Expertise: Energy-water nexus; Water issues regarding energy extraction, production and usage; Water issues for hydraulic fracturing/fracking; Water issues for power plants; Power generation and the power grid; Electricity generation; Power plants; Drought and water management; Energy for food production; The treatment, desalination, pumping, end-use and reclamation of energy for water
Dr. Kelly Twomey Sanders is an Assistant Professor in the University of Southern California’s Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her research aims to ease tensions between human and natural systems through technical, regulatory and market intervention, with particular emphasis on reducing the environmental impacts of providing energy and water services. She has authored more than two dozen publications and has given dozens of invited talks on topics at the intersection of engineering, science, and policy. Sanders has been recognized in Forbes’ 30 under 30: Today’s disruptors and tomorrow’s brightest stars and MIT Technology Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35 for her contributions to the energy field. In 2019, she was granted a National Science Foundation Early CAREER award. Her research and commentary have been featured in media outlets such as Forbes, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal and Scientific American. Sanders received her B.S. in Bioengineering from the Pennsylvania State University, as well M.S.E and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Environmental Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, respectively. She teaches classes related to energy and the environment.