UT Energy Week returns this week until April 4, bringing five days of panels, keynotes and networking events to San Jacinto Hall. Now in its 11th year, the student- and faculty-led conference connects researchers, professionals and students to explore topics shaping the future of energy.
Hosted by the UT Energy Institute and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Energy Center, the event aims to build community, inspire dialogue and facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration across the energy sector.
“The energy industry is evolving rapidly in Texas, and here at UT, we stand at the forefront of that change,” said Jennifer Sloan, managing director of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Energy Center.
Pranav Thacker, a chemical engineering doctoral student and vice president of events for the Longhorn Energy Club, said he looks forward to engaging with the full week of programming.
“Since I’m closer to graduation, I was really excited to invest more time and attend more of these seminars,” Thacker said. “There are so many good talks going on. I was really interested in sitting down and actually going through Energy Week in its entirety this year.”
With each day featuring a different theme — from nuclear innovation to entrepreneurship on Monday and legal policy on Thursday — the week offers attendees a chance to explore the energy landscape from multiple angles.
“I’m especially excited to hear more about the industry perspective on carbon capture and storage since that’s my research focus on designing solvents for those technologies,” Thacker said.
Brian Korgel, Rashid Engineering Regents Chair, chemical engineer professor and director of the Energy Institute, said the event fosters an inclusive space for connection.
“(We’re) trying to create that community of energy scholars at UT,” Korgel said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re an undergrad. It doesn’t matter what your major is. If you’re interested in energy, there is something for you at this event.”
Korgel said the size and structure of the conference make it more personal than many large-scale energy events.
“It serves enough people where there’s energy and excitement, but it’s also small enough that you can actually talk to different people,” Korgel said. “It’s about community building and thinking about the entire spectrum of energy at the University, in Austin and also at regions across Texas.”
Korgel said the event offers more than just networking for students exploring energy careers.
“It’s a chance for people in the industry to come in and interact with students in a mentoring way,” Korgel said. “We also have a lot of companies here to recruit. They want to build relationships with students.”
Sloan said collaboration across disciplines, sectors and levels of expertise is at the core of both the event and the industry itself.
“We need more energy that’s as efficient, reliable, affordable and clean as possible,” Sloan said. “That takes getting everyone, every part of the industry, together to help solve that challenge.”
