Resilience in Action: Climate Solutions for Tomorrow

Alp Ercil is the CIO of Asia Research and Capital Management, a Hong Kong- and Dubai-based firm that he founded in 2011. He graduated from Penn's Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology, earning bachelor’s degrees in economics from Wharton and in systems engineering from Penn Engineering. In addition to currently serving as a University Trustee and member of the Penn Europe, Middle East, and Africa Leadership Committee, Mr. Ercil has been a member of the Asia Leadership Committee and the Undergraduate Financial Aid Leadership Council. He has supported the establishment of Penn’s Climate Sustainability Initiative, which draws on the University’s strengths in interdisciplinary teaching and research to address climate and sustainability from multiple perspectives.

In addition to her leadership roles at Penn, Sanya Carley is a University Fellow at the non-profit Resources for the Future and co-directs the Energy Justice Lab, an inter-university research initiative. Carley’s research focuses on just transitions, energy insecurity and utility affordability, and electricity and transportation markets. With the Energy Justice Lab team, she built and maintains the Utility Disconnection Dashboard. Dr. Carley received her Ph.D. in public policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, M.S. in urban and regional planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and bachelor’s degrees in economics and sustainable development from Swarthmore College.

Dorit Aviv is an expert in sustainable design and environmental performance. Her interdisciplinary research combines thermodynamics, material science, and architectural form—focused on decarbonizing the built environment and improving energy efficiency. A licensed architect, Aviv has developed innovative prototypes including passive cooling systems, a solar-powered mobile cooling station for urban heat islands, and off-grid climate-adaptive structures. Her award-winning work has received international recognition and is supported by federal, foundation, and university funding. She earned PhD and master’s degrees from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree from The Cooper Union.

R. Jisung Park’s research sits at the intersection of environmental and labor economics, with a focus on climate change, economic inequality, and public policy. He examines how environmental conditions—such as extreme heat, air pollution, and natural disasters—shape learning outcomes, labor productivity, health, and long-run economic opportunity. Park is the author of Slow Burn: The Hidden Costs of a Warming World, which documents the unequal and often overlooked human impacts of climate change. He earned his PhD in economics from Harvard University and holds master’s degrees from the University of Oxford.

Grace Rogers holds a Masters of City Planning from the Weitzman School, with a self-designed concentration in climate resilient property development. Her professional background is in community-centered climate adaptation planning, policy, and advocacy, having worked for the past nine years on federal and state flood resilience at Environmental Defense Fund. Rogers earned her bachelor’s degree at Cornell University.