The KIETS Climate Leaders Program (CLP) focuses on solutions to mitigating or reversing the negative effects of climate change via technical, managerial, political or economic approaches that, if adopted, offer a promise of impactful developments that will help humanity deal with this existential threat. The program supports student scholars’ engagement with our world’s best leaders and organizations working on climate change solutions to help empower, educate and inspire young people to embark on careers and become innovative leaders in mitigating climate change, which affects almost all aspects of people’s lives. The scholars are becoming a network of committed emerging leaders in the area of climate change solutions. The program strengthens the students’ understanding, communication, engagement, leadership and professional development around climate change through monthly meetings, a three-day intensive academy, a fall symposium, and three to six-month internship placements. The students’ three to six-month internship placements are strengthening the workforce necessary to combat climate change impacts.
The CLP hired Catherine Cole as the Program Coordinator, effective April 1, 2025. Catherine hit the ground running during the Intensive Academy and is working alongside Amanda Mueller (Director), Jeremiah Johnson (Senior Faculty Fellow and associate professor in the Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering), Tara Spivey (University Program Associate), Cordella Rashid (Assistant Director for Grants and Finance) and Lindsay Skinner (Associate Director of Philanthropy) to implement and build the capacity of the program. Raj Narayan and Ruben Carbonell continue to provide program guidance and support in developing partnerships and collaborations.
The 14 student/mentor teams for 2025 (3 undergraduate, 11 graduate, representing seven NC State Colleges) are approaching climate change in innovative ways to improve urban growth, renewable energy/energy waste, sustainable business practices, agri-food systems, air pollution, carbon capture/sequestration, animal conservation, fisheries and marine food webs, disaster recovery, community engagement and local stewardship, climate history and education, public policy, and the application of climate data. The 2025 scholars engaged in monthly sessions on Climate 101, Systems Thinking Approach and Mitigation, Theory of Change Model with the City of Raleigh’s Community Climate Action Plan, Communications for different audiences and the three-day intensive academy.
The three-day Intensive Academy took place in Morehead City, NC (May 5-7, 2025) with partners from Morehead City staff; Town of Beaufort County Commissioner; East Carteret High School; Carteret Community College, Governor Stein’s Eastern Office; NC Sea Grant; NC Coastal Federation; Croatan National Forest; local fishers and farmers; Beaufort Grocery; Cape Lookout ferry services and local volunteers; Down East, NC community members; NC State’s Center for Marine Science and Technology and NC State University Faculty. The students even participated in a tidal marsh cleanup event with the NC Coastal Federation.
Other partners engaged with the 2025 CLP students during monthly academy meetings, including Citizens Climate Lobby, Durham Museum of Life and Science, NC State University Libraries, North Carolina State Climate Office, and North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency. The CLP has maintained financial support through NC State’s Provost Office and additional grants and added new placements to prearranged internship hosts (2026 – All We Are, Believer Meats, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center, Coastal Community Resilience Immersive Training (C-CRIT), Novo Nordisk). The CLP continues to have conversations with multiple entities that are interested in partnering with KIETS on this endeavor and/or serving as internship hosts for future cohorts of students. Internship Placements for the 2025 CLP cohort included All We Are, Buhler Group, Core Sound Waterfowl Museum, Gensler Research Group, Harvard University Geographic Insights Lab, Merrick Moore Community Development Corporation (MMCDC), National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, North Carolina Wildlife Federation, North Carolina State Climate Office, Norvo Nordisk, The Conservation Fund, UNC-Wilmington Center for Marine Science, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
The 4th Annual Climate Leaders Program Fall Symposium, “Think and Do: Climate Challenges and Solutions,” on October 1-2, 2025, addressed sustainable proteins, energy grids, hazard mitigation, and city design through case-based panels. The 2025 symposium also included impactful keynote talks, a communications workshop with Georgann Eubanks and Donna Campbell, the student poster session, and Innovation showcase in Duke Energy Hall in Hunt Library on NC State University’s Centennial Campus. CLP scholars introduced speakers, facilitated table discussions and presented lightning talks and posters on their internships and/or their related research.
