About

CKI’s mission is to provide rigorous techno-economic analyses, generate actionable insights for decision-makers, and advance climate solutions across diverse stakeholders, while unapologetically flagging where business and public interests diverge.

CKI Fellows

CKI offers students the opportunity to work directly at the intersection of climate, business, finance, technology, and policy. Fellows engage with real-world climate and energy questions through research, develop consulting-style decks alongside other fellows, and hold weekly discussions with the broader CKI team, working closely with Gernot Wagner.

Fellows are central to our work at CKI. Our main objective is to help drive capital, talent, and innovation toward investable and scalable decarbonization solutions. Through rigorous techno-economic analysis, we develop unbiased, business-relevant insights, which equip leaders to advance climate solutions in practice. Here is an example of how a deep-dive on geothermal energy that the CKI fellows work on translates into a highly visible article in the media.

All Columbia graduate and undergraduate students are welcome to apply to join CKI.

Faculty & Staff

Gernot Wagner

Senior Lecturer in Discipline of Economics in the Faculty of Business: Economics Division

Faculty Director, Climate Knowledge Initiative: Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change

Faculty Fellow: CESifo

Board Member: CarbonPlan

Columnist: Project Syndicate

Ariela Farchi Behar

Staff Associate III in the Faculty of Business: Economics Division

Pia Doris Morrow

Staff Associate III in the Faculty of Business: Economics Division

Theo Moers

Staff Associate I in the Faculty of Business: Economics Division

Lauren Vasek

Administrative Director, Climate Business Initiatives: Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change

Rebecca Dell

Adjunct Research Scholar: Climate Knowledge Initiative

Selen Bilgin Olmez

Staff Associate III in the Faculty of Business: Economics Division

Faculty Advisors

Dan Esposito

Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering: Columbia Engineering

Dan Steingart

Professor of Chemical Metallurgy and Professor of Chemical Engineering: Columbia Engineering

Advisor on Energy Storage and Steel: Climate Knowledge Initiative

Jessica Fanzo

Professor of Climate and Director of the Food Ethics and Policy Program: Columbia Climate School

Advisor on Sustainable Proteins: Climate Knowledge Initiative

Jingguang Chen

Professor of Chemical Engineering, Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics: Columbia University

Advisor on Biofuels: Climate Knowledge Initiative

Kevin Karl

Research Associate at the Center for Climate Systems Research: Columbia Climate School

Advisor on Sustainable Proteins: Climate Knowledge Initiative

Peter B. Kelemen

Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Advisor on Carbon Capture: Climate Knowledge Initiative

Shiho Kawashima

Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics: Columbia University

Advisor on Cement: Climate Knowledge Initiative

Alan C. West

Professor of Electrochemistry; Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering: Columbia Engineering

Advisor on Critical Minerals: Climate Knowledge Initiative

Current CKI Fellows

Anand Singh, Master of Business Administration '27

Brenda Rain, MS in Sustainability Management '25

Camilo Aviles, MS in Sustainability Management '26

Carlos Puerta, Master of Public Administration, '26

Christy Wong, Master of Public Administration '27

Dominica Wambold, Master of Business Administration '26

Elaine Chow, MA in Climate and Society '26

Gunay Kiran, MS in Sustainability Management '26

Haoran Fu, MS in Enterprise Risk Management

Ilayda Tezcan, Master of Business Administration '27

Jeanne de Moucheron, School of General Studies, Dual BA with Columbia University and Sciences Po Paris '26

Leah Eyob, Master of Business Administration '26

Matthew White, Master of Business Administration '26

Mikaela Zhang, MA in Climate and Society '26

Noé Aloy, MS in Earth and Environmental Engineering '26

Perlita Esquenazi, Master of Business Administration '27

Rinchen Renqing, Master of Public Administration in Development Practice '27

Supriya Swarup, MS in Sustainability Management '26

Tiago Gellweiler, Master of Business Administration '27

Vincent Sandow-Straesser, MS in Climate Finance '26

Vivian Zar Ni, Columbia College – BA in Economics '27

Past CKI Fellows

Abha Nirula, MPA in Climate, Energy, and Environment '25

Abi Insani, M.P.A. in Climate and Energy Policy '26

Adele Teh, Master of Business Administration '25

Anda Wang, MS in Accounting and Fundamental Analysis '26

Andrea Castro Pastrana, MS in Sustainability Management '25

Anika Behrndt, MS in Sustainability Management '25

Ariela Farchi, MS in Sustainability Management '25

Asya Ikizler, MA in Climate and Society '24

Audrey Daouezan, BS in Chemical Engineering '25

Augusto Agazzi, Master of Business Administration '25

Aygen Inan, Master of Business Administration '26

Balaji Tamilmaran, Master of Business Administration '26

Beatrice Marie Klein, Master of Business Administration and Master of International Affairs '27

