Joining IDEAS Lab
- Entered PhD program at University of Washington, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Joined IDEAS lab
PhD Student · IDEAS Lab
Ahana Mukherjee
Ahana has a bachelor's degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering from UCLA and a master's degree in Energy, Civil Infrastructure, and Climate from UC Berkeley. She has experience designing and implementing utility-scale battery energy storage systems and commercial solar and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Her research interests include renewable energy power systems, electrification, energy access, and socially-conscious equitable designs.
Electrical & Computer Engineering
Learning · Research · Impact
PhD timeline
Scroll through the milestones, or jump to a year. Scheduled activities are marked below.
2023
2024
Electric cooking & energy access
- Supporting quantitative data analysis for electric cooking in informal settlements in Kampala, Uganda
Exploring electric mobility
- Ideating and initial research exploration on e-mobility in Southeast Asia
Research, mentorship & exchange
- Developing research project investigating charging infrastructure planning for electric three-wheelers in India
- Co-mentored two undergraduate students researching equitable access to clean energy in Washington state and electricity payment behaviors among rural mini grid customers in Uganda
- Attended ORCAS Conference on Energy Conversion & Storage
- Attended e-Guide Retreat
Summer 2024 undergraduate research at IDEAS Lab. Clean Energy Institute fellowship
- University of Washington Clean Energy Institute Fellow
- Developing research project investigating charging infrastructure planning for electric three-wheelers in India
2025
Charging infrastructure research
- University of Washington Clean Energy Institute Fellow
- Developing research project investigating charging infrastructure planning for electric three-wheelers in India
Research showcase & qualifying exam
- Developing research project investigating charging infrastructure planning for electric three-wheelers in India
- Qualifying Exam
- Poster presentation at UW ECE Research Showcase – Best Overall Research award
- University of Washington Clean Energy Institute Fellow
- Teaching Assistant for EE 559: Energy, Sustainability & Society
Celebrating research at the 2025 UW ECE Research Showcase. National laboratory internship
- Internship at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure department
Expanding the research agenda
- Developing research project investigating charging infrastructure planning for electric three-wheelers in India
- Initial exploratory work on machine learning-enabled power systems capacity expansion planning
2026
Teaching, mentorship & new research
- Developing research project investigating charging infrastructure planning for electric three-wheelers in India
- Initial exploratory work on machine learning-enabled power systems capacity expansion planning
- Developing research project investigating economic and environmental heterogeneity within economic sectors in Global South countries
- Pre-Doctoral Instructor for EE 559: Energy, Sustainability, & Society
- Mentored undergraduate student researching community benefit agreements in utility-scale energy projects
Powering the Last Mile
- Submitted manuscript Powering the Last Mile: Distributed, Solar-based Charging Infrastructure Planning for Electric Autorickshaws in West Bengal, India
- Initial exploratory work on machine learning-enabled power systems capacity expansion planning
Research exchange & AI training
- Developing research project investigating economic and environmental heterogeneity within economic sectors in Global South countries
- Developing research project on machine learning-enabled power systems capacity expansion planning
- Presentation at Sustainable Energy Transition Initiative (SETI) Virtual Workshop
- Attended e-Science AI in Practice Summer Institute
Upcoming milestones
- General Exam (scheduled)
- Presented early results from SEER at the Open Source in Energy Access Symposium (OSEAS), 26–27 October 2026, Kigali, Rwanda.
Ahana shares early SEER results at OSEAS 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda.
Research in focus
Projects
Distributed, Solar-based Charging Infrastructure Planning for Electric Autorickshaws in West Bengal, India
Research on charging infrastructure planning for electric three-wheelers in India, developed from Summer 2024. The Spring 2026 manuscript focuses on distributed, solar-based charging for electric autorickshaws in West Bengal.
Machine learning for power systems planning
Exploratory work on machine learning-enabled power systems capacity expansion planning began in Autumn 2025, with project development in Summer 2026. This work contributes to SEER — Sustainable Electricity Expansion Roadmaps, led by Rhiza Research in collaboration with the University of Washington and supported by Climate Change AI.
Beyond Regional Boundaries: Economic Sector-Specific Energy Transition Typologies for the Global South
Developing research investigating economic and environmental heterogeneity within economic sectors in Global South countries, beginning in Winter 2026.
Electric cooking in Kampala
Supported quantitative data analysis for electric cooking in informal settlements in Kampala, Uganda, in Winter 2024.
Sharing the work
Outputs
Manuscript · Submitted Spring 2026
Powering the Last Mile: Distributed, Solar-based Charging Infrastructure Planning for Electric Autorickshaws in West Bengal, India
Submitted manuscript. A public manuscript link has not yet been added.
Research poster · 2025
Distributed and Equitable Charging for Electric Three-Wheelers
Presented at the UW ECE Research Showcase; received the Best Overall Research award.
Presentation · Summer 2026
Sustainable Energy Transition Initiative (SETI) Virtual Workshop
Presented in Summer 2026. Presentation materials have not yet been added.