Master of Environmental Management — MEM

At YSE, Hardik Pokhrel ’21 MEM focused on the intersection of finance and energy.

“One of the most impactful experiences I had was the ‘Renewable Energy Project Finance’ course — it remains incredibly relevant to what I do every day. Courses like ‘Renewable Energy and Energy Systems,’ combined with the school’s network and resources, prepared me to take on the challenges of decarbonizing some of the most emissions-intensive sectors of the economy.”

Pokhrel says he regularly applies the skills he acquired at YSE in his work at Sol Systems, a renewable energy firm delivering sustainable solutions for corporations, utilities, and institutions.

For Maxwell Webster ’17 MEM, parks have always been more than places to play — they’re spaces for connection, creativity, and self-care. As the new director of New Haven Parks , he is leading efforts to reimagine parks as centers of climate resilience, food production, and community support, while preserving their role as beloved neighborhood gathering spots. Rooted in both personal experience and professional training from the Yale School of the Environment, his vision is focused on equity, adaptability, and meeting the evolving needs of New Haven’s diverse communities.

Kelly McGlinchey ’23 MEM views  kelp not only as a nutrient-dense food option,  but also as a tool for building climate resilience and advancing sustainable coastal community development. As a student at the Yale School of Environment, she  co-authored a report, ‘Surf to Turf,’ that bridged the gap between regenerative agriculture and restorative aquaculture and directly informed local infrastructure planning in Stonington, Connecticut. Her research helped secure a $172,000 USDA grant to expand kelp processing capacity, benefiting both land and sea farmers. Now a sustainability strategist at Quantis, McGlinchey continues to advise global food brands while remaining deeply committed to strengthening regional food systems through partnership, innovation, and place-based solutions.

Simon Bunyan — '23 MEM (he/him)
“Prior to coming to Yale, I worked for several federal agencies on energy and environmental policy. While those experiences were great, it was eye-opening to realize how mainstream environmental organizations, like ‘the Big Greens,’ have a history and active present of working against communities of color, low-income communities, and environmental justice communities on environmental policy."

Transitioning to clean energy is key to combating climate change. As director of policy and network at the Coalition for Green Capitol, Nenha Young ’20 MEM is targeting greenhouse gas reduction initiatives through investments in the environmental, social, and economic sectors and working to establish the National Green Bank.

“I attended YSE because of its leadership in the clean energy field,” Young says. “Through coursework, internships, and independent studies, I was able to design a career at the intersection of clean energy and economic development.”

Goal: Merge finance and water management for a more just and secure water future

According to the World Bank, the Global South could lose up to 6% of its GDP by 2050 due to water scarcity, with women and the poor most vulnerable.

Srishti Singh ’25 MEM is well aware of these, and many other, water-related challenges, as she most recently worked at India’s Central Pollution Control Board, where she was the sole social scientist on a team of physical scientists. “I realized I needed interdisciplinary training to become an effective leader in the water and climate space,” she says. “This led me to Yale.”

Goal: Mitigate climate change through carbon dioxide removal

In her first semester at the Yale School of the Environment, Olivia Rhodes ’25 MEM took a class in carbon dioxide removal (CDR). The class changed the direction of her studies.

Rhodes arrived at YSE with a desire to focus on energy after a stint at a bioenergy firm, but when she learned of CDR’s potential for helping to abate greenhouse gas emissions, she saw an opportunity in a growing field.

“At the rate we're going without reducing our overall emissions, there's going to be a bigger need for it with every passing year,” Rhodes said. “CDR is an area that's very much still being created.”

Goal: Engage in sustainable business and development projects that empower local communities

Ever since she was a child, Mahica Iyer ’25 MEM has straddled two worlds: She grew up amid the glittering towers of Dubai, UAE. The community in her hometown of Mumbai, meanwhile, experienced frequent power outages, a scarcity of clean water, and poor waste management. Iyer later attended college in Illinois and then went on to work as a consultant in supply chain sustainability.

Goal: Decarbonize the energy sector globally in sustainable, scalable ways

Shubh Jain ’25 MEM first became interested in climate change through a class in documentary filmmaking. As an undergraduate initially majoring in physics at the University at Buffalo, Jain took a class with filmmaker John Fiege, who is known for his film and photography work on global ecology and environmental justice issues. Jain worked with Fiege on the production of “Raising Aniya,” a documentary about a young dancer’s life after Hurricane Harvey. 

Goal: Quantifying and communicating the impacts of climate change on public health 

Phoebe Merrick believes that she can have the most impact on climate mitigation efforts by communicating more directly to the public about how climate change affects human health. Using the data visualization skills she learned at Yale, Merrick plans to pursue work in quantitative analysis and climate communication, helping to display data in ways that are accessible to the general public. 

“We talk about the economic reasons to mitigate climate change, but we don’t talk as often about the health benefits,” she said.  “I think that there's a place to move health communications to the forefront.”

Goal: Reducing corporate supply chain emissions

Vermont is the third-most forested state of the U.S. mainland, with approximately 4.5 million acres of forestland covering nearly 80% of its territory. After witnessing the destructive effects of mining activity on the state’s forests, Colby Richardson’ 25 MEM, who grew up in the rural town of Thetford, was inspired to study environmental policy in college.

Richardson spent several years working in environmental consulting and at an online renewable energy marketplace. He came to YSE with the goal of deepening his quantitative skills to build a business case for sustainability, and last summer he interned at The Coca-Cola Company, where he focused on the company’s sustainability strategy. After graduating, Richardson would like to continue working to reduce supply chain emissions.