsin Law School

  • Public policy
  • Administrative law
  • Cities and development

Jim Luedtke

jrluedt1@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Harvey D. Spangler Faculty Scholar of Industrial and Systems Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Stochastic optimization, especially optimization with risk constraints
  • Mixed integer optimization, linear and nonlinear
  • Applications of optimization

Jennifer Franck

jafranck@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Affiliate Appointment in Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics & Civil and Environmental Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Computational fluid dynamics
  • Unsteady fluid mechanics
  • Turbulent flows
  • Wind and tidal energy
  • Aerodynamics
  • Flow control
  • Propulsion
  • Fluid-structure interaction

Jean-Michel Ané

jeanmichel.ane@wisc.edu

Affiliate

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

  • Plant–microbe symbioses
  • Signaling pathways
  • Plant symbiotic genes
  • Techniques to characterize the metabolome, proteome and phosphoproteome
  • Development of tools for metabolite and peptide imaging in plant cells 

Jason Peters

jason.peters@wisc.edu

Affiliate

Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
School of Pharmacy

  • CRISPR technology in bacteria
  • CRISPR interference (CRISPRi)

Jason Kawasaki

jkawasaki@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Harvey D. Spangler Assistant Professor of Materials Science & Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Heteroepitaxy of Heusler and intermetallic thin films
  • Thermoelectrics
  • Topological insulators
  • Engineering electronic and magnetic properties via strain and quantum confinement
  • Molecular beam epitaxy
  • Scanning tunneling microscopy
  • Photoemission spectroscopy

James Tinjum

jmtinjum@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Environmental geotechnics including waste containment systems
  • Energy geotechnics including heat transfer in geothermal systems and buried power cables
  • Thermal and transportation geotechnics
  • Characterization of geosynthetic materials
  • Containment, stabilization, and remediation of contaminated waste
  • Beneficial reuse of industrial byproducts
  • Siting and environmental constraints with offshore wind

James LaGro

jalagro@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Planning & Landscape Architecture
College of Letters & Sciences

  • Sustainable cities
  • Water resources
  • Infrastructure siting
  • Land use and landscape ecology
  • Green infrastructure

James Dumesic

jdumesic@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Ernest Micek Distinguished Chair and Michel Boudart Professor of Chemical & Biological Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Kinetics and catalysis
  • Surface and solid-state chemistry
  • In situ catalyst studies

Jaal Ghandhi

jaal.ghandhi@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

John Bollinger Chair of Mechanical Engineering & Grainger Professor of Sustainable Energy
College of Engineering

  • Combustion and fluid mechanics or internal combustion engines 
  • Laser-based diagnostics

Izabela Szlufarska

szlufarska@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Harvey D. Spangler Professor of Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Computational materials science
  • Mechanical behavior at the nanoscale
  • Defect behavior in semiconductors and insulators under irradiation
  • Solid/liquid interfaces
  • Nucleation and kinetics of medium range order in bulk metallic glasses

Ive Hermans

hermans@chem.wisc.edu

Investigator

John and Dorothy Vozza Professor of Chemistry
College of Engineering, College of Letters & Sciences

  • Synthesis of heterogeneous catalysts
  • Immobilization of homogeneous catalysts
  • Catalytic and kinetic studies
  • Unravelling of reaction mechanisms
  • (In situ) spectroscopy (Infrared, Raman, UV-Vis)
  • Reactions in supercritical fluids and expanded liquid phases
  • Use of renewable resources
  • Quantum-chemical and theoretical kinetic calculations
  • Reaction engineering
  • High-pressure reaction technology

Ian Coxhead

ian.coxhead@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor and Department Chair of Agriculture & Applied Economics
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Economics of development
  • Effects of globalization and global market shocks on production, employment, wages and household income, and welfare
  • Impacts and incidence of domestic policies on growth, trade and environment
  • Economies of East and Southeast Asia

Hoon Kim

hoonkim@wisc.edu

Affiliate

Research Chemist at USDA Forest Products Laboratory

  • Lignin/plant cell wall chemistry
  • Lignin models/natural compounds synthesis
  • Artificial lignin (dehydrogenation polymer or DHP) synthesis
  • Plant cell wall structural analysis
  • Solution-state 2D NMR
  • Plant cell wall polymerization and lignification

Hongrui Jiang

hongrui@engr.wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering
College of Engineering

  • MicroElectroMechanical System
  • Microsensors and microactuators
  • BioMEMS and micro-optics
  • Microfluidics
  • Lab on chips
  • Biomimetics and bioinspiration

Holly Gibbs

hkgibbs@wisc.edu

Affiliate

Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies

  • Agricultural expansion in U.S., Brazil, and globally
  • Tropical deforestation
  • Conservation, agriculture, and energy policy
  • Impact evaluation
  • Environmental sustainability

Heidi Kaeppler

hfkaeppl@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

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

  • Genetic engineering and gene-editing of crops for genomics/epigenomics research and genetic improvement
  • Enhancement of bioenergy-related traits

Gregory Nemet

nemet@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Public Affairs
La Follette School of Public Affairs

  • Energy, climate, and science & technology policy
  • Innovation
  • Low-carbon energy systems
  • Negative emissions
  • Research & development
  • Learning by doing

Gregory Moses

gregory.moses@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Spangler Professor Emeritus of Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics
College of Engineering

  • Nuclear reactor physics
  • Computational engr.
  • Radiation hydrodynamics
  • Technology enhanced learning
  • Fusion reactor design