Longhorn Energy seeks to leverage the world-class academic, co-curricular, and extra-curricular energy opportunities at UT for the betterment of all members of the UT community. In particular, the aim of this organization shall be to build community and collaboration between students at UT, support energy-related activities and events, and to aid members in pursuit of energy careers.

Leadership Board

Matthew Haley

Matthew Haley is a MA candidate in Public Affairs and a MSc candidate in Energy and Earth Resources at The University of Texas at Austin. Matthew is interested in policy changes incited by rapid technical innovation in the energy sector.  In his work at UT, Matthew has contributed to multiple research efforts geared towards the diffusion of energy technologies, policy integration of energy storage, and environmental equity. Prior to graduate school, Matthew spent three years working in the petroleum industry as a logging engineer. Last year, he completed an internship at Austin Energy working on the Department of Energy funded SHINES project.

Jenny Sauer

Jenny Sauer is pursuing an MBA and MS in Energy in Earth Resources at the University of Texas at Austin. She is interested in the evolution of the electric power sector as new technologies, policies, and customer preferences emerge. Last summer Jenny completed an internship at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, contributing to research on voluntary green power markets and residential PV financing. Prior to graduate school, Jenny completed her bachelor’s degree at Vanderbilt University and worked in healthcare data analytics and project management.

Katie Drews

Katherine Drews is a Master of Public Affairs candidate at the LBJ School. She is interested in energy policy, with a focus on sustainable sources, climate change mitigation, and emerging technologies. Over the summer, Katie interned in a Texas state Senator’s office and she will return during the 2019 Legislative Session. She hopes to pursue a career in energy policy at the state level, focusing on how to ensure affordable energy prices for consumers while mitigating the effects of climate change. Prior to attending UT, Katie received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Houston.

Cody Hoffman

Cody Hoffman is a dual McCombs MBA and MA in Energy and Earth Resources Candidate at the University of Texas at Austin. Cody is interested in the project development and utilities space. While at UT Cody’s research efforts have focused on changing utility business models and the integration of renewables into the electric grid. Prior to graduate school, Cody was an artillery officer in the United States Marine Corps, serving multiple tours overseas working with foreign militaries and governments. Cody spent last summer with Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s Leadership Development Summer Associate Program, working on the company’s response to the California wildfires. He also has a Bachelor's degree in Geography and the Environment from the University of Texas.

Michael Liu

Michael is a third-year mechanical engineering student born in Guangzhou, China but has lived in multiple U.S. states such as NY, WA, CA, and TX since he was 6. Michael has worked in both business and engineering for Shell, Hilcorp, Austin Technology Incubator, and the Webber Energy Group. He spends his free time digesting self-development books and podcasts like Tim Ferriss, exploring electronic music, or honing his one-arm handstand technique. Michael lives off enterprising projects and has co-founded the Energy Case Competition, TEDxUTAustin, a drone services startup named Maverick Labs, and most recently PUC Thailand 138 to bring access to clean water to 138 elementary students in rural West Thailand. When he graduates, he hopes to work for a fast-growing technology startup to help accelerate the transition to clean energy and curtail climate change.

Joshua Mars

Joshua is a third-year undergraduate student in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering. In addition to Longhorn Energy Club, he is involved with The Energy Case Competition, UT’s chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and Consult Your Community. Joshua enjoys learning more about innovative energy technologies and industry trends.

Dilge Kanoglu

Dilge is an MSc candidate in Energy and Earth Resources at the University of Texas at Austin. Previously, she received an MSc degree in Earth System Science from Middle East Technical University, Turkey and worked on developing quantitative measures of societal acceptance, particularly in the context of shale gas development. She also has research experience in environmental policy development. To this end, she has contributed to several interdisciplinary projects funded through the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme. Dilge’s primary interests involve studying the relationships between energy, environment, the economy and society.

Spencer Trihus

Spencer Trihus is a junior undergraduate Chemical Engineering student in the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. His experience from living in Saudi Arabia sparked his passion for the energy sector, in particular cleaner energy solutions within the petroleum sector. While at UT, his extracurricular work has centered around economical impacts and perception of alternative energy sources within modern society. His current areas of interest include energy policy and emerging technologies within both the petroleum and renewable energy fields.

Josia Simanjuntak

Josia is an M.S. candidate in Energy and Earth Resources at the University of Texas at Austin who hails from Jakarta, Indonesia. His research focuses on the potential of unconventional oil and gas development in Indonesia. Prior to graduate school, he obtained his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from Universitas Indonesia and subsequently worked as a project management officer at SKK Migas, an upstream oil and gas regulatory body in Indonesia. He was also awarded a full-ride scholarship to study in USA from the government of Indonesia through the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education. In addition to working with LEC, he serves as the Professional Development Director at the Indonesian Student Association in Austin as well as a Graduate Assistant for the geoscience course at UT OnRamps.

Upayan Mathkari

Upayan Mathkari is a junior undergraduate student in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering. Passionate about sustainability, Upayan has been involved in research in energy technology for the Texas Materials Institute and gave a TEDx talk on his concept of a closed-loop manufacturing model for minimizing waste-generation and greenhouse emissions. Last summer, Upayan interned at an Austin-based startup, Yotta Solar, where he worked on passive thermal regulation systems for solar energy storage. Upayan enjoys learning about innovative trends in clean energy and sustainability and aspires to create some in his future career.

Diane Graham

Diane Graham is pursuing her bachelor’s in Economics and Geography (Class of 2019) and was a selected member of the 2017 Cohort of the McCombs Energy Management Program at The University of Texas at Austin. This past summer, Diane interned with Valero in San Antonio analyzing jet, gasoline, and distillate trading books against the benchmark index sales gaining exposure to physical commodity trading and logistics as well as hedging strategies. Diane will continue to pursue her career and further her education in energy economics and energy markets after graduating in May.

Indre Altman

Indre Altman studies geoscience and international relations at Bowdoin College and has worked/studied in Germany, New Zealand, Lithuania and Mongolia.  Indre’s interest in geoscience grew from her participation in GeoForce (a program that inspires interest in geology among minority groups), and summer research on river deltas with Professor Wonsuck Kim.  Her interest in foreign affairs stems from her Lithuanian-American upbringing, affinity for languages, and love of politics. Last summer, Indre worked with a gold exploration team in Mongolia and became fascinated by international resource development. Indre graduated with a double-major in Earth & Oceanographic Science and Government & Legal Studies and a minor in German this May, and is excited to pursue a Masters of Energy and Earth Resources as a Glenn Garland Memorial Fellow.