Angel Hsu, PhD

Principal Investigator
PhD, Environmental Policy

Angel Hsu, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and the Environment, Ecology and Energy Program (E3P) at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and holds a PhD in Environmental Policy from Yale University.

She is the Founder and Principal Investigator of Data-Driven EnviroLab. Angel previously held appointments at Yale-NUS College in Singapore as Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, and the World Resources Institute (WRI) where she managed and led WRI’s efforts to develop corporate greenhouse gas accounting and reporting initiatives in developing countries, including China. Angel was also the lead author of the 2018 UNEP Emissions Gap report chapter on non-state actors and an author for the IPCC AR6. Angel holds an M Phil in Environmental Policy from the University of Cambridge, and a BS in Biology and BA in Political Science from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC.

Xuewei Wang

Research Scientist
MS, Natural Resources and the Environment

Xuewei holds an MS in Natural Resources and the Environment from the University of Michigan, where she focused on estimating and mapping sustainable agriculture practices with remote sensing imagery and machine learning. She is interested in conducting natural resources management, addressing environmental challenges, and helping sustainable development through big data and data mining. Xuewei’s professional experience includes building machine learning models for precision agriculture, land-cover-land-use classification, leveraging multispectral optical and radar sensor data on the environment problem-solving, and geospatial data API development. She is an expert in applying remote sensing data to environmental issues and Google Earth Engine, where she is developing a java-script based application for our Urban Environment and Social Inclusion Index.  As a data enthusiast, Xuewei also explores other topics where environmental studies and data science intersects, including data visualization, deep learning, and web development. She loves to capture the beauty of mother nature with her camera.

Sarah Berk

Postdoctoral Research Associate
PhD, Climactic Research

Sarah Berk, a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Data-Driven Lab, earned her PhD from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, UK. Her doctoral thesis concentrated on projecting surface urban heat islands under both current and future climates, employing machine learning techniques combining with satellite, reanalysis, and CMIP6 data. Currently, her research pursuits have shifted towards investigating the canopy urban heat island phenomenon. This includes exploring diverse methodological approaches for its derivation and examining the human impacts of urban heat. With a longstanding interest in data and statistics, Sarah holds a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Exeter and has previously worked as a finance analyst.

Ying Yu

Postdoctoral Research Associate
PhD, Environmental Sciences and Engineering

Ying Yu is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Data-Driven EnviroLab, with a PhD in Environmental Sciences and Engineering from UNC-Chapel Hill. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Financial Engineering and a Master’s degree in Technology Economy and Management. Her doctoral research tackled climate challenges in energy-vulnerable communities, specifically exploring the climate-energy equity nexus and public perceptions toward renewable energy transitions. Ying’s current research interest lies in leveraging her interdisciplinary expertise in energy economics, data science, and geospatial techniques to devise targeted and differentiated environmental and energy solutions, thus informing policymakers and practitioners with data-driven and evidence-based insights. Her work involves using machine learning and remote sensing techniques to predict high-resolution energy data for data-sparse areas and conducting quantitative policy analysis to enhance urban air quality and support subnational and non-state climate actions. Ying loves backpacking and has been to 30 countries.

Katherine Burley

UNC-Chapel Hill, PhD Student (Public Policy)

Katherine is a graduate research assistant for the Data-Driven Lab, currently pursuing a PhD in Public Policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research interests include energy and environmental policy, specifically how subnational governments and electric utilities respond to climate change issues and the ongoing renewable energy transition. Prior to entering the PhD program, Katherine worked in economic consulting. At her most recent role, she evaluated demand-side management programs and technologies for utilities and energy companies throughout North America. She received a BS in Economics from Louisiana State University and an MA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Izzy Bukovnik

UNC-Chapel Hill, PhD Student (Public Policy)

Izzy is a graduate research assistant for the Data-Driven Lab and a PhD student in the Public Policy Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her academic interests include the factors that influence non-state actors to enact environmental regulations (particularly the interplay between municipal and state governments), data visualization, and science communication. Izzy has a Masters in Environmental Management with a specialization in Geographic Information Systems from Duke University and a BA in Integrative Biology from the University of California at Berkeley. In her free time, Izzy enjoys hiking with her two dogs, Artemis and Virgil.

Silvia Landa

UNC-Chapel Hill, PhD Student (Environmental Sciences and Engineering)

Supported by a Fulbright scholarsihp, Silvia A. Landa is a PhD student in the Environmental Sciences and Engineering department. She holds a Master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Utah State University, where she focused on water resource management and hydrology. Prior to starting her PhD, Silvia worked in the development sector and engaged in policy advocacy related to water, sanitation, and climate resilience. Her research interests center on multilevel water governance and governmental decision-making. At DDL, Silvia contributes to the ChatNDC project, preparing country fact sheets that highlight opportunities to strengthen national climate measures. She is excited about using AI to support government policy strategies and hopes to deepen her understanding of how national and local governments interact with non-state actors to advance environmental policies.

