Department of Energy recognizes Dubbs for contributions to clean energy

January 4, 2021

Dr. Lindsay Dubbs

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) honored Lindsay Dubbs, PhD, with a U.S. Clean Energy Education & Empowerment Initiative (C3E) Award in the education category at the Ninth Annual U.S. C3E Women in Clean Energy Symposium in December.

Dubbs was chosen for this honor based on her work at the North Carolina Renewable Ocean Energy Program at the Coastal Studies Institute, where she leads environmental assessment and permitting and conducts research associated with marine hydrokinetic energy. She provides education in a field that is critical to a global transition away from fossil fuels.­

The C3E Award acknowledges women who lead the field of clean energy, and Dubbs, who received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health’s Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering in 2009, qualifies based on her contributions both to research and education.

As associate director of the Coastal Studies Institute, she conducts research related to the Gulf Stream, especially regarding its use as an energy source, with a focus on minimizing environmental impacts associated with harvesting that energy. She is also an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and co-directs the university’s Outer Banks Field Site, which teaches undergraduate students about sustainable management of coastal resources. Her leadership in advancing responsible water treatment solutions using marine energy has the potential to improve energy access while providing relief from the impacts of water scarcity.

The field of marine hydrokinetic energy involves harnessing the movements of waves and currents to produce energy, and Dubbs discovered that students found work on this subject especially engaging because these phenomena are easy to observe with the naked eye. As a leader and mentor, she works hard to engage students, especially women, who will serve as the next generation of environmental stewards.

The C3E Initiative is a collaborative effort of the DOE, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative, Stanford’s Precourt Institute for Energy and the Texas A&M Energy Institute. Its goal is to close the gender gap and increase participation, leadership and success of women in clean energy fields.

“Women are critical to the advancement of clean energy science and technologies for a prosperous energy future,” said Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette. “It is my honor to recognize and congratulate the winners of the 2020 U.S. C3E Awards for their dedication and leadership. May your work and achievements inspire more women to join the clean energy industry.”

Contact the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health communications team at sphcomm@unc.edu.