Our Team

With over 20 years of experience in clean energy and climate research, Mike leads the Energy Storage Group’s efforts in developing and deploying cutting-edge energy storage technologies. His work focuses on bridging the gap between research and real-world applications, collaborating with industry partners, graduate students, and researchers. Before joining UC San Diego, Mike helped launch the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP)—the largest zero-emission vehicle incentive program in the U.S. He holds a Master’s degree from the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley.

A Project Management Professional (PMP) with 15 years of experience, Sasha specializes in bringing teams together to deliver high-impact projects on time and within budget. She has worked across diverse industries, from education to healthcare, developing strong stakeholder relationships and adapting to dynamic environments. Passionate about climate change mitigation, Sasha plays a key role in advancing sustainability initiatives at the Energy Storage Group.

David is an electrical engineer with expertise in battery systems design, testing, and integration. His work spans energy storage research, autonomous vehicle technologies, and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) applications. At UC San Diego, he leads advancements in battery management systems (BMS), ensuring reliability and performance through high-power testing and validation. David holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Florida State University, specializing in power system control and energy management.

Pedro specializes in carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies and energy storage solutions. With a background in fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and mechanical design, he focuses on optimizing carbon capture processes, improving air circulation efficiency, and addressing scalability challenges. Pedro holds BS and MS degrees in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from UC San Diego and is committed to developing sustainable technologies for a low-carbon future.

Alex brings a diverse engineering background to the Energy Storage Group, with experience at General Motors, NASA, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. As a battery test engineer at GM, he helped reduce warranty failures from 25% to 1.6%, ensuring battery safety and reliability. Later, at NASA’s SOFIA program, he played a key role in airworthiness operations. Now, Alex applies his expertise in energy systems, safety, and testing to drive innovation in UC San Diego’s Energy Storage and Systems labs.