Beatriz De Lucas, BA in Economics '25

Birru Pagi Lucha, MS in Sustainability Management '25

Chhavi Maggu, Master of Business Administration '25

Christian Sandjaja, MS in Sustainability Management '25

Claire Graham, BA in Applied Math and Business Management '26

Clara Zibell, BA in Sustainable Development '25

David Foye, Master of Business Administration '25

Devashri Mehrotra, Master of Business Administration '25

Elizabeth Robertson, Master of Business Administration '25

Ellie Valencia, Master of Business Administration '25

Faradisa Anintya, Master of Business Administration '25

Friedrich Sayn-Wittgenstein, MPA in Environmental Science and Policy '24

Grace Frascati, BA Business Management and Sustainable Development '25

Greg Bragg, Master of Business Administration '26

Hasan Alawadhi, Master of Business Administration '26

Hassan Riaz, Master of Business Administration '25

Heather Hartel, Master of Business Administration '26

Helen Kim, PhD Sustainable Development '24

Helin Tilkicioglu, Master of Business Administration '26

Heonjae Lee, BA in Financial Economics '26

Hinako Arai, MA in International Finance and Economic Policy '25

Hoshi Ogawa, Master of Business Administration '24

Inardi Rizky, Master of Business Administration '25

Isabel Hoyos, MS in Sustainability Management '24

Jeremy Goldsmith, Master of Business Administration '26

Jessica Cong, Master of Business Administration '25

Jisu (Ashley) Kim, Master of Business Administration '25

Khande Jae Fisher, MS in Sustainability Management '25

Lara Geiger, Master of International Affairs '26

Linfei Zhang, MPA in Climate, Energy, and Environment '24

Leo Michael Gordon, Master of Public Administration '25

Lucy Connor, Master of Business Administration '27

M.A. Miller, Master of Business Administration '24

Maitreyi Menon, Master of International Affairs in International Finance and Economics '25

Marcelo Cibie Lolic, Master of Business Administration '24

Mariana Castano, Master of Business Administration '26

Max De Boer, Master of Business Administration '23

Michelle Priscilla, Master of Business Administration '26

Mimi Khawsam-ang, Master of Business Administration '23

Nadine Palmowski, MPA in Environmental Science and Policy '25

Nicolas Herrera Isaza, MS in Sustainability Management '25

Omar Elmasry, Master of Business Administration '25

Paul Greitemann, BA Financial Economics

Paula Sánchez Encinar, MS in Sustainability Management '26

Petr Jenicek, Master of Business Administration '25

Pia Doris, MS in Sustainability Management '25

Quinn Carr, Master of Business Administration '26

Quint Houwink, Master of Business Administration '25

Raissa Coan Riberio, Master of Business Administration '25

Renee Jiang, BA Economics and Political Science '26

Runj Viring, Master of Business Administration '24

Ryon Roque, BS in Civil Engineering '27

Sean Lee, BA in Economics and Political Science '27

Selen Bilgin Olmez, MS in Sustainability Management '26

Shailesh Mishra, Master of Public Administration in Development Practice '25

Shaurir Ramanujan, BA Financial Economics and Sustainable Development '25

Sho Tatsuno, Master of Business Administration '24

Shubhangi Prasad, Master of Public Administration '26

Smarth Galhotra, Master of Business Administration '25

Soraya van Beek, Master of Business Administration '26

Srishti Parikh, Master of Business Administration '27

Stephanie Chen, MS in Sustainability Management '26

Taicheng (Leo) Jin, MS in International Finance and Economic Policy '25

Theo Moers, MPA in Environmental Science and Policy '25

Thomas Smith, Master of Business Administration '26

Una Oljaca, BA in Economics '25

Vedant Bhansali, BA in Financial Economics '26

Xiaodan Zhu, MS in Financial Economics '25

Yosafat Partogi, Master of Business Administration '25

Zacharia Thurston, MS in Sustainability Management '25

Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change

The Climate Knowledge Initiative is independently funded and housed within Columbia Business School’s Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change. Learn more about the business and climate change initiative.

Funding Statement

The Climate Knowledge Initiative does not receive funding from any fossil fuel interests, nor from any companies or organizations featured in its work.

CKI Fellows

Faculty & Staff

Faculty Advisors

Past CKI Fellows

Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change

Funding Statement

Columbia Business Insights

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