INES Celebrates the Graduation of Five Outstanding Students
The INES Research Group is proud to celebrate the graduation of five outstanding students from Stanford's Energy Science & Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER) programs. Through their research, leadership, and dedication, these graduates have enriched our community and advanced efforts to address some of the world's most pressing energy and sustainability challenges.
Anela Arifi earned her Ph.D. through E-IPER as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar. Her research focused on the role of waste biomass and bioenergy systems in supporting decarbonization, particularly in hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation. By combining expertise in energy technology, sustainability, and policy, Anela's work advanced understanding of how innovative bioenergy pathways can contribute to emissions reductions while delivering broader societal benefits.
Asia Zhang completed her Master of Science in Energy Science & Engineering. Her master's research examined how climate change and climate uncertainty can be incorporated into long-term electricity system planning through the integration of advanced climate datasets into capacity expansion models. By evaluating how future climate conditions may influence renewable energy resources and investment decisions, Asia contributed to ongoing efforts to build more resilient and adaptive energy systems.
Dimitri Saad earned his Ph.D. in Energy Science & Engineering. His research focused on industrial decarbonization and energy systems analysis, helping identify pathways to reduce emissions from some of the most challenging sectors of the economy. Through interdisciplinary scholarship and collaboration, Dimitri contributed valuable insights into how industry can transition toward a more sustainable, competitive, and low-carbon future.
Dhruv Suri earned his Ph.D. in Energy Science & Engineering. His dissertation explored the evolving dynamics of net-zero power systems, including renewable energy integration, electricity demand growth, and advances in forecasting and power system operations. By combining empirical analysis, machine learning, and energy systems modeling, Dhruv's work provided new insights into how electricity systems can maintain reliability and efficiency while accelerating decarbonization.
Henry Daniels-Koch completed his Master of Science in Civil & Environmental Engineering. His research explored the role of enhanced geothermal systems in the future U.S. electricity sector, integrating advanced geothermal resource characterization with large-scale energy system modeling. Henry's work contributed to understanding how clean firm generation technologies can support reliability, affordability, and deep decarbonization objectives in a rapidly evolving energy landscape.
Collectively, these graduates represent the breadth and interdisciplinary nature of research at INES, spanning bioenergy, climate impacts, industrial decarbonization, power systems, geothermal energy, and long-term energy system planning. Their work has advanced understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with building a more sustainable, reliable, and equitable energy future.
Beyond their research accomplishments, each has contributed to the collaborative, supportive, and intellectually vibrant community that defines the INES Research Group. We thank Anela, Asia, Dimitri, Dhruv, and Henry for their many contributions and look forward to following their future achievements and celebrating the impact they will make in academia, industry, government, and society.
