Thursday, March 13th, 2025
Kristi Dayemo, NBEJN
Jessica Dunn, Clean Transportation Program
Kabian Ritter, Stealth Mode
Meg Slattery, Earthjustice
This seminar features four Energy Graduate Group alumni sharing their experiences working at the intersection of energy and environmental justice. The seminar explores career pathways, impactful projects, and strategies for advancing equity and resilience in the field.
Kristi Dayemo is the Network Coordinator for the National Black Environmental Justice Network (NBEJN), a national coalition dedicated to addressing systemic racism and advancing environmental, climate, and economic justice for Black communities. NBEJN is part of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, a nonprofit organization that supports research, education, and training for climate-vulnerable communities. Dayemo earned a Master’s in Energy Systems from UC Davis and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Howard University.
Jessica Dunn is a scientist in the Clean Transportation Program, specializing in lithium-ion battery sustainability. She researches material circularity and reducing battery impacts through repurposing and recycling. Dunn holds a PhD in Energy Systems from UC Davis, where she published academic journal articles on using industrial ecology methods to assess battery recycling. Before her doctorate, she earned a master’s from University College London in Economics and Policy of the Environment and Energy.
Kabian Ritter is a research scientist specializing in materials science and electrochemistry. He earned a PhD in Energy Systems from UC Davis as part of the Energy Graduate Group’s first cohort, where he studied how different materials interact with metal ions to improve energy storage and desalination technologies. His research focused on using electrochemical methods to control these interactions and analyzing material changes with advanced imaging and spectroscopy techniques. Ritter holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Howard University and participated in competitive electrochemistry fellowships at the University of Illinois Chicago and the Telluride Science & Innovation Center.
Meg Slattery is a Staff Scientist on the Policy and Legislation team at Earthjustice, where she researches and analyzes energy, transportation, and critical minerals to support fact-based federal policy advocacy. She earned a PhD in Energy Systems from UC Davis, where her research focused on the lithium-ion battery value chain, including end-of-life management and sustainable resource strategies. Before graduate school, Slattery worked on sustainable construction projects in Nicaragua and holds a B.A. in Science, Technology & Society from Vassar College.
