The Center for Global Sustainability (CGS) is proud to welcome six new staff and faculty members who will apply robust and innovative research approaches to support our growing projects.
Prof. Christoph Bertram, Associate Research Professor
*Copyright PIK / Klemens Karkow*
Bio: Dr. Christoph Bertram is an Associate Research Professor at the Center for Global Sustainability (CGS) at the University of Maryland. His research analyzes climate change mitigation strategies and policies, especially in the energy sector, both globally and in major economies. Specific interests of Dr. Bertram include the interrelationship of mid-term climate policies and long-term policy goals, including questions of carbon lock-in; national energy and climate policies and targets, including nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and net-zero targets; broader sustainability impacts of mitigation pathways; and how to use mitigation scenarios to assess economies' and companies' transition risks.
CGS Projects
- Analysis through Global Climate Analysis Model (GCAM) - USA: Bertram works in the multi-model project ENGAGE.
- Supporting Global and National Methane Strategies: Through our research and methane projects, CGS is contributing to the new global focus on methane reductions to enable keeping 1.5C warming within reach.
- America Is All In: As a core organization of the All In analytical team, CGS produces analyses that assess how all-of-society climate strategies that leverage the leadership of states, cities, regions, provinces, businesses, investors, and other actors can create robust and ambitious outcomes.
- All-of-Society Climate Strategies Analysis for Subnational Climate Ambition Program: In this program, we assess how all-of-society climate strategies that leverage the leadership of states, cities, regions, provinces, businesses, investors, and other actors can create robust and ambitious outcomes.
- Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS): CGS researchers are working with a consortium of integrated assessment modeling teams to support NGFS. They produce scenarios using the GCAM model and explore the macroeconomic impacts of climate change and climate change mitigation on economic output.
Dr. Mel George Vallimyalil, Post-Doctoral Associate
Bio: Dr. Mel George is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Center for Global Sustainability (CGS) at the University of Maryland. An electrical engineer by training, Mel’s research interests are at the intersection of technology & energy-climate policies, and their implications for sustainable development and broader human well-being. Applying integrated assessment models in combination with other tools, his work investigates the horizontal, vertical, spatial & temporal distributional effects of energy-climate policies.
CGS Projects
- Political Economy: This CGS project focuses on incorporating political economy insights into integrated assessment models.
- International Emissions Trading Alliance (IETA) Article 6 Project: Modeling compliance and voluntary carbon markets
- America Is All In: As a core organization of the All In analytical team, CGS produces analyses that assess how all-of-society climate strategies that leverage the leadership of states, cities, regions, provinces, businesses, investors, and other actors can create robust and ambitious outcomes.
Claire Squire, Research Associate
Bio: Claire Squire is a Post-Masters Research Associate at the Center for Global Sustainability (CGS) at the University of Maryland. Her work focuses on energy transition and climate mitigation, particularly the land use-climate change-energy nexus and U.S. subnational policy. At CGS, she researches coal phaseout, expansion of biomass utilization, and sustainable development, particularly within an Indonesian context, impacts of subnational policy on the attainment of U.S. climate goals, and conducts integrated assessment modeling.
CGS Projects
- Indonesia Program: CGS works with partners in Indonesia to advance new and unique research that helps identify key policy maneuvers to support Indonesia’s ambitious climate goals.
- America Is All In: As a core organization of the All In analytical team, CGS produces analyses that assess how all-of-society climate strategies that leverage the leadership of states, cities, regions, provinces, businesses, investors, and other actors can create robust and ambitious outcomes.
Maria Borrero, Research Associate
Bio: Maria Borrero is a Post-Masters Research Associate at the Center for Global Sustainability (CGS) at the University of Maryland. Her work focuses on energy transition and climate change mitigation. At CGS, she researches coal and natural gas phaseout, how corporate investment impacts climate innovation, the impacts of subnational efforts on climate goals, and conducts integrated assessment modeling.
CGS Projects
- Indonesia Program: CGS works with partners in Indonesia to advance new and unique research that helps identify key policy maneuvers to support Indonesia’s ambitious climate goals.
- Sloan technology innovation: This CGS project focuses on research into the development and deployment of clean energy technology innovation.
- America Is All In: As a core organization of the All In analytical team, CGS produces analyses that assess how all-of-society climate strategies that leverage the leadership of states, cities, regions, provinces, businesses, investors, and other actors can create robust and ambitious outcomes.
Dr. Guangxiao Hu, Post-Doctoral Associate
Bio: Dr. Guangxiao Hu is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Center for Global Sustainability (CGS) at the University of Maryland. Guangxiao’s research fields include environmental economics, environmental justice, and spatial analysis. She is especially interested in the spatial analysis of environmental justice and energy justice using various models including the Input-output model, spatial econometric model, etc.
CGS Projects
- China Program: The China Program at CGS integrates scientific research, education, policy analysis, and stakeholder engagement to help understand and inform the development and deployment of China’s climate, energy, and environment strategies across international, national, and local contexts.
Dr. Manjyot Ahluwalia, Senior Manager (Principal Faculty Specialist), CGS Methane Program
Bio: Manjyot Ahuluwalia is part of a new partnership between CGS and the Global Methane Hub, where she also serves as the Regional Lead for Asia. Prior to this role, Manjyot worked in international climate policy at World Wildlife Fund-US and the UN Environment Programme. Manjyot is a member of the Expert Peer Review Group of the UN Race to Zero Campaign and has contributed to building the evaluation criteria to enhance the credibility and accountability of net zero initiatives of subnational and non-state actors.
CGS Projects
- Methane Projects: CGS’s methane projects develop and deliver high-impact outcomes on curbing methane emissions and bring innovative research and diverse methodological tools to this pressing issue.
CGS is also proud to announce that Kathleen Kennedy and Mengye Zhu have both recently been promoted to Assistant Research Professor.
