Jennie C. Stephens
Dean's Professor of Sustainability Science and Policy
* Prof. Stephens is on leave from Northeastern in 2024-2025 *
Jennie C. Stephens’ research, teaching, and community engagement focus on social-political aspects of renewable energy transformation, energy democracy, climate resilience, reducing fossil-fuel reliance, gender diversity in energy and climate, and social, economic and racial justice in climate and energy policy. Before coming to Northeastern, she taught at University of Vermont, Clark University, Tufts and MIT.
- Arab-American Frontiers Fellowship, National Academy of Sciences, 2017
- Leopold Leadership Fellowship, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. 2015-2016
- Henry J. Leir Luxembourg Program-Clark University (LLP-CU) Conference Award. April 2014
- Faculty Community Engagement Award, Colleges of Worcester Consortium. March, 2013
- Excellence in Teaching Award, Department of IDCE, Clark University. May 2011
- Exceptional Merit Faculty Award, Clark University, 2008
- USEPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship for Graduate Study, 1999-2002
- Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) Fellowship, 2000-2002
- National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Fellowship, 1998-1999
- Harvard College Research Fellowship and Dean’s Research Award, 1996
- Pforzheimer Student Fellowship, Radcliffe College, 1994-1995
BOOKS
- Stephens, JC. 2020. Diversifying Power: Why We Need Antiracist, Feminist Leadership on Climate and Energy. Island Press.
- Stephens, JC, EJ Wilson, TR Peterson. 2015. Smart Grid (R)Evolution: Electric Power Struggles. Cambridge University Press.
- Climate Change: An Encyclopedia of Science and History. 2013. Editors: BC Black, DM Hassenzahl, JC Stephens, G Weisel, & N Gift. ABC-Clio Publishers. Santa Barbara, CA.
ARTICLES
- Stephens, JC. 2022. “Beyond Climate Isolationism: A Necessary Shift for Climate Justice.” Current Climate Change Reports. 10.1007/s40641-022-00186-6
- Stephens, JC.2022. Electrification: Opportunities for social justice and social innovation. MRS Bulletin. 10.1557/s43577-021-00245-7
- Stephens, JC, P Kashwan, D McLaren, K Surprise, 2021. The risks of solar geoengineering research. Science 372(6547): 1161-1161.
- Si Y & Stephens JC. 2021. Energy Justice Through Solar: Constructing and Engaging Low-Income Households. Frontiers in Sustainable Cities 3(20).
- Stephens, JC & Kevin Surprise. 2020. The Hidden Injustices of Advancing Solar Geoengineering Research. Global Sustainability. 3, E2. doi:10.1017/sus.2019.28
- Stephens, JC. 2019. “Energy Democracy: Redistributing Power to the People Through Renewable Transformation AU – Stephens, Jennie C.” Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development 61(2): 4-13.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00139157.2019.1564212 - Healy N, Stephens JC, & Malin S. 2019. Embodied Energy Injustices: Unveiling and politicizing the transboudary harms of fossil fuel extractivism and fossil fuel supply chains. Energy Research & Social Science. Vol 48, p 219-234
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629618306698 - Elizabeth A, Hannah L, Stephens, JC. 2019. Women’s leadership in renewable transformation, energy justice and energy democracy: Redistributing power. Energy research and social science, 57:101233-.
https://doi:10.1016/J.ERSS.2019.101233 - Stephens JC, Frumhoff PC, & Yona L. 2018. “The role of college and university faculty in the fossil fuel divestment movement.” Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene. Vol 6, No. 1. p. 41.
https://www.elementascience.org/articles/10.1525/elementa.297/ - Burke, M & Stephens JC. 2018. “Political Power and Renewable Energy Futures: A Critical Review”. Energy Research & Social Science. V. 35. p. 78-93
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2017.10.018 - Pearl-Martinez, R & Stephens JC. 2016. “Toward a Gender Diverse Workforce in the Renewable Energy Transition.” Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy 12(1).
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15487733.2016.11908149 - Stephens JC, Hansson A, Liu Y, de Coninck H, & Vajjhala S. 2011. “Characterizing the International Carbon Capture and Storage Community.” Global Environmental Change. 21: 379-390
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959378011000094 - Wilson EJ & Stephens JC. 2009. “Wind in a Carbon-Managed World: States, Resources, Policy and Discourse.” Environmental Science and Technology 43 (24): 9063–907
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es900802s - Stephens, JC, EJ Wilson, & TR Peterson. 2008. “Socio-Political Evaluation of Energy Deployment (SPEED): An Integrated Research Framework for Analysis of Energy Technology Deployment.” Technological Forecasting and Social Change 75: 1224–1246
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162508000024 - Stephens, JC and DW Keith, 2008. “Assessing Geochemical Carbon Management.” Climatic Change. 90 (3): 217-242
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-008-9440-y - Stephens, JC, ME Hernandez, M Román, AC Graham, & RW Scholz. 2008. “Education as a Change Agent for Sustainability in Different Cultures and Contexts.” International Journal for Sustainability in Higher Education. 9 (3): 317-338
https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/14676370810885916
- SCORAI (Sustainable Consumption Research Action Initiative)
- New England Women in Energy & Environment
- Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)
- Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E)
- Society for Risk Analysis
- Society for Social Studies of Science (4S)
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- American Educational Research Assoc. (AERA)
- American Association of Geographers (AAG)
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- Association for Environmental Studies & Science (AESS)
- Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM)
- International Sustainable Development Research Society (ISDRS)
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Education
PhD, California Institute of Technology, Environmental Science and Engineering
MS, California Institute of Technology, Environmental Science and Engineering
BA, Harvard University, Environmental Science and Public Policy -
Contact
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Address
360C Renaissance Park,
360 Huntington Avenue,
Boston, MA 02115 -
Office Hours
By appointment
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This course explores energy transitions from fossil fuels to renewables within the context of climate resilience. A socio-technical systems perspective is applied, with an emphasis on social innovations in energy systems for climate resilience and the interconnections among technology, policy, and social change.