Kristen Brown is a sixth year PhD candidate in chemistry at Northwestern studying the efficiency of new materials for solar energy. Kristen first crossed paths with ISEN when she consulted the Northwestern Energy and Sustainability Consortium (NESC), an ISEN-affiliated student group, for guidance on her interest in energy policy.
Kristen will be joining the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) this January as a Fellow, where she will help identify new areas of funding in high-risk, high-reward energy technologies.
We caught up with Kristen this week to chat about her time as a Northwestern student with an interest in energy and sustainability.
What is your Northwestern affiliation?
I am a sixth year PhD candidate in chemistry.
Why did you decide to pursue a graduate degree at Northwestern over other schools?
Northwestern has a really great mix of prestige and also collaboration. My list consisted of schools with strong graduate programs in solar, but when I visited Northwestern, you could really tell that the school’s focus on collaboration was real, not just something it used as a marketing tool.
What is your research focus?
I look at the processes that limit efficiency in new materials for solar energy. I investigate why some of the new, innovative materials in solar are not as efficient as we want them to be or as is theoretically possible.
What should we be looking forward to in your area of study? What’s the next big discovery that scientists in your field will be looking to make?
With respect to my research area, there’s some really cool research being done that will tell us more about the ways in which light interacts with molecules. Figuring out that initial interaction with light is a lot like understanding how a car engine works. If you can’t understand the engine, you can’t build a car. There are brand new techniques that let us understand the engine behind generating electricity from the sun.
On the materials development and efficiency sides of things, the diversity and scope of new materials that are being researched today are really exciting and open the door for a lot of new interesting applications.
Tell us about a meaningful academic experience you had at Northwestern:
From an academic standpoint, my time as a Presidential Fellow has given me the opportunity to meet academics outside of my own discipline.
Interacting with people in subjects such as economics, policy, and plant biology has helped me understand the broad applications of my own academic research. My ways of thinking about my own research and how it connects to what the greater Northwestern community is doing have really developed through my interaction with the other Presidential Fellows.
Tell us about a meaningful extracurricular experience you had at Northwestern:
Three years ago, I helped organize a professional development workshop for graduate-level women in the science and engineering fields. That workshop led to the creation of an organization geared toward professional development for graduate women. That experience was extremely impactful because it focused on something I’m passionate about, being able to succeed as a woman in a STEM environment, but also allowed me to give back to the University.
How did you first hear about ISEN?
I first heard about ISEN when I was getting involved with energy policy at Northwestern and wanted a deeper connection to the energy- focused student groups on campus. I got tapped into the Northwestern Energy and Sustainability Consortium (NESC), and ISEN-affiliated student group, and have been NESC’s graduate co-director for two years. My role focuses on increasing student engagement in the energy space and that includes the wealth of course offerings through ISEN.
What I see as one of ISEN’s biggest strengths is the broad introduction that it gives students to the energy world outside of academics. I don’t see many other institutions in the country that provide the same level of training in entrepreneurship, business, and environmental policy as I see available to students through ISEN.
For me being able to interact with the ISEN community— the faculty, the staff, and the Executive Council— has been extremely impactful both on my time at Northwestern and certainly in how I view my career after Northwestern. When I started here, I was very focused on academics, but ISEN gave me that exposure to economics, policy, and business that shaped how I saw myself, and my academic background, providing value in the future.
Was there one ISEN program that stands out as having an impact on your career?
The Powering the Future seminar was phenomenal in giving me a deeper understanding of the market-driven aspects of the technologies that I’m working to develop.
I went into Powering the Future having a bit of an understanding of the business side of electricity generation. To sit in a room with professionals in the field and hear about the electricity consumer, carbon taxes, and public private partnerships outside of the academic bubble was really important to being able to understand where my role as a scientist fits into a zero carbon future. There’s not another experience like that at Northwestern for students interested in energy.
What are your plans after you finish your PhD program?
I will be joining the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) as a Fellow for two years. My role with them will be to help identify new areas of funding in high-risk, high-reward energy technologies that will help get us to a carbon neutral future.
How did your time at Northwestern prepare you for this next step?
When I think about what it will mean to be an ARPA-E fellow, it’s not just about having a solid tech background, which Northwestern has certainly provided as a top university, but being able to frame that in the broader context of the energy world. The experiences that I’ve had as a scientist, as a student leader through NESC, and as a participant in ISEN programs have not only helped deepen my knowledge of the energy sector, but also expand the application of my expertise. I don’t think I would’ve been as a strong of a candidate without that broader context.
When you’re not in the offices at ARPA-E, what will you be doing in your spare time?
I’ll be getting to know D.C.! It’s a brand new city for me and I’ve heard great things about it, so getting to know my new community will be really exciting.
And finally, any advice for incoming students interested in sustainability and energy?
Get plugged into ISEN as soon as possible and start building relationships with the people who care about the same things you do. Those relationships will be the most valuable parts of your graduate career.