Joule Bergerson, energy technology assessment expert, named new director of ND Energy
Photo by Angelic Rose Hubert.
Joule Bergerson, professor of chemical and petroleum engineering at the University of Calgary (Canada), has been selected to serve as the faculty director of ND Energy at the University of Notre Dame (South Bend, Indiana, USA), effective August 1. Bergerson has also been appointed the inaugural Richard and Ellen Stanley Professor of Energy Systems Engineering in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. As a leading expert in energy technology assessment, her research informs infrastructure and investment decisions as well as energy innovations in the global effort to more aggressively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“ND Energy was formed to meet the global need for answers to complex energy and sustainability challenges,” said Jeffrey F. Rhoads, John and Catherine Martin Family Vice President for Research and professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. “With her profound knowledge of the economic and environmental impact of emerging energy technologies, Joule is the ideal leader for the next phase of energy research at Notre Dame.”
At the intersection of policy and technical innovation, Bergerson’s work involves scientists, engineers and members of the business community who are developing new energy technologies. Her goal is to equip stakeholders with tools to assess the financial and environmental costs of energy — from generation to use to waste management — facilitating a clearer understanding of the complex benefits and trade-offs of energy production and expenditure.
An international collaborator, Bergerson has published numerous open-source tools for modeling energy systems. Her Petroleum Refinery Life Cycle Inventory Model, a tool for estimating the impact of crude oil quality and oil refinery layout on greenhouse gas emissions, informs the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Oil Climate Index (OCI), RMI’s OCI+ and The Archie Initiative’s database. In recognition of her leadership, Bergerson presented the life cycle model at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris.
Patricia J. Culligan, the Matthew H. McCloskey Dean of Notre Dame’s College of Engineering and professor of civil engineering, said, “We are thrilled that Joule will be joining our College of Engineering faculty and very grateful to Richard and Ellen Stanley for endowing the named chair that attracted her to Notre Dame. Joule’s talents and expertise ideally complement those of our current faculty engaged in energy and sustainability focused research, and will enable us to advance new solutions for clean energy transitions that are equitable and just.”
Bergerson’s interdisciplinary and diplomatic approach to energy development resonates with the mission of ND Energy. By bringing together experts in engineering, sustainability and international relations, the center was created to address the most pressing global energy issues of our time. The University’s recent strategic plan reaffirmed its commitment to building a more equitable and sustainable energy future, and, under Bergerson’s leadership, ND Energy will play a key role in supporting this effort.
“My work to date has gone beyond the engineering of energy to include the economic and operational aspects of energy production, which are so important in today’s world,” Bergerson said. “In order to plan for a more sustainable and equitable future, we must have the data to be well-informed, and I am thrilled to join my experience with the mission of the University and work alongside world-class colleagues toward this end.”
Bergerson earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry and environmental science from the University of Western Ontario and a master’s degree in chemical and environmental engineering from the University of Toronto. She completed her doctoral studies in the joint programs of civil and environmental engineering and engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University before joining the University of Calgary as a postdoctoral fellow in 2005.
Bergerson has received numerous institutional awards for excellence throughout two decades of teaching and research. In 2017, she was named a Government of Canada Research Chair for her leadership in technology assessments in the energy sector. In 2024, she was recognized by the American Center for Life Cycle Assessment with their Leadership in Academia Award.
Learn more about Bergerson and ND Energy.
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