Biographical Information

Danny Cullenward is a PhD student in E-IPER and a native of Madison, WI. He holds a B.S. with honors in Earth Systems, and a Master’s degree in Management Science & Engineering, both from Stanford University. His long-term goal is to become involved in a serious national effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector.

Before graduate school, Danny was a sustainable energy fellow with the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco. With colleagues at NRDC, he advocated the adoption of a statewide low-carbon electricity standard for California, and investigated the feasibility of capturing carbon dioxide from the power sector for geologic storage. Danny also spent several years with the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, completing field research in China, India, Brazil, Norway, and Pakistan. Based on these experiences, he published work on the climate impacts of coal technology, carbon markets, and greenhouse gas emissions from man-made dams.

Most recently, Danny was the Energy Programs Manager at MAP Royalty, Inc., an energy investment company in Palo Alto, CA. At MAP, Danny was responsible for developing and implementing energy courses at Stanford University. He co-taught a seminar on energy in China, and led a subsequent 30-person field research trip to visit major Chinese energy facilities. He also organized the largest energy class at Stanford, lecturing on fossil, renewable, and nuclear energy resources.

At Stanford, Danny is a David and Lucile Packard Foundation Stanford Graduate Fellow.

Research Interests

Danny’s research focuses on the role of energy models in climate policy analysis–– specifically, how models and model users represent the range of choices available to policymakers. Although energy models are incredibly useful tools, they sometimes bury crucial choices and deep uncertainties via inexplicit or flawed assumptions. Danny’s research documents particular instances where policy-relevant models employ such practices, and how to implement changes to more effectively address climate policy questions. Example topics include the treatment of consumer behavior in the U.S. government’s energy model, NEMS, and the representation of carbon capture and storage technologies in global integrated assessment models.

In addition to working on energy models and policy analysis, Danny also tracks the performance of the world’s mandatory and voluntary carbon markets.

Teaching Activities

At Stanford, Danny has been a TA, head TA, or lecturer for six courses in the Biology department, and four courses in the Civil & Environmental Engineering department. He is a regular guest lecturer in other classes as well.

Professional Activities

Danny is an active member of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics and the American Geophysical Union, and has presented his research before both professional bodies. In addition, he serves as a referee for the following journals: Climatic Change, Ecological Economics, The Energy Journal, Energy Policy, Journal of Geophysical Research–Atmospheres, and the Stanford Environmental Law Journal.