Archives: Speakers

This is the example custom post type

Devinder Mahajan

Dr. Devinder Mahajan is Professor and Graduate Program Director of Chemical & Molecular Engineering and serves as Director of the Institute of Gas Innovation and Technology (I-GIT) at Stony Brook University. His research includes monitoring energy policies and development of low-carbon technologies to address sustainability and climate change issues. He has published over 300 papers, delivered over 120 lectures, edited 12 special journal volumes, and holds 15 patents. Dr. Mahajan’s awards include:

  • NEDO Fellow, Japan (1997);
  • Outstanding Mentor Award, Office of Science, United States Department of Energy (2008, 2010);
  • University Visiting Professor, Universitá di Roma “La Sapienza”, Roma, Italy (2008);
  • Visiting Researcher, Institute for Global Strategies (IGES), Hayama, Japan (2009);
  • Fulbright Specialist Scholar (Thailand, 2010; Kenya 2014);
  • Certificate of Recognition, Bureau of Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State (2012);
  • Marie Curie Senior Researcher (2013-16) funded by the European Commission;
  • Expert Group Meeting Science & Sustainable Goals Report to 30-Member Countries Open Working Group (Rio+20) of the General Assembly, United Nations (2013);
  • Innovation Achievement Award, Brookhaven National Laboratory, New York (2014);
  • Inducted to the National Academy of Inventors in 2018.

Carl Garofalo

Carl Garofalo is the Director of Sustainability Solutions at Southern Company Gas. In this role, Carl supports the development of innovative end-use technologies and programs to empower customers and internal stakeholders to use energy more efficiently. Carl also collaborates with internal and external stakeholders on federal, state and local policy, outreach, and communications efforts on these sustainability and efficiency initiatives.

Carl has over 11 years of experience with Southern Company Gas, most recently serving as the Director of Growth and Retention. Carl has engineering experience in the gas appliance industry designing water heaters, boilers, and space heating systems as an applications engineer for Rinnai America Corporation. Additionally, Carl has been honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

Carl is a graduate of Boston University’s mechanical engineering program and also earned a master’s degree in biology with a concentration in biomechanics.

Stafford Sheehan

Dr. Stafford Sheehan is a scientist, inventor, and award-winning electrochemist and carbon dioxide conversion specialist with more than 37 academic publications, 10 patents, and a number of technical awards. He is the CTO of Air Company, where he has created a proprietary and patented technology system that converts captured carbon dioxide into high-purity alcohols and fuels. As CTO, Dr. Sheehan is responsible for overseeing all technological operations while working to continue to push the boundaries and scale of Air Company’s technology.

He received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale in 2016, where he won the university’s highest achievement award for a chemistry thesis and founded two successful companies in software and chemistry. His achievements landed him on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Energy in 2016.