2025 Clean Economy Bridge Research Program: Meet The Cohort

We are proud to introduce the pilot cohort of the Clean Economy Bridge Research Program, a joint initiative by Student Energy and adelphi that brings together young leaders from Canada, the United States, and Germany.

From August to December 2025, these 15 outstanding participants will collaborate on policy-relevant research at the forefront of the clean energy transition. Their work will focus on key themes including AI applications, energy, sustainable agriculture, climate policy, and transatlantic cooperation in clean energy systems.

This pilot program equips participants with mentorship, learning modules, and expert insights, empowering them to generate impactful research and foster stronger ties across borders.

We are excited to share the diverse experiences and perspectives of this year’s cohort. These young leaders are driving change and shaping the future of the clean economy.

Let’s meet the cohort!

Chisom Ogbogu

Chisom Ogbogu is a graduate student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University Africa, with a focus on Energy Systems and Intelligent Physical Systems. His work explores how advanced technologies and materials science can optimize clean energy solutions for Sub-Saharan Africa.

As a Research Assistant at the Grid Automation Development (GrAD) Lab, he investigates power systems integration, renewable energy dispatch, and smart grid applications. Chisom has authored five Q1 journal papers addressing energy sustainability. He also leads student-driven sustainability initiatives as Vice President, Co-Chair of the Student Energy Chapter, and Chair of the IEEE MTT-S/ComSoc Student Chapter.

Andrea Perucca

Andrea have recently completed an M.A. in Political Economy of European Integration, focusing on energy cooperation between the EU and neighbourhood countries. His research studies gave him the opportunity to understand the complexity and the variety of questions beyond energy, embracing sustainability in a broad sense – including social issues, securitization processes, and industrial development.

Next to his educational pathway, Andrea also has experience as a public policy consultant, having supported national senior civil servants together with European ones, mostly from the European Commission, over a two-year period. His interests expand to political cooperation and governance management.

Yuuki Garcia

Yuuki is a dual-Master’s student studying Environment and Sustainability and Public Policy at the University of Michigan. This past Summer, he worked at the Institute for Social and Environmental Research – Nepal and conducted data analysis on migration and conflict trends while contributing to the institute’s policy engagement strategy. He is interested in the intersection of environment and conflict and is experienced in quantitative and qualitative research, as well as stakeholder engagement. In his free time, Yuuki enjoys rock climbing and spending time with the people he loves.

Evan Park

Evan Park is a fifth-year Chemical Engineering and AI student at Western University. He is an active 21-year-old who enjoys a wide range of sports, including tennis, ultimate frisbee, and rock climbing. Evan has a passion for travel, having visited over 20 countries, and he also enjoy playing cards and creating crosswords. Over the past two years, Evan has worked in the energy industry, focusing on GIS renewable energy development across North America and energy optimization at hospitals across Canada.

Selina Shibata

Selina is a German, Japanese, and Belgian student currently studying at the University of Warwick. Her academic and professional experience has centered around policy-focused research and social impact consulting, addressing issues such as energy efficiency, carbon emissions, gender equality, digital strategy, and market research to support a company’s expansion into the EU insurance sector. Selina brings strong qualitative and analytical skills, with proficiency in Python, R and STATA, as well as fluency in English, Japanese, and French. Her goal is to contribute to research that drives impactful policy changes at the national or international level.

Sanchita Sannigrahi

Sanchita Sannigrahi is an emerging clean energy professional with a multidisciplinary background in economics, sustainability, and policy. She has contributed to the climate and energy sector through roles in life cycle assessment, market research, and policy analysis with organizations such as TYCROP Manufacturing, Waterfall Advisors Group, Student Energy, and C40 Cities.

Passionate about accelerating the clean energy transition, Sanchita focuses on the role of innovative policy, market mechanisms, and international collaboration in advancing equitable climate solutions. She brings a data-driven, systems-level perspective and is committed to youth leadership and impactful, cross-border climate action.

Lydia Estreed

Lydia is a Program Manager at Voltus. Her work is focused on expanding our residential demand response program and getting more electrified resources in the home supporting the grid.

Lydia recently graduated from the University of Toronto studying Political Science where she focused her studies on environmental and innovation policy.

