Aliza Khurram is a postdoctoral associate at the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS) at MIT. She received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 2020, her S.M. in the same field from MIT in 2017, and her B.S. in Physics and Mathematics from Bates College in 2015. Her research is geared towards devising infrastructure development strategies for hydrogen-fueled mobility services and understanding the costs and benefits of distributed vs. centralized energy storage systems.

Contact: akhurram at mit dot edu

Christine Gschwendtner is a postdoctoral associate at the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS), focusing on the spatial-temporal heterogeneity of human-technology interactions. She is particularly interested in the intersection of the energy, mobility, and building sectors in the context of climate change and digitalization. She is currently working on demand-side management solutions for increasing electrification and decarbonization across sectors. Her interdisciplinary research connects engineering, data science, urban design, and social science, using a variety of methods, e.g., agent-based modeling, geospatial data analyses, choice experiments, surveys, and interviews. Before joining MIT, she was a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University and received her PhD from ETH Zurich in sustainable energy systems. She holds a Master of Science in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from the Technical University of Munich with an academic year abroad at the Engineering Department of the University of Cambridge.

Contact: cgschwen at mit dot edu

Shantanu T. Chakraborty is a postdoctoral associate at the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS) and the Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS). His research focuses on macro-scale modeling of integrated energy systems through the lens of Modern Optimization, Machine Learning, and Risk Analysis to address the complexity of the energy transition. A former Marie Skłodowska-Curie Early-Stage Researcher, Shantanu earned his Ph.D. in Engineering and Economics of Power Systems from the Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands). During his doctoral term, he also undertook research visits at the Politechnico di Torino (Italy) and EnergyVille (Belgium). Shantanu holds a M.Sc. in Energy Science, Technology, and Policy with a specialization in Power Systems Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Beyond academia, Shantanu accrued industrial experience across the energy supply chain. At Bloom Energy, he honed his skills in predictive maintenance of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells as an Advanced Process Control Engineer. As an Energy Data Scientist at Tendril Networks, he leveraged advanced statistical analysis to devise tailored energy efficiency recommendations to utility customers in the US and Japan. In his capacity as a Managing Consultant at Guidehouse Consulting, he led the organization’s Hydrogen Research Service, and was instrumental in supporting key initiatives including the European Hydrogen Backbone.

Contact: shan2312 at mit dot edu

Farhad Angizeh is a postdoctoral associate at the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society (IDSS). His research interests include energy systems planning and operation, distributed and renewable energy sources modeling and integration, and demand-side management and load flexibility. He is also researching the electrification of transportation and other energy services, the integration of renewables, and demand flexibility in power systems. He received his Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Rutgers University, and prior to that, he earned his M.Sc. in Energy Systems Engineering from the Sharif University of Technology and his B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic). His works were recognized by the Best Paper Award of the IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) Innovative Smart Grid Technologies (ISGT) Conference in 2021.

Contact: angizeh at mit dot edu