OTT Welcomes Four Science, Technology, and Policy Fellows

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Technology Transitions (OTT), in partnership with the Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education (ORISE), welcomes four fellows as a part of the inaugural Science, Technology, and Policy (STP) Fellowship Program. This unique opportunity offers professionals with an interest in technology commercialization the chance to learn from experts in the field, lead their own initiative within OTT, and participate in activities across the research, development, demonstration, and deployment continuum. 

“The clean energy transition requires great minds trained in successfully ushering technologies into the private sector,” said Dr. Vanessa Z. Chan, Chief Commercialization Officer for OTT. “The STP Fellowship trains a diverse group of professionals to do just that while also forming a pipeline of skilled, quality candidates into the DOE ecosystem.”  

The 12-month fellowship offers a great deal of flexibility where half the fellows' time is dedicated to the fellows' assigned OTT team and the other half is dedicated to independently contributing to a new initiative within any OTT team. This self-led project can include efforts such as new program development, analysis of existing functions, or policy research. The program concludes with a final presentation and consideration for renewal.  

The fellows can join from a broad variety of professional sectors and career stages. Read below to learn more about the four 2023-24 fellows. 

Eshaan Agrawal 

Eshaan Agrawal joined the OTT team from Atlanta, Georgia in July. As a recent graduate from the University of Georgia, Eshaan brings a valuable lens to the OTT Market Analysis team with research experience in artificial intelligence, energy policy, and philosophy. Eshaan has formerly worked as a data scientist with the National Institutes of Health and business analyst at McKinsey & Company. On the Market Analysis team at OTT, Eshaan is developing the Pathways to Commercial Liftoff reports, a critical effort in coordinating the public and private sectors to accelerate the deployment of technologies essential to the energy transition. Eshaan is dedicated to the clean energy transition and is on the path to a career in emissions mitigation. 

Isabella Ragazzi 

Isabella Ragazzi came to OTT from Richmond, Virginia and recently completed a master's in economics and policy of energy and the environment at University College London. Isabella seeks to advance environmental justice, avoid further negative impacts of climate change, and reduce the negative environmental impacts our current socioeconomic structures have on the planet. She is eager to gain a more concrete understanding of how DOE supports the energy transition and about the roadblocks and approaches to bringing new technologies to the private sector. Bringing expertise in Long Duration Energy Storage and Carbon Dioxide Removal technologies to the Market Analysis team, Isabella is contributing economic modeling and cost analysis for the Pathways to Commercial Liftoff reports.  

Jeff Owens 

From Seattle WA, Jeff Owens has joined the OTT Commercialization Programs team. He brings expertise in chemistry and biochemistry from both the private sector and academia. After post-doctoral research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Jeff was the founding scientist in a successful biotech company that was acquired by Axis-Shield and subsequently purchased by Abbott Labs. Jeff was then a scientist at two larger biotech companies (Eli Lilly and Biogen) before transitioning to academia where he was a tenured Chemistry faculty in Seattle for several years. Most recently, Jeff was a Senior Scientist in the Chemistry, Manufacturing, Controls, and Regulatory Division at Cardinal Health, working in partnership with Pfizer on global and US based programs. Jeff is contributing his talents to a variety of programs and projects in OTT. He looks forward to expanding his understanding of how OTT creates and runs funding opportunities in clean energy. 

Javier Ortiz 

From Austin, Texas, Javier has joined the OTT Policy team. Javier graduated from Texas State University with a bachelor’s in industrial engineering. During his studies, Javier contributed to NSF and USDA-funded research projects, conducted transportation field research in the Netherlands, completed a supply chain engineering co-op with Infineon Technologies in Munich, Germany, and interned with Booz Allen Hamilton. Following graduation, Javier completed the CHCI Public Policy Fellowship, where he was placed with Resources for the Future and the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Most recently, Javier was a fellow with the Science and Technology Policy Institute, contributing to policy analysis for OSTP and other federal agency sponsors. At OTT, Javier looks forward to driving the development of evidence-building and evaluation efforts. He also hopes to develop his experience in qualitative and quantitative data analysis, with the goal of contributing to informed policymaking in the technology transfer space.