Four Rutgers Graduate Students Serve as Eagleton Fellows
Four Rutgers University graduate students are serving in NJBPU’s Division of Clean Energy as part of Rutgers’ Clean Energy Graduate Certificate Program. Carolyn Schaefer, Zach Goldberg, Iram Mansoor, and Nick Zhang are part of the NJBPU Eagleton Fellows Program.
Carolyn Schaefer studied Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to graduate school, she earned a B.S. in Nuclear Science and Engineering with a minor in Energy Studies from MIT. Carolyn is excited to bring her experience in nuclear energy to her fellowship placement in the Division of Clean Energy within BPU.
Zachary Goldberg is working on the Distributive Energy Resource team, which includes work on the Dual-Use Solar Energy Pilot Program. Zach completed his doctorate at Penn State Geography, where he focused on grid-scale solar energy development on farmland in the eastern United States, examining issues related to land use change, environmental governance, and energy justice.
Iram Mansoor is serving on the Energy Efficiency & Building Decarbonization team. She leads stakeholder engagement and market development for the Board’s new residential building electrification initiatives, including the M-RISE Program, which leverages federal Inflation Reduction Act funding to support energy-efficiency and electrification upgrades in income-qualified multifamily buildings across New Jersey.
Dr. Nick Zhang is a Materials Scientist trained at Johns Hopkins University and NIST, where he studied the conversion of waste gases into fuels to promote a circular economy. Nick Zhang now supports NJBPU’s clean energy policy implementation, integration of virtual power plants, and modernization of the electric grid to deliver reliable and affordable electricity to communities.
The Clean Energy Graduate Certificate Program is designed to provide master's degree students with basic knowledge in three important areas: Energy-Based Engineering, Energy Public Policy, and Applied Energy Economics, focusing primarily on clean energy. The Eagleton Fellows gain invaluable experience in the everyday, real-world regulation of a very complex and nuanced state and regional energy marketplace, helping reduce energy costs for New Jersey ratepayers and support our clean energy transition.
For more information about the Rutgers Climate and Energy Institute, please visit https://rcei.rutgers.edu/