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1. Why grad school? Why now?
2. Why Europe?
3. Why EIT InnoEnergy?
4. Why the Sustainable Energy Systems program?
5. Why Stockholm and Lisbon?
6. TL;DR

Why grad school? Why now?

I have been vaguely interested in energy for a long time but my passion for sustainable energy has really grown over the past few years. In my job as a contractor for the federal government I got to work on a few really interesting energy-related projects. I researched South American power sectors with the Department of State, wrote a report to Congress about ethane production and export economics, and spent the last two years supporting the Navy’s shore energy program. In the last four years, I met many people who were passionate about climate change and the energy transition and it inspired me to pursue my interest in this area. I decided grad school was a good way to develop knowledge and expertise in sustainable energy and grow my network within the industry.

As for the question of “why now?” – it just felt right. I loved living in D.C. but felt like maybe it was time to move on. It was the right time to move on from my role at work. I had nothing else tying me down and I think that the longer you wait the harder it gets. Maybe I’ve just gotten into the rhythm of having a major life change every four years.

So I found the application and discovered that there was no application fee and no testing requirement and I figured it wouldn’t be too hard to put together. I figured I’d apply, see what happens, and make any major life decisions then. Then I got accepted (yay!). I only had a few days to choose whether to make a small deposit that would hold my spot, so I did, and I figured I’d make the decision later. A few months went by and it was time to pay tuition. That decision could not be delayed. I talked it over with friends, family, and coworkers and essentially came to the conclusion – why not? Why not now? Why not go to Europe? So I did it.

Why Europe?

Obviously this is just an elaborate excuse to move to Europe (and leave America before this election…). All jokes aside, I am very excited to study renewable energy from a European perspective. The general attitude towards renewable energy is much more enthusiastic and optimistic in Europe (or so it seems) and the implementation of clean energy technology is much farther ahead. I’m excited to study with classmates from all over the world and get a broader perspective on it all than I would in the U.S.

Another reason for studying in Europe is simply that it is much less expensive than going to school in the U.S., even when you factor in cost of living and flights between home and school. I’m happy to talk more about the financial aspect if anyone is interested and feel free to reach out to me if you’re curious.

And, for real, I just wanted an opportunity to live in Europe for a couple of years. That one is pretty self explanatory.

Why EIT InnoEnergy?

In 2019, during the spring semester of my junior year of undergrad, I studied abroad in Madrid. I took two engineering classes at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) – one in Industrial Automation and one in Wind Energy. I absolutely loved my Wind Energy course and my time in Spain so I started looking for opportunities to come back to Europe after I graduated. A quick Google search of wind energy + grad school + Europe led me to EIT InnoEnergy.

EIT InnoEnergy is an innovation engine for sustainable energy across Europe. They invest in businesses, entrepreneurs, students, and technology to drive the clean energy transition. In their own words:

“EIT InnoEnergy brings people and resources together, catalysing and accelerating the energy transition. New ideas, products and solutions that make a real difference, and new businesses and people to deliver them to market. Operating at the centre of the energy transition, we build connections worldwide, bringing together innovators and industry, entrepreneurs and investors, graduates and employers.”

EIT InnoEnergy Masters+ offers five different programs (Renewable Energy, Smart Electrical Systems, Sustainable Energy Systems, Nuclear Energy, and Energy for Smart Cities). These are all 2-year programs where students study at two different European universities. There are about 15 partner universities in Sweden, Finland, Poland, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Italy. There are about 2,000 alumni of the EIT InnoEnergy Masters+ programs.

One thing that really drew me to this program was the unique combination of engineering and business education. This is first and foremost an engineering degree but it also includes a business component, with certifications in business, innovation, and artificial intelligence. In their words:

“Elevate your skills with our MBA-level training, empowering you with tools for venture creation, investor pitches, fostering creative thinking, embracing ambiguity, and harnessing digital advancements like data science, machine learning, and blockchain technologies specifically tailored for the energy industry.”

This intersection of engineering and business was exactly what I was looking for and was surprisingly hard to find in other programs. I am looking forward to dusting off my Mechanical Engineering degree and digging deeper into the technical components of sustainable energy systems while also strengthening my understanding of the business side of things.

Click here to learn more about EIT InnoEnergy Masters+.

Why the Sustainable Energy Systems program?

I really like the idea of studying renewable energy at the systems level and seeing how different technologies interact with each other and how we can actually implement them in everyday life. I’m very excited to get some hands on project experience through the two separate industry consulting projects that are part of the program. I also considered EIT InnoEnergy’s Renewable Energy Technology degree, but decided that it seemed a little too engineering-y (that’s the technical term) and that I would prefer to zoom out a little bit and focus more broadly on systems and how things interact with each other.

Why Stockholm and Lisbon?

For my first year, I had the choice between universities in Stockholm, Barcelona, and Eindhoven (the Netherlands). That was a very easy choice for me. I am a quarter Swedish and my family has maintained some bits of Swedish culture and traditions passed down from my Swedish ancestors. I have learned some Swedish over the years (ask me about my Duolingo streak) and really enjoy connecting with this part of my heritage. Maybe in December I will publicly share the photo of me in 6th grade dressed up at our church’s St. Lucia Day celebration (no promises).

For my second year, I chose my university based on my preferred specialization:

• Combined Energy Systems at KTH: Royal Institute of Technology
• Energy-to-X and CO2 management at PoliTo: Politecnico di Torino
• Innovation in Energy Systems at TU/e: Eindhoven University of Technology
• Offshore Energy Systems at IST: Instituto Superior Técnico
• Digital Energy Systems at UPC: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech
• Circular Economy in Energy Systems at Aalto University
• Sustainable Energy Systems  at AGH: University of Science and Technology

I chose IST in Lisbon, Portugal to specialize in Offshore Energy Systems. I am very interested in offshore energy, especially offshore wind. But I also just wanted to live in Lisbon. I visited Portugal in 2022 with one of my best friends from college, whose name is also Emily (after many years of friendship we still find it amusing). Her family is from Portugal and she hadn’t been to visit family in a while so plans started to come together for us to take a trip to Europe after we graduated college in 2020. Needless to say, that trip got cancelled. We were finally able to reschedule in 2022 and had an amazing trip to Lisbon, Porto, and some smaller towns and cities as well. I love Portugal and have also been working on my Portuguese for a few years so I am very excited to spend a year in Lisbon!

TL;DR

I want to pursue a career in sustainable energy and decided grad school was a great way to gain knowledge, expertise, and connections. I decided to go to grad school in Sweden and Portugal because they are awesome places and also, why not?

This was a very long and comprehensive post but if you made it this far please feel free to comment or message me on Instagram if you have any thoughts or questions!