Eight University of Houston graduate students were selected for the 2023-24 UH-Chevron Graduate Energy Fellowship Award for innovative energy-related research.
The fellowship is a partnership between University of Houston and Chevron that empowers future leaders and innovators in the energy industry. The program supports Ph.D. students whose research focuses on scalable innovations for transformational impact on the energy industry.
The full list of the 2023 UH-Chevron Fellowsis below (major and faculty advisor in parentheses):
Kripa Adhikari (Civil Engineering; Advisor – Dr. Kalyana Babu Nakshatrala)
Aparajita Datta (Political Science; Advisor – Dr. Tanika Raychaudhuri)
Chirag Goel (Materials Science and Engineering; Advisor – Dr. Venkat Selvamanickam)
Meghana Idamakanti (Chemical Engineering; Advisor – Dr. Praveen Bollini)
Erin Picton (Environmental Engineering; Advisor – Dr. Devin Shaffer)
Mohamad Sarhan (Petroleum Engineering; Advisor – Dr. Lori Hathon)
Swapnil Sharma (Chemical Engineering; Advisor – Dr. Vemuri Balakkotaiah)
Larkin Spires (Geophysics; Advisor – Dr. John Castagna)
To commemorate the occasion, UH Energy welcomed the students, their faculty mentors, Chevron executives and academics for a reception recognizing the fellows. The event provided networking opportunities insights into the broad range of research projects at UH, a Carnegie-designated Tier One Research University.
Funded by Chevron, the program supports graduate students’ research efforts through a one-year, $12,000 fellowship which includes mentoring by faculty experts and the opportunity to engage with subject matter experts at Chevron.
“Chevron has been an incredible partner to bring these opportunities to UH Energy,” Ramanan Krishnamoorti, Vice President of Energy and Innovation at UH said. “We wanted to showcase the students doing work in the energy space and to find a way to reward them.”
Chevron Technology Ventures President Jim Gable said it was paramount to engage the future problem solvers of industry.
“We love that Chevron is sponsoring this group of fellows because it’s a fantastic way for us to get involved with the students who are working on some of the biggest problems we’ll face in society,” he said. “Working with graduate research programs like this, is a great way for Chevron to partner on how to get these great ideas to the size and scale that we need.”
Datta, a Ph.D. candidate in political science, presented on the distributional impact of state climate policies on energy burden from 2010-2019. She hopes to use the award to continue investigating the effects of energy transition on vulnerable communities.
“I am honored to be a recipient of the 2023-2024 Chevron Fellowship. It is incredibly encouraging to be recognized for my research,” said Datta. “I hope my research can contribute to advancing the scholarship on energy equity and climate justice and that I can carry all that I have learned at UH to my classroom.”
Goel concurred with Datta, calling the honor a humbling validation of the students’ unwavering dedication toward innovating within and enhancing the energy industry.
“The feeling of receiving this prestigious award can be described as a blend of excitement, validation, and responsibility,” he said. “First and foremost, it brings an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment. This validation not only boosts our confidence but also fuels our motivation to continue pushing the boundaries of our field. [Winning the award] is not only a celebration of past achievements but also a catalyst for future endeavors that make a positive difference in the world.”