With the launch of the O’Connor Energy Institute, Johns Hopkins has a focal point for university-wide energy-related research and academic programs. More than serving as a nexus for these activities, the O’Connor Energy Institute also will be a catalyst for JHU’s efforts to develop and translate sustainable energy technologies, educate future energy leaders, and help create an affordable and equitable green energy future for a more resilient world. While housed in the Whiting School of Engineering, the institute’s success will rely on the expertise and contributions of colleagues from across the university, including researchers from JHU’s Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Applied Physics Laboratory, School of Advanced International Studies, Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Carey Business School.

When you consider humanity’s progress over the ages, the role of energy in our development is remarkable. During the second industrial revolution, it was the use of energy that drove enormous advances in areas from the economy to human health. Energy helped lift millions out of poverty and was a factor in the doubling of human life expectancy

Energy now is a fundamental requirement of civilization, but our hunger for energy and its resulting greenhouse gas emissions now imperil our safety and the future health of the Earth and its inhabitants. We now are embarking on a fourth industrial revolution, where innovation will result in clean, renewable and sustainable energy that can benefit the world

Johns Hopkins University is uniquely positioned to tackle this challenge, and I am honored to help lead this mission.

The O’Connor Energy Institute initially will focus on three broad areas:

• Renewable energy – focusing on the enabling technologies to power the electric grid with renewable energy and maintain an affordable and reliable electricity network as we further electrify our energy needs.
• Stewardship in fuel technologies – focusing on (bio)chemical and materials transformations for fuel-based energy needs that cannot be electrified, including developing alternative fuels and novel capturing and repurposing of fossil fuels byproducts to develop new and useful materials from carbon.
• Affordable and equitable implementation — translating technical and technological advances into real-world applications, including policy solutions, regulations, market incentives, educational efforts, and outreach programs and partnerships with public, private, and non-governmental actors.

The institute will host an array of programs and other initiatives that will enable us, along with colleagues from across academia, industry, and government to share our discoveries and seed new collaborations. It also will enable JHU to  recruit and hire new faculty members working in energy-related fields, provide direct funding opportunities for faculty members, as well as grant support for their research, offer seminars and outreach programs, and will facilitate technology translation activities. New fellowships will be established for postdoctoral scholars and graduate students interested in energy research and for those interested in expanding their technical work to include direct energy policy/translation implementation experiences. For undergraduates, the institute is developing an Energy minor and is providing funded opportunities for undergraduate research. The institute is also committed to outreach and is developing energy-themed outreach efforts for K-12 students and the general public.

If you want to learn more, or get involved, I encourage you to browse this site and learn more about our activities, and to email me directly at the [email protected].

Sincerely,

Benjamin Schafer
Director, O’Connor Energy Institute
Willard and Lillian Hackerman Professor
Civil and Systems Engineering
Johns Hopkins University