Preparing for the President’s Speaker Series: A Conversation with Dr. Amit Kumar

Dr. Amit Kumar, Professor in Department of Mechanical Engineering and Deputy Director of Future Energy Systems, meets with government of Alberta MLAs at an event in April 2024.

Dr. Amit Kumar, has been instrumental in energy systems research at the University of Alberta for nearly two decades. As a professor in the mechanical engineering department and the Deputy Director of Future Energy Systems, his work has shaped energy research in Canada. As the Canada Research Chair in Assessment of Energy Systems, Dr. Kumar has been instrumental in transformative projects, including Alberta’s Hydrogen Roadmap, making a lasting impact on the community and beyond. On October 22, he’ll take the stage for the fourth installment of the University’s President’s Speaker Series, sharing insights into Canada’s energy transition. Ahead of this highly anticipated event, FES Research Communications Coordinator Elyse Dzenick sat down with Dr. Kumar to give audiences a sneak peek into the exciting discussion to come.

ED: Hi, Amit, how are you doing today? Thanks for sitting down with me before your talk later this month.

AK: It’s nice to see you, Elyse, thanks so much for having me!

ED: So you’re the guest speaker for the next President’s Speaker Series on October 22. How are you feeling about the public talk? 

AK: Yes, I’ll be sitting down with the University of Alberta President Bill Flanagan to talk about Canada’s energy transition and energy infrastructure and research. These events are pretty popular in my career these days, but I’m especially looking forward to the more blended format, which is different from the panels or presentation formats that are more common. I’ll start with a 30-minute presentation before having a discussion and answering some questions from the audience, which I’m hoping will spark some good discussion. 

ED: Alright, that sounds pretty good. How did you get involved as a speaker?

AK: The President’s office reached out to me. The main reason was because of the relevancy of my work—for almost 10 years now, a big part of the work has been evaluating the success of current and developing energy infrastructure and technology and how they support Canada’s energy transition. I also do a lot of public and academic outreach, speaking at conferences, and such. Public speaking is something that is a big part of my work nowadays and is something I’m comfortable with and really enjoy. 

ED: That totally makes sense, and it’s great that you’re excited. Are you looking forward to anything in particular?

AK: I’m really looking forward to the questions submitted by the audience. I think it’ll be really refreshing to hear what their top concerns and interests are. 

ED: What types of audiences are you expecting?

AK: Previous audiences of the President’s Speaker Series have been very broad; they come from all sorts of different backgrounds, so I’m assuming it will be similar. I think it’ll be a nice change of pace considering I’m used to mostly business and academic audiences, and I can’t wait to hear what questions members of the public have about energy research and assessment. 

ED: And what topics can the audience expect to learn about?

AK: They can expect topics related to my wheelhouse, so mainly energy system assessments in Canada and especially technology and infrastructure. Since the audience is general, obviously I want to make it understandable for most people—it’s important for them to understand the work we’re doing, how it supports Canada’s energy transition, and even the need for an energy transition in the first place. One thing that I’m really hoping to get across is that the energy transition isn’t a destination—it’s an ongoing journey that looks very different depending on where you are in the world. 

ED: That’s really great. So I take it the topics are directly related to your ongoing work? Can you tell me a bit more about that? 

AK: For sure I can. There is no singular solution to energy transition, which is why it’s examined from many different angles. Current technological challenges to future possibilities, various components of infrastructure, and even policy support and implementation—these represent only some of many different greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation baskets, or pathways. However, we have to know how successful each is and how to support large-scale application. That’s where my work—assessing these baskets—comes in. 

ED: Wow, that sounds really exciting. What sorts of questions are you asking for assessment?

AK: It is, we get to see the up and coming solutions being developed at the U of A. Some of my research looks at life-cycle environmental impacts of technologies developed under the FES program. For example, what are the key components and technologies of those GHG mitigation baskets? What is the cost of developing certain hydrogen, carbon capture, renewables, or oil and gas technologies? How are they economically viable and environmentally sustainable? What challenges exist and what contexts need to be considered? 

It’s also important to consider things like future energy demand as far as 2050 in Canada and at a global level. How will a growing population affect that? It depends on where you are in the world, different needs and priorities, and access to technologies.  

ED: So, it's not just about the technology itself—it's also about the broader contexts, like you mentioned. That’s really interesting. Thank you so much for talking to me today about your research and your upcoming talk. It’s $10 per person to attend?

AK: Yes that’s right, but all proceeds from ticket sales will be going toward the Campus Food Bank, so it’s for a good cause, too. This has been great, Elyse, thanks.

ED: That’s awesome. Thanks again, Amit, and good luck on October 22!

Further Reading:

Assessment of Technologies Developed Under Future Energy Systems

Energy Systems: Challenges, Choices and Changes (Tickets to October 22 talk)