Jin Ho Jo
Illinois State University’s Jin Jo has been selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Visiting Faculty Program at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado.
Jo, a professor in the Department of Technology’s renewable energy program, will spend 10 weeks this summer in the highly competitive DOE program, which will allow him to collaborate with some of the most talented scientists in the world.
Joining Jo will be Illinois State graduate student Peter Tozzi, who earned a bachelor’s degree in renewable energy at the University in 2015. The duo will work with NREL toward establishing an “energy optimization platform” specifically designed for U.S. colleges and universities.
Peter Tozzi
“The renewable energy optimization software takes all the background information from an institution regarding its energy consumption, and looks at the best options in terms of new energy sources including solar, wind, and geothermal systems,” said Jo, who advises a student-run partnership of Midwestern universities looking for possible renewable energy alternatives for campuses.
Serving as the associate director of the Center for Renewable Energy at Illinois State, Jo leads the center’s Solar Power Research Group. His research, published in journals such as Energy, Energy Policy, Renewable Energy, Habitat International, and Building & Environment, focuses on the use of renewable energy systems and sustainable building strategies to reduce negative impacts of urbanization.
Jo earned a Ph.D. in sustainability from Arizona State University. He is the first person in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in sustainability.
The Visiting Faculty Program is sponsored and managed by the DOE Office of Science’s Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) in collaboration with the DOE laboratories.
For additional information, or to reach Jo, contact Media Relations at MediaRelations@IllinoisState.edu or (309) 438-5631.
