Team
Learn more about us
Current Members
Jennifer Ballew
Program Coordinator
Jen joined LEAC in spring of 2018 as a full-time employee; she serves as program coordinator in charge of day-to-day operations. She was previously a lab manager at Harvard University.
Daniel J. Preston
Founder, Program Director
Dan received his PhD from MIT in 2017 for work on enhanced efficiency in electrical power generation and increased electronic device cooling performance. He gained experience in lab operation and best practices working as the Environment, Health and Safety rep for his PhD lab. Prior to attending MIT, Dan worked at the Alabama Industrial Assessment Center, where he assisted factories and plants with energy conservation, waste reduction, and productivity increases.
Kindle Williams
Energy Consultant
Kindle is a third-year PhD student in chemical engineering. Her research involves the electrochemical conversion of CO2 to useful products. She received her Master’s through the Chemical Engineering Practice School in the Fall of 2017, during which time she worked on environmental impact, electrification, and signal processing projects with both Shell in Houston, TX and Emirates Global Aluminium and Dubai, UAE. As an EHS Representative, she is passionate about lab safety and sustainability. Kindle received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry from the University of Alabama in 2016.
Johnathan Kongoletos
Energy Consultant
jkongole@mit.edu | https://architecture.mit.edu/student/johnathan-kongoletos
John is a third-year PhD student within the Building Technology lab at MIT. John brings a professional background in energy efficiency evaluation and measurement, and also a research background in energy conservation for laboratory HVAC and envelope systems. His current research aims to improve thermal comfort in cost-constrained economies using largely-passive means. John received his SB in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 2014 and SM in Building Technology from MIT in 2018. John was certified as a Certified Energy Manager in 2016.
Ariel S. Anders
Lead Technology Developer
Ari is a fifth-year PhD student and robotics lab course teaching assistant at MIT. Her teaching experience spans from basic circuit design to autonomous vehicle programming. Meanwhile, her research applies machine learning techniques for robotic manipulation strategies. Ari is motivated to tackle problems that require robust and repeatable robotic solutions, a trait she acquired in her undergraduate research in robotic dentistry. Ari received her SM from MIT in 2014 and BS in Computer Engineering from UC Santa Cruz in 2012.
Dheekshita Kumar
MIT Undergraduate '20
Dheekshita is an undergraduate student at MIT studying mechanical engineering and CS with a focus in renewable energy technology development. She has always been passionate about sustainablity issues, and hopes to be a part of the effort to reduce the carbon footprint of the world (starting with her campus!) In her free time, Dheekshita enjoys composing, singing, and exploring new places.
Ethan Munden
MIT Undergraduate '20
Ethan is an undergraduate student at MIT studying aerospace engineering. He is passionate about energy conservation and joined the LEAC team in the Spring of 2018. He hopes to someday work with sustainability in the aerospace industry.
Anupama Phatak
MIT Undergraduate '21
Anupama is an undergraduate at MIT studying mechanical engineering with a minor in economics. She thinks reducing energy wastage is essential for the environment and is excited to join LEAC in helping MIT do its part. In the future, Anupama hopes to stay involved in the sustainability effort.
Alumni
Alice Ursella
EHS Liaison
Alice Ursella works at the MIT Environmental Health and Safety Office as a Project Assistant. She joined the EHS Office in November 2016 and, since February she is helping with the organization of the Green Lab certification program. She will help the LEAC team during the setup and collection of data for the MIT Labs interested in the energy assessment. Alice has a BS in Physics from University of Trieste (Trieste, Italy) and a BASc in Occupational Health and Safety from Ryerson University (Toronto, Canada).
Laura Becerra
University of San Diego Undergraduate '19
Laura was born and raised in Stockton, California. She will be entering her fourth year as an electrical engineering major with a triple minor in math, Spanish, and computer science at the University of San Diego. She plans to attend graduate school and pursue a doctorate in an engineering field. Outside of school and research, she enjoys dancing, exercising, and spending time with family and friends.
Maxwell Drake
MIT Undergraduate '20
Maxwell is an undergrad student at MIT, and is planning on majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Design. He has varied interests that range from graphic design to computer science and wants to use these skills to aid the Lab Energy Assessment Center in its goal of facilitating MIT’s move towards a more green campus.
Georgia Phillips
MIT Undergraduate '20
Georgia is an undergraduate student at MIT. She is planning on majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on sustainability and energy development. She has always been passionate about addressing the world’s increasingly important sustainability issues and is excited to work with the Lab Energy Assessment Center to find resolutions to benefit labs across her own campus by reducing energy consumption and raising awareness for better energy usage practices.
Juan Ferrua
MIT Undergraduate '20
Juan is an undergraduate student at MIT studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science with a potential minor in Energy Studies. He wants to help improve the world’s energy systems, and is excited to work with the Lab Energy Assessment Center to empower labs around campus to take an active role in improving their energy efficiency and making MIT more sustainable.
Lisa Tang
MIT Undergraduate '20
Lisa is an undergraduate student at MIT studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Energy Studies, and she is excited about making MIT a more sustainable place through LEAC. She is also a member of MIT's chapter of Engineers Without Borders and the MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team.