Ella Feathers

UNC-Chapel Hill, Master’s Student (Journalism)

Ella Feathers is a student in the Science-Communication dual degree program where she earned Bachelors degrees in Economics and Environmental Studies and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Journalism. At UNC, she served as the Undergraduate Student Government Co-Director of Environmental Affairs for and the student representative to the Town of Chapel Hill Environmental Stewardship Advisory Board. Ella is passionate about finding creative and innovative ways to communicate sustainability actions and solutions.

Mason Laney

UNC-Chapel Hill, Master’s Student (Computer Science)

Following completion of his Bachelors degrees in Computer Science and Linguistics with a minor in Data Science, Mason is pursuing his Masters degree in Computer Science at UNC Chapel Hill. He is joining DDL as a Machine Learning / Natural Language Processing research assistant, where he will use his skills to help us create ChatNetZero, the first LLM designed to accurately answer questions about net zero and actors’ net-zero commitments. In his free time, Mason enjoys video games and trading card games.

Julie (Juhyun) Lee

UNC-Chapel Hill, Master’s Student (Computer Science)

Julie is an incoming Computer Science master’s student at UNC Chapel Hill. She completed her undergraduate studies in Statistics and French Literature in Seoul, South Korea. Julie has a strong interest in deep learning, particularly in natural language processing (NLP) and multi-modal learning. Julie is contributing to ChatNetZero, and is excited by its potential to not only provide accurate information but also offer context about net-zero policies, helping people make more informed decisions. With a long-standing desire to create a positive impact, she is excited to join DDL and hopes to contribute to the development of a climate policy-specific language model that is free from hallucinations and bias.

Emma Holmes

UNC-Chapel Hill ’24

Emma is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill majoring in Global Studies with minors in Geography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). She is joining DDL for the 2023-2024 academic year as a GIS Analyst Student Research Assistant. She is excited to develop stronger GIS and programming skills while working on projects that combine her passions for geospatial analysis, public policy, and sustainability. Outside of academics, Emma enjoys learning new hobbies, reading fantasy novels, and being a barista.

Sarah Combs

Social Connectedness Fellow

Sarah is a recent UNC graduate with Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health Science. Joining DDL as a fellow in partnership with the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness, she is excited to participate in an impactful project that can generate a positive community impact. Beyond her work, Sarah enjoys cross-stitching and ultimate frisbee.

Will Carney

UNC-Chapel Hill ’26

Will is a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill majoring in Economics and Public Policy with a concentration in Climate and a minor in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. He joined DDL to work on developing frameworks to evaluate subnational climate policy and research the implications of US-China relations on climate change and Southeast Asia. Outside of his main tasks at DDL, Will also leads the Thematic Working Group on Carbon Markets & Article 6 of the Paris Agreement for the UNFCCC’s research constituency. Post-grad, he intends to take a year off to backpack Southeast Asia before pursuing a degree in international law and continuing to contribute to the UNFCCC in a negotiating capacity. His work at DDL is providing a strong foundation for these ambitions by enhancing his understanding of complex climate policies and the geopolitical factors that influence them.

Cameron Kaplinger

UNC-Chapel Hill ’26

Cameron (Cam) Kaplinger is a rising junior majoring in Data Science. Cam is excited to join DDL to raise awareness about climate change and contribute data-driven insights to the climate community. He hopes to refine his data science skills while learning from experts. Following graduation, he aims to work in baseball analytics, and sees his time at DDL as key to developing the professional skills needed for that goal. Born and raised in Raleigh, NC, he enjoys watching sports, attending Carolina games, traveling, and trying new foods. 

TC Chakraborty

Collaborator
PhD, Earth and Environmental Sciences

TC completed his PhD at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and is currently a Research Scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He has a B.Tech in Civil Engineering and an M.Tech in Environmental Engineering and Management. During his Master’s thesis, he quantified the temporal and spatial aspects of the canopy and surface urban heat islands of the greater Kanpur region using in-situ measurements, mobile campaigns, and remote sensing. He currently investigates how the exchange of energy between the surface and the atmosphere influences local weather and climate. In particular, he is interested in the influence of highly heterogeneous terrain, like urban areas, on boundary layer dynamics. His work involves running numerical weather prediction models, analyzing climate data, and satellite remote sensing.

Marco Schletz, PhD

Post-doctoral Research Associate
PhD, Innovation and Environmental Studies

Marco holds a PhD in Innovation and Environmental Studies from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) where worked with the UNEP DTU Partnership researching how blockchain technology can accelerate the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. More specifically, he explored blockchain as a foundational technology to enable innovative governance models, specifically towards the new Paris Agreement carbon market mechanisms. Marco has experience developing national accounting systems through the Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) and the Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT). Additionally, he has managed climate finance projects under the ADMIRE project with external partners across the broader international community in the context of the Paris Agreement. He also holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Copenhagen and is certified in blockchain business innovation and application through MIT Sloan Executive Education.