WCEC Names Theresa Pistochini Associate Director
The Western Cooling Efficiency Center is pleased to announce the appointment of Theresa Pistochini as its Associate Director. Pistochini has more than 15 years of experience leading WCEC’s applied research in energy efficiency, HVAC, and indoor air quality. She oversaw the development of the center’s HVAC testing laboratory in 2013 and continues to manage several large-scale projects for the center. A UC Davis alumna, Pistochini holds a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering and is a licensed professional engineer in California.
WCEC is a leading research center dedicated to advancing efficient heating, cooling, and energy distribution solutions. The center is guided by Director Vinod Narayanan and Founding Director and Director Emeritus Mark Modera, who together with Pistochini bring deep expertise and vision to the organization. This leadership team ensures that WCEC remains at the forefront of developing and commercializing innovative energy solutions for California and beyond.
Welcoming Sixteen New Students to the Energy Graduate Group
We are excited to welcome sixteen new students to the Energy Graduate Group this fall. The incoming cohort began their graduate journey with an immersive orientation known as the Power Trip, a week-long introduction to UC Davis and California’s dynamic energy landscape.
The Power Trip featured meetings with EEI and research center leadership, along with site visits to organizations at the forefront of the state’s clean energy transition, including PG&E, New Energy Nexus, CAISO, SMUD, and Valley Clean Energy’s Putah Creek Solar Farm. The week concluded with a Leadership Panel featuring Pacific Resource Recovery Chair Sandy Berg, CPUC Commissioner Darcie Houck, California Natural Resources Agency Deputy Secretary Le-Quyen Nguyen, and former CPUC Commissioner and EPA Administrator Martha Guzman Aceves, with a special welcome from EEI Board Chair Ralph Cavanagh.
Through the EGG program, students pursue MS and PhD degrees in Energy Systems, choosing tracks in Energy Science & Technology or Energy Policy & Management. With access to EEI’s research centers, faculty expertise, and industry partnerships, they are well positioned to become leaders in the energy transition.
We are thrilled to welcome this year’s cohort to the UC Davis energy community!
EGG Student Featured in Chancellor May’s Face to Face Interview
Energy Graduate Group master’s student Miguel Craven was recently featured in UC Davis Chancellor Gary May’s monthly Face to Face interview series. In their conversation, Craven discussed his new role as UC Student Regent-Designate for 2025–26, his path to UC Davis, and his leadership philosophy.
As student regent-designate, Craven will represent more than 280,000 students across the UC system, advocating for their needs and priorities at the highest levels of university governance. Housing remains one of his top concerns, but he also emphasized the importance of flexibility, empathy, and inclusion in student leadership.
Craven, who earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from UC Merced, has long been active in student leadership and advocacy. He served as student body president at UC Merced, led a successful campaign for a Student Union Building, and later became student observer to the UC Regents’ Finance and Capital Strategies Committee.
Outcault Shares Research on Building Science in Switzerland
WCEC Market Transformation Research Program Director Sarah Outcault recently traveled to Lausanne, Switzerland, to participate in two major international events on the future of sustainable buildings.
She first attended the 3rd Experts’ Meeting of the Human-Centric Buildings Network, where global researchers and practitioners shared insights on how human behavior, culture, and equity shape building design and operation. She then presented her research at the CISBAT 2025 Conference, an international gathering focused on advancing building science for the energy transition.
Outcault’s presentation, “Lessons from User Experience with Automated Load Flexibility,” drew on interviews with residents and building operators to explore how people interact with automated energy-saving technologies. The study emphasized the importance of user-friendly design, transparency, and control in building trust for these emerging systems.
EEI Study Highlights Decarbonization Potential of Industrial Heat Pumps
A new paper in Cleaner Environmental Systems, led by Maria Kanwal, Fulbright Scholar and recent EGG PhD graduate, and co-authored by Muhammad Ali Qamar, EGG PhD candidate; Kurt Kornbluth, Director of the UC Davis Program for International Energy Technologies and D-Lab; and Kelly Kissock, EEI Faculty Director, explores the environmental and economic potential of industrial heat pumps (IHPs) as a decarbonization pathway for U.S. manufacturing.
The study provides one of the first spatial life cycle assessments of IHPs in the United States, comparing their performance with natural gas boilers across 25 electricity regions and over a 20-year period. Findings show that in many regions, switching to IHPs can cut global warming potential by up to 95% and ozone depletion potential by nearly 90% per unit of heat delivered. The study also highlights the role of refrigerants: using ammonia instead of commonly used hydrofluorocarbons reduces end-of-life climate impacts by a factor of nine.
On the economic side, the team found that IHPs are already competitive with natural gas boilers in much of the country, especially in states like Washington, New Mexico, and New York where electricity prices and grid mix align favorably. The authors conclude that IHPs represent a strategic opportunity to advance industrial decarbonization while delivering cost savings in the right contexts.
Register Today for GEM 2025
Join us online Thursday, November 13th, 2025 for the seventh annual Global Energy Managers Workshop, bringing together facility managers, students, and faculty from around the world. This gathering serves as a platform for sharing best practices in campus energy management, carbon reduction strategies, and fostering community engagement to drive sustainable progress.
Save the Date: UC Davis Industry & Materials Decarbonization Symposium
Save the date for the UC Davis Industry & Materials Decarbonization Symposium on April 16-17, 2026. This two-day event will bring together industry, academia, and government to share strategies, explore new technologies, and accelerate progress toward decarbonizing the industrial and materials sectors.
Missed a Seminar? Watch It Now
If you couldn’t join us for our recent Materials Decarbonization, Demand Flex or Energy Bites Seminar Series events, you can now watch them online! Catch up on this and other recent seminars anytime!
