The Navigator July 2024 Edition

Liam has a diverse professional background spanning research, energy policy, and data analysis. He brings a cross-functional approach to researching and developing customer solutions, and providing analysis on an ever-evolving energy sector. Before joining Relae, he worked as a Solutions Engineer at an energy policy data SaaS company, where he helped sustainability and energy transition focused customers optimize their policy research and management. Liam has also worked as a Technical Account Manager at a carbon accounting SaaS company, where he helped customers integrate a wide variety of energy and spend data into an emissions accounting platform. In this role, he also worked with product and data services teams to develop new internal tools and external platform features.

Dr. Colin McCormick directs Relae's work in power and electricity, data center infrastructure, grid reliability, and space technologies. Trained as an optical physicist and data scientist, he conducted research in applied quantum optics and atomic physics at UC Berkeley and NIST. He previously served as the Senior Advisor for R&D at the US Department of Energy, overseeing the applied energy research portfolio in energy efficiency, renewables, energy storage, grid technologies, electric vehicles and related areas. Earlier, he was a Professional Staff Member for the House Science & Technology Committee, focusing on technology and innovation policy, data interoperability, and technical standards development. He is an Adjunct Professor in the Science, Technology and International Affairs program at Georgetown University where he teaches classes on deep decarbonization and AI & autonomous systems. He is also a Commissioner on the District of Columbia Commission on Climate Change and Resiliency. He has worked extensively with the Climate TRACE consortium, and is a member of the Carbon Mapper Science & Measurement Committee. He was previously a member of the WattTime Board of Directors.

Dr. Gutierrez is an environmental and climate justice practitioner, drawing on work across community-based research, public policy, and direct climate advocacy. Trained as a cultural anthropologist and political ecologist, he has conducted ethnographic fieldwork with environmental justice movements in Chile, rural northern California, and the Puget Sound on topics of watershed conservation and Indigenous sovereignty, renewable energy development, superfund remediation, and floodplain restoration. Alongside his work at Relae, he is affiliate faculty at the School of Environmental & Forest Sciences at the University of Washington, where he teaches and conducts research on the environmental justice dimensions of climate change adaptation.

Prior to joining Relae, Grant served as an environmental justice policy lead in state and local government in Washington, where he led efforts to implement the HEAL Act—Washington’s landmark environmental justice law—and advance equitable development and community planning through the Duwamish Valley Program at the City of Seattle. He serves on the board of the Duwamish River Community Coalition, a community-based organization focused on environmental justice and climate resilience in South Seattle.

Shirin has a diverse professional background spanning nature based solutions, energy policy, and data analysis. Before joining Relae, she worked as a Research Associate for CLASP where she conducted policyresearch on the efficiency and accessibility of household appliances across an international landscape. Prior to CLASP, she also worked at Indufor North America where she supported client-based consulting work relating to landscape conservation and forestry. During her time in undergrad, Shirin also worked in the UC Davis SCOW lab where she facilitated research on enhancing the carbon sequestration properties of agricultural soils.

Dr. Dees leads Relae's scientific advisory practice for the transportation fuel and industrial commodity sectors. He brings interdisciplinary expertise to the bioeconomy and bioenergy systems, bridging industrial ecology, economics, and climate policy to drive decarbonization. As a researcher, Dr. Dees explored the role of biomass as both an energy feedstock and a substrate for carbon removal (BiCRS), integrating technoeconomic analysis and life cycle assessment with market-enabling policy. His work has been featured in leading academic journals, including Environmental Science and Technology, Green Chemistry, and ES&T Water. Over a two-year collaboration with the Energy Systems team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Dr. Dees was a lead contributor to the US DRIVE Net-Zero Carbon Fuels Technical Analysis, evaluating the potential for ethanol decarbonization and the climate impacts of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). At Relae, he directs an interdisciplinary team to provide strategic guidance at the intersection of transport fuels and heavy industry. He has spearheaded the development of industry-standard resources, including the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Primer and the Criteria for High-Quality Environmental Attribute Certificates for the steel and concrete sectors.

Before joining Relae, Thaddeus worked in Washington, DC for more than a decade, focusing on energy, environment, and climate policy. Most recently, he served as Legislative Director for Congressman Marc Veasey where he led the Congressman’s legislative team. He is especially proud to have played a part in building transformative climate legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Prior to joining Congressman Veasey’s office, he worked at the U.S. Department of Energy in the office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).

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