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

Gregg Sanford

gsanford@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Associate Scientist, Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Sustainable intensification in agriculture
  • Ecosystem services
  • Perennial systems
  • Organic and conventional cropping systems

Greg Nellis

gfnellis@engr.wisc.edu

Energy Expert

William A. and Irene Ouweneel-Bascom Professor of Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Thermodynamics
  • Heat Transfer
  • Heat Exchangers
  • Refrigeration and Power Cycles

Grace Bulltail

bulltail@wisc.edu

Investigator

Assistant Professor
Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies

  • water resource engineering
  • natural resource management
  • nexus of water, energy, and land use
  • environmental justice in Indigenous communities

Giri Venkataramanan

giri@engr.wisc.edu

Investigator

Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Applications of power electronics in building lighting, climate conditioning, industrial motor control, electric generation, transmission and distribution and transportation systems
  • Renewable power generation systems such as wind power, solar power and geothermal power
  • Operation and control of microgrids and smart grids in distributed generation, energy storage, combined heat and power, electric, hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle

Gerald Kulcinski

glkulcin@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Grainger Professor of Nuclear Engineering-Emeritus; Director Emeritus, Fusion Technology Institute
College of Engineering

  • Magnetic/inertial fusion reactor systems studies
  • Radiation damage and nuclear materials
  • Near term applications of fusion energy
  • Lunar mining of helium-3
     

George Huber

gwhuber@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Chemical & Biological Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Renewable energy
  • Biofuels and biochemicals
  • Heterogeneous catalysis
  • Pyrolysis
  • Zeolites
  • Conceptual process design

Garret Suen

gsuen@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Associate Professor of Bacteriology
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Herbivore-associated Microbial Ecology
  • Rumen Microbiology
  • Metagenomics
  • Biofuels

Franklin Miller

fkmiller@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Cryogenics
  • Thermodynamics of Superfluid 3He-4He mixtures
  • Sub-Kelvin cooling for space science
  • Energy systems

Fnu Nuoendagula

nuoendagula@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Assistant Scientist
Wisconsin Energy Institute

  • Lignin/ Plant cell wall biosynthesis
  • Development of synthetic methods for biofuels and bioproducts
  • Lignocellulosics bioprocessing

Fang Liu

fang.liu3@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Assistant Professor in Materials Science and Engineering
College of Engineering

• Energy storage technology
• Batteries for transportation and power grid
• High-throughput experimentation
• Ion intercalation and separation
• CO2 capture and conversion

Eric Kazyak

kazyak@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Wisconsin Energy Institute

  • Beyond Lithium Batteries
  • Advanced Characterization and Imaging of Batteries
  • Electrolysis and Catalysis
  • Solid-state Batteries
  • Metal Electrodes
  • Interfacial Coatings
  • Battery Safety and Abuse

Eric Booth

egbooth@wisc.edu

Investigator

Associate Scientist
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

Water quality

Impacts of climate and land-use change

Urban stormwater management

Wetland/stream restoration

Elizabeth Wright

erwright2@wisc.edu

Affiliate

Henry Lardy Professor of Biochemistry and Morgridge Institute for Research
College of Letters & Sciences

  • Cryo-EM
  • Development of antimicrobials, therapeutics, and vaccines
  • Advanced light and electron microscopy imaging

Douglas Reindl

dreindl@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Industrial refrigeration systems and technology
  • Refrigeration optimization and process improvement
  • Building energy systems
  • Thermal energy storage systems
  • Renewable energy systems

Doug Reinemann

doug.reinemann@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Biological Systems Engineering
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Renewable energy technology and policy
  • Sustainable development of bioenergy systems
  • Rural energy issues
  • Effects of the electrical environment on farm animals

Dominique Brossard

dbrossard@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor & Chair of Life Sciences Communication
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Public opinion, new media, and the perception of risks and benefits surrounding controversial science and technology
  • The role of values in shaping public attitudes
  • Cross-cultural analysis

Dominic Gross

dominic.gross@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Control of microgrids and power systems dominated by power electronics
  • Grid-forming control of converter-interfaced renewable generation and energy storage devices
  • Grid-forming control of power converters subject to constraints
  • Distributed control and optimization of complex networked systems

Dietram A. Scheufele

scheufele@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Taylor-Bascom Chair & Director of Undergraduate Studies, Life Sciences Communication
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Social media
  • Media
  • Public opinion
  • Science communication
  • Science policy

David Rothamer

rothamer@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Laser based diagnostics
  • Internal combustion engines
  • Soot formation
  • Influence of fuel properties on combustion

David L. Weimer

weimer@lafollette.wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Edwin E. Witte Professor of Political Economy, Political Science, and Public Affairs
College of Letters & Sciences

  • Energy Policy
  • Strategic Petroleum Reserves
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis

Dave Foster

defoster@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Phil and Jean Myers Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Thermodynamics
  • Heat transfer
  • Fluid mechanics
  • Internal combustion engines
  • Combustion kinetics
  • Emission formation

Darcy Padilla

darcy.padilla@wisc.edu

Affiliate

Associate Professor of Art
School of Education

Dante Fratta

fratta@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Associate Professor of Geological Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Fundamental physical behavior of soils and rocks
  • Assessment of the near-surface underground using non-invasive tomographic studies (geotomography)
  • On-shore and off-shore near surface geophysics
  • Evaluation of electrowetting phenomenon for surface tension changes in quaternary oil recovery
  • Instrumenting and monitoring wind turbine foundation responses under cyclic loading
  • Use of distributed fiber optic sensor arrays for imaging and characterizing low and high-temperature geothermal fields

Daniel Wright

danielb.wright@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Satellite and ground-based rainfall remote sensing
  • Rainfall and flood processes at urban and regional scales
  • Computationally-intensive simulation for probabilistic natural hazards risk assessment
  • Statistical and stochastic hydrology
  • Modernization of stormwater and flood management theory and practice
  • Climate, weather, land use, and other impacts on floods and other hydrologic phenomena

Daniel J. Vimont

dvimont@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
College of Letters & Sciences

  • Climate science
  • Climate variations
  • Climate change impacts in Wisconsin

Daniel Amador-Noguez

amadornoguez@wisc.edu

Affiliate

Associate Professor of Bacteriology
College of Agricultural & Life Sciences

  • Metabolomics and metabolic regulation in biofuel producing bacteria
  • Bacterial biofilms
  • Human gut microbiome

Dane Morgan

ddmorgan@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

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

  • Computational materials science for materials design
  • Ab initio electronic structure methods and multiscale techniques for large time/length scales and thermokinetics
  • Ab initio based modeling of electrochemical systems and processes
  • Nuclear materials
  • Battery and fuel cell electrodes
  • Earth mantle materials
  • Electronic materials

Dan Noguera

noguera@engr.wisc.edu

Investigator

Wisconsin Distinguished Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Environmental engineering
  • Bioenergy
  • Biotechnology
  • Microbial ecology
  • Biological nutrient removal
  • Bioinformatics
  • Biodegradation pathways
  • Anaerobic digestion

Dan Ludois

ludois@wisc.edu

Investigator

Jean van Bladel Associate Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Power electronics
  • Electric machines
  • Wireless power transfer
  • Sustainable engineering technologies and practices

Dan Klingenberg

dan.klingenberg@wisc.edu

Energy Expert

Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering
College of Engineering

  • Colloid science
  • Suspension rheology
  • Electromagnetic phenomena in materials
  • multiphase flow
  • Experimental rheology of fiber suspensions
  • Simulation of Brownian electro- and magnetorheological suspensions
  • Simulation of fiber suspensions