iSEE Names 2025–26 Levenick Resident Scholars
The Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment has selected five scholars for the 2025–26 Levenick Resident Scholars in Sustainability Leadership Program. Funded by a generous endowment from Illinois Alumnus Stuart L. Levenick and his wife Nancy J. Levenick, the resident scholar program brings experts from other universities, the private sector, and nonprofit organizations to share fresh perspectives, stimulate interdisciplinary interactions, and connect with the University of Illinois community.
This cohort of resident scholars hails from across the country — and beyond. They will pursue their scholarship while interacting with students and faculty across campus to promote multi-disciplinary research, education, and outreach. The cohort will collaborate with Illinois faculty on projects spanning artificial intelligence, ecosystem modeling, sustainable behavior, regional economics, and international environmental policy.
Krti Tallam, lead PI of the AI Security Lab at UC Berkeley and founder of SentinelAI, will focus on applying AI and remote sensing to ecological and climate challenges. Her residency will include a workshop on machine learning for wildlife conservation and a graduate seminar on bridging academic and private-sector research. Jeffrey Douglas, professor of statistics at Illinois, said, “I look forward to helping her leverage her skills in data science by making connections and providing resources in statistics.”
Ankur Mani, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, will explore how AI can detect and influence sustainable human behavior, especially energy use. He plans to host a workshop on behavioral triggers that drive changes in power consumption and to build connections across engineering, economics, and agricultural sciences. “He is a leading scholar at the intersection of large-scale infrastructure and large-scale behavioral change,” said Lav Varshney, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Illinois, noting Mani’s record of translating research into practice.
Robert Grant, an internationally recognized expert in ecosystem modeling, will collaborate with Illinois researchers on advancing agroecosystem and climate modeling tools. “His development of the ecosys model has been transformative,” said Kaiyu Guan, professor of natural resources and environmental sciences. “His residency will significantly enhance ongoing research at the Agroecosystem Sustainability Center and beyond.”
Andre Chagas, a professor at the University of São Paulo and a leader in regional science, will engage with Illinois economists on spatial econometrics and regional development. ACES Professor Sandy Dall’erba highlighted his “strong theoretical, methodological, and statistical foundations” and longstanding leadership in the Brazilian Regional Science Association.
Eftichios Sartzetakis, dean and professor at the University of Macedonia, will collaborate with Illinois faculty on the design and effectiveness of international environmental agreements. He will also contribute to research on environmentally motivated consumption and policy design.
George Deltas, professor and department head of economics at U. of I., said, “I look forward to working with him on how international environmental agreements can be better designed to be more effective and attract more members.”