Abrams Academy announces new Climate Fellows

36 Northwestern graduate students will work alongside eight mission-driven partners to address real-world climate challenges.
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A dark-skinned man wearing a long-sleeve blue collared shirt seated near two other people.
Climate Fellows present outcomes of their year-long projects at the annual Climate Action Summit, an event that gathers students and industry leaders.

Entering its second year, the Abrams Climate Academy has announced its 2026-27 cohort of 36 Climate Fellows. The year-long experiential learning program brings together graduate students across Kellogg and Northwestern University, equipping them with tools, knowledge and connections to drive innovative climate solutions across industries.

A defining aspect of the Academy is its interdisciplinary approach, a commitment that is growing even stronger. “As we enter the Academy’s second year, we’ve expanded our footprint to include more students from Pritzker Law and the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. They join a diverse mix of students from Kellogg, Medill and McCormick. This interdisciplinary range of expertise is central to how the Academy operates,” says Matthew Roling, executive director of the Academy.

Building on the Academy’s successful launch, Roling also nods to refining both the curriculum and the student experience, placing a greater emphasis on fostering lasting connections among fellows. “Fellows built real bonds last year working side-by-side on pressing and complex real-world problems, so we're investing more deliberately in community,” he says. “We want to formalize the bonding that occurs in the Academy and continue building a network of leaders who support each other long after they’ve graduated.”

The 2026-27 cohort, representing eight graduate programs across Northwestern, will collaborate in teams with eight mission-driven partners to address urgent climate needs. This year’s project partners span sectors critical to the climate transition, including climate finance, energy, transportation, food systems, biodiversity and sustainability communications.

The 2026-27 Academy project partners

  • BDT & MSD Partners — a merchant bank serving founders, family business owners and long-term strategic investors.
  • The Farmlink Project — a non-profit focused on reducing food insecurity and food waste that is seeking better tools to match farmers and food banks.
  • GE Aerospace — a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, as well as integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation.
  • Guzman Energy — a wholesale energy partner.
  • HidrogeniCs — a clean energy start-up.
  • Oatly — a Swedish oat drink company.
  • The Nature Conservancy — a global environmental conservation organization.
  • Untamed Planet — a media and production company that harnesses the power of bold and innovative storytelling to inspire global audiences. 

Climate Fellow and Part-Time MBA student Kapilan Tamilselvan-Vannavan shares the impact he hopes to make through the Academy. “My path has taken me from the technical side of oil and gas, where decarbonization initiatives often stall due to limited returns, to a climate startup, where the technology works but a durable market has yet to emerge. These experiences have led me to believe that, for climate solutions to scale, financial returns must come first so that climate impact can grow alongside capital.  

“Legacy companies need capital partners who can help structure this transition, financing a profitable core that generates steady returns while investing in its own low-carbon replacement,” says Tamilselvan-Vannava. “Over the next year, I'm looking forward to engaging with leading climate practitioners, learning alongside fellow Climate Action Fellows and building the investor-side fluency needed to help scale these transitions across industries.”

A dark-skinned man in a business suit with his hands in his pockets standing in front of a step and repeat.
Kapilan Tamilselvan-Vannavan

For Climate Fellow and Northwestern University student Samantha Alvarez ’27 the opportunity to collaborate across the programs and disciplines is part of what drew her to the Academy. “Throughout my time at Northwestern, I’ve become increasingly interested in how climate and conservation goals move from ideas to action, and I’m eager to learn from the mentors, fellows and organizations involved in the program.” 

“One of the aspects of the fellowship that excites me the most is the opportunity to work closely with students whose academic and professional backgrounds differ from my own,” says Alvarez. “Climate challenges rarely fit within a single discipline, and I think some of the most creative and effective solutions emerge when people with different areas of expertise come together around a shared problem. I hope to gain new perspectives on collaborative climate leadership, strengthen my ability to work across disciplines and contribute meaningfully to projects that create lasting environmental impact.”

A woman with brown hair standing in front of a glass window
Samantha Alvarez

Explore last year’s Climate Fellows’ impact projects

 

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