New Industrial Affiliates Program to Expand Capacity of Energy Systems Research at UT Austin
Austin, Texas, Jan. 21, 2026 – The Center for Energy and Environmental Systems Analysis (CEESA) at The University of Texas at Austin is launching a new program to expand its research capacity, strengthen collaboration with the private sector, and speed up the pace of emissions measurement and reduction strategies across the global energy sector.
The CEESA Industrial Affiliates Program (IAP) is a structured, multi-tier initiative designed to connect companies with world-class researchers, emerging technologies, and the next generation of engineers and analysts on topics of mutual interest.
The program supports the training of graduate students who will become leaders in emissions monitoring and mitigation across academia, industry, government, and civil society. At the same time, by engaging industry leaders, IAP-supported research will have maximum relevance and impact on rapidly evolving energy systems and supply chains.
“Emissions reduction across complex supply chains is one of the challenges facing the global energy sector,” CEESA Co-director Erin Tullos said. “By detecting and quantifying sources of methane, CO2, and other emissions, we can reduce energy waste, improve operational efficiency, and reduce emissions while meeting rising consumer demand for reliable and affordable energy.”
To launch the IAP, CEESA assembled an international roster of founding and affiliate members, including large-scale energy consumers, major energy producers, and shippers of energy products:
Founding Members
Chevron
Diamondback Energy
ExxonMobil
Affiliate Members
Mitsui O.S.K Lines, Ltd.
As an Organized Research Unit at UT Austin, CEESA is home to several multi-year research programs that receive a combination of federal, state, philanthropic, and corporate funding. These initiatives include the Texas Air Quality Research Program, Energy Emissions Modeling and Data Lab, Appalachian Methane Initiative, and Project Astra.
IAP membership dues will provide an important source of financial support to strengthen CEESA’s multi-disciplinary capacity, outside the bounds of these discrete research programs.
“This new program will complement CEESA’s existing research initiatives by boosting our overall research capacity and allowing cross-cutting trends and insights to be identified and applied more quickly,” CEESA Co-director Arvind Ravikumar said. “The IAP continues our commitment to working with partners outside of academia to ensure scientific research is highly relevant to real-world conditions and delivers real-world results as quickly as possible.
For more information about the IAP and membership tiers, please visit:
https://www.ceesa.utexas.edu/industrialaffiliatesprogram
ABOUT CEESA
The mission of the Center for Energy and Environmental Systems Analysis (CEESA) is to provide rigorous, measurement-informed insights that empower global decision-makers to drive meaningful emissions reductions and promote a sustainable energy future.
