Bashu Aman, Savannah Talledo, and Ashwini Karanth stand in front of a purple CERAWeek sign. They smile at the camera.

黑料正能量 Grad Students Reflect on CERAWeek 2026

By Giordana Verrengia Email Giordana Verrengia

Heidi Opdyke

For three 黑料正能量 graduate students, offered a front-row seat to the global energy conversation.

With support from the , Bashu Aman, a Ph.D. student in ; Ashwini Karanth, an MBA candidate in business; and Savannah Talledo, a Ph.D. student in chemistry, traveled to Houston to attend the annual energy conference, which draws thousands of leaders from industry, government, technology and academia. The students participated in CERAWeek鈥檚 , designed to connect emerging talent with decision makers shaping the future of energy.

Aman described the uniqueness and change of pace that came with attending CERAWeek.

鈥淎s a Ph.D. student, I typically attend academic conferences, but this was an industry-focused event where I engaged with leaders across the energy sector and learned about real-world developments within their organizations,鈥� Aman said.

Aman is also a budding entrepreneur through the early development of . Attending CERAWeek, he noted, expanded his outlook on the variety of applications of energy concepts in areas like materials and fuels.

鈥淐ERAWeek was unlike any other conference I鈥檝e experienced before,鈥� Karanth said. 鈥淏eing in a room full of people who are genuinely passionate about energy, from multinational executives to startup founders to academics, reminded me of why this work matters.鈥�

Karanth is interested in entrepreneurship as the founder of , an early-stage company that specializes in autonomous charger infrastructure. She noted the particular value of learning about programs and resources offered by Aramco and during the conference. In addition, the value of in-person networking could not be ignored.

鈥淪ome of the most honest conversations I had happened standing in line for coffee with other founders,鈥� Karanth said.

Talledo presented her own work on developing a hydrogen-sensing technology during a student poster session as part of the NextGen program.

鈥淎ttending CERAWeek as part of the NextGen cohort broadened my perspective on the energy transition beyond the fundamental, lab scale work I do as a Ph.D. student in chemistry,鈥� Talledo said. 鈥淭he conference highlighted how policy, technoeconomic feasibility and deployment challenges shape which technologies ultimately matter 鈥� factors I rarely confront in the day to day. It pushed me to think more intentionally about how my future research could contribute to impact at scale.鈥