Raian Zaman

Raian Zaman is  from Toronto, Canada, and is obsessed with Canada’s energy sector. He is currently a 3rd-year finance and marketing student at Toronto Metropolitan University. Raian did his first internship in Alberta in the energy sector, and that’s where his passion for energy was born. He enjoys and appreciates every aspect of the energy sector, especially when it comes to renewable energy in Canada’s Indigenous communities and rural areas.

Raian is looking forward to increasing his knowledge and skills in energy research and making meaningful connections in this field.

Annabelle Liao

Annabelle (she/her) is one of Canada’s Top 25 Under 25 Environmentalists and recent grad of the BSc Global Resource Systems program at UBC. After completing an Impact Analyst internship at Vancity on the Climate Strategy and Performance team, she joined Foresight Canada, Canada’s largest cleantech accelerator. As a Research Analyst on the Technology Adoption team, she maps sectoral ecosystems and identifies market-ready innovation that meets industry climate targets. Part of the Taiwanese diaspora, much of her global climate activism at the UN climate change conferences COP28 and 29 is informed by and for large ocean territories and island communities.

Arjun Singh Gill

 Arjan is a MSc Candidate in Development Management and Political Economy at the London School of Economics. He has a background in international development, law, and climate policy, by obtaining his LLB at the LSE, working as a Research Assistant at the Phelan Centre, and currently acting as a Project Manager at Osman Consulting. He’s from Canada, but currently reside in the UK, and grew up across China, India, and Singapore.

Arjun looks forward to meeting the Clean Economy Bridge Research cohort, and working with fellow participants, researchers, and mentors across Canada, the USA, and Germany.

Evelyn Fahlen

Evelyn recently graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Environment and Sustainability Sciences and minor in Business. She is currently a Project Origination Intern at Orenda Power, conducting due diligence for battery energy storage system sites that will help integrate renewable energy sources and strengthen the resilience of the electrical grid. She is also currently pursuing her MA in Climate and Society at Columbia university to to gain expertise in energy policy, and understand how regulatory advancements can accelerate climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Ihotu Idoko

Ihotu Idoko is a data analyst and economic researcher with a passion for using technology and policy to drive equitable global development. I hold a Master of Science in Economics from Texas A&M University and have applied my skills across research projects, from market research on renewable energy investments to modeling AI-driven healthcare interventions. 

Originally from Nigeria and currently based in the U.S., Ihotu brings a cross-cultural perspective to transnational climate changes. She is excited to learn and contribute to the Clean Economy Bridge Research Program by exploring how AI can make clean energy systems more efficient and equitable.

Atharv Agrawal

Atharv Agrawal is passionate about developing climate-resilient societies. He is a consultant in the energy, sustainability, and infrastructure practice of Guidehouse, serving policymakers, regulators, energy companies, and financiers on working towards a sustainable and equitable energy transition. He previously worked at Peak Power, a Canadian climatetech startup. He is a published author on climate resilient infrastructure in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, the Palgrave Encyclopedia for Urban and Regional Futures, and the Harvard Center for International Development. He is a Future Climate Fellow at the Aspen Institute and a Lester B. Pearson International Scholar at the University of Toronto.

Ralph Evidente

Ralph is an Erasmus Mundus alumnus (2022) with a magna cum laude International MSc in Sustainable and Innovative Natural Resource Management, awarded jointly by Ghent, Uppsala, and TU Freiberg. He also holds a European Specializing Master’s diploma in Nuclear Safeguards from Politecnico di Milano as an ENEN scholar.

Ralph’s global experience spans battery recycling (HZDR, HZB), MXene-based electrocatalysis, membrane separations, bioelectrochemical nutrient recovery (K1-MET), and nuclear policy research (JRC). In 2025, he joined Nth Cycle (USA) as an E4C Fellow. He’s passionate about circular economy, sustainable resource management, and bridging science, engineering, and policy to drive global impact.

Khadidah Stone

Khadidah Stone is a Master’s student in Construction Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, concentrating in Green Building and Sustainability. Grounded in both hands-on construction experience and technical expertise, she is committed to advancing climate-resilient, equitable infrastructure. A native of the Deep South, Khadidah brings a community-centered perspective to sustainable design, informed by her lived experience in underinvested Black and brown neighborhoods. In her studies, she has learned energy modeling, resilient materials, and Germany’s DGNB certification system. Khadidah strives to advocate for inclusive innovation that ensures clean energy and green building benefit all communities.