Destenie Nock is an Assistant Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering & Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon. She and her husband created a start up, Peoples Energy Analytics, which was named one of the top 10 startups to watch in the Pittsburgh Business Times. They work with electric and gas utilities to identify who is at risk of heat stroke or illness in their homes, who lacks air conditioners, and who is struggling to pay their energy bills. Then they develop marketing so that the utility can message these people about offerings and services to alleviate suffering. The recipient of a National Science Foundation scholarship, Destenie completed her PhD in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her studies focused on the integration of renewable technologies in the power grid. In 2020, she was awarded a nearly $400k NSF grant to develop a framework promoting equality and sustainability in US energy transitions. A 2015 Mitchell Scholar, Destenie received her MSc in Sustainable Electrical Energy Systems at Queen’s University Belfast. Studying in Northern Ireland allowed Destenie time to reflect and expand her academic abilities outside of engineering with an intense focus on writing and communicating sustainability initiatives and complex scientific concepts for the general public. As part of her program she had three internships – at an NGO, in government, and in business. The experience helped her realize that she would prefer to work in government or academia. Destenie obtained her undergraduate degree from North Carolina AT State University.

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