The CLP continues to collaborate with NC State University’s new Climate and Sustainability Academy, Climate Solutions Collaborative, Coastal Resilience and Sustainability Initiative, Sustainable Futures Initiative, Sustainability Office, and the Blue Economy Innovation Program. The CLP is also continuing to support the Coastal Community Resilience Immersive Training Program and the establishment of a fellowship of interdisciplinary graduate scholars. Of the 38 CLP alumni, 25 students have graduated or defended their thesis/dissertation from NC State University. They currently hold positions with BASF, Buzzards Bay Coalition, CIBC Capital Markets, Exponent (Boston), McAdams, Next Era (Florida), NC Department of Transportation, NC Public Staff (Energy Division), NC Utilities Commission, Surface 678, University of Nevada, Reno Extension, University of Washington (x2), US Fish and Wildlife Service, WRT in San Francisco, or are persuing graduate degrees or Postdocs at Columbia University, Erasmus Mundus CoMEM+, UNC Chapel Hill, NC State University (x2), University of Northern Colorado.
Additional current and alumni CLP student scholar honors and awards since October 2024:
- Hayden Rudd (CLP 2023) – NOAA’s Knauss Fellowship Class of 2025;
- Kelby Stallings (CLP 2024) and Seung Hyun Yoo (CLP 2025) – 2025 Graduate Student Research Symposium Poster Presentations;
- Raja Bandari (CLP 2025) was selected as a 2025 Sustainable Futures Fellow.
- Cornelius Ojo (CLP 2025) was selected as a Climate Change Fellow with the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center.
- Qoriatul Fitriyah (CLP 2025) received the North Carolina Association of International Educators (NCAIE) Professional Scholarship.
Notable CLP Faculty Mentor accomplishments, honors, and awards include the following:
- Erin Seekamp and Christopher Galik were named Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director of NC State University’s Climate and Sustainability Academy;
- Justin Baker and Christopher Galik were named 2024-2025 NC State University Faculty Scholars
Recent publications by CLP Scholars and/or Faculty Mentors (students and mentors authoring the papers are in red):
- Mahe Rukh, Runxia Cai, Leo Brody, Fanxing Li (2024). “Isothermal CO₂ Separation Enabled by Redox-Active Mixed Oxide Sorbents.” Chemical Engineering Journal, 501, 157545.
- Runxia Cai, Kunran Yang, Xijun Wang, Mahe Rukh, Azin Saberi Bosari, Eric Giavedoni, Alexandra Pierce, Leo Brody, Wentao Tang, Phillip R. Westmoreland, Fanxing Li* (2024). “High-Throughput Design of Complex Oxides as Isothermal, Redox-Activated CO2 Sorbents for Green Hydrogen Generation”. Energy and Environmental Science. 10.1039/D4EE02119C.
- Lillian Lower, Steven M. Rowland, Michael Regula, Kristiina Iisa, Zachary A. Combs, Sunkyu Park, Tijmen Vries, Ton Vries, Mark R. Nimlos, William Joe Sagues (2025). “Sustainable Graphite and Jet Fuel from Biorefinery Residue.” Chemistry Europe: ChemSusChem. https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202402509.
Additional Activities Supported or Enhanced by CLP:
- Fanxing Li received the Department of Energy Funding on Plasma Catalytic Conversion of CO2
- Kichul Bae (CLP 2024) attendance at the AGU Conference will result in future publications.
- Zakir Bulmer (CLP 2024), Tal Ben-Horin, Lucy Roussa (CLP 2025) and Astrid Schnetzer: Students and faculty highlighted in NCSU articles – “NC State on the Coast”.
In 2026, 15 CLP student/mentor teams (5 undergraduate, 3 Master’s, 7 Ph.D.) from seven NC State Colleges will approach climate change in innovative ways to improve textile waste reduction; health of coral reefs; resilience in education systems; sustainable batteries; economics of renewable energy; circular economies; microbe engineering; public policy; climate history; community relocation; communications, public perceptions and community engagement; and extreme precipitation, supply chain resilience and carbon capture/sequestration in agriculture. The teams will work with their internship partners in industry, government, academia, communities, and non-profits to develop solutions that mitigate and adapt to the challenges of climate change.”