Hi! I’m Nolan. I am a professional with experience in geoscience and engineering interested in applying that knowledge to finding sustainable energy solutions . I love learning how things work and why. In my free time, I enjoy getting on my bike, poking around somewhere new backcountry skiing, or tinkering around with some new project at home. I am currently feeding my curiosity by pursuing a Masters in Renewable Energy at CU Boulder. I am particularly excited about how data science can be used to guide more effective energy choices. My career has always been driven by two goals: challenging myself and leaving the world a better place than I found it.

I wasn’t always interested in energy. But I have always been interested in the natural world around me, and how humans interact with it. I grew up taking long road trips across the west, often to visit family. I would be glued to my window to see the landscapes we traversed through, taking note of the human infrastructure scattered through them , be that mines, power plants, bridges, airports, etc. This interest led me to a geological engineering undergraduate degree and a career working for mining, environmental, energy, and water industries.

As my career progressed, however, I noticed more problems affecting lives around me. Problems related to climate change began to creep in. Places I had travelled to growing up were devastated by fires or floods or both. Friends and family started to become displaced by natural disasters . While I still found my work important, I felt like it was not having a direct impact on what I was seeing. At the same time, I saw solutions becoming more and more viable. I began to wonder if I could have more impact doing something else.

My friends started working in renewable and sustainable fields, bringing expertise from a vast variety of backgrounds. They encouraged me to follow suit, and I started to brainstorm how I could take my experience from a geological career and apply it towards the transition to non-carbon energy. I have always loved how data can provide a more complete answers to complex questions. I also worked with data in my previous career and found though conversations with friends , a similar need for processing skills in renewable energy. So I decided to finally take the leap and pursue this interest by enrolling in a master in renewable energy. I look forward to seeing what direction this new path takes me!