Recent E&EM; doctoral graduate Laura Verduzco, Lead Planning Engineer at Chevron in the San Francisco Bay Area, recently was characterized as “a rising star among Chevron's young engineers and scientists” in a Chevron publication. Laura, who received her Ph.D. degree in Environmental and Energy Management in 2006, presently is a Lead Planning Engineer with Chevron. She currently divides her time between Chevron Energy Technology Company and Catchlight Energy LLC, a Chevron-Weyerhaeuser joint venture established to develop the next generation of renewable, cellulose-based transportation fuels from nonfood sources.
In her work, Laura develops and supports a wide variety of tools, models and work processes to aid decision making related to climate change and sustainability. She helps identify potential improvements in greenhouse gas mitigation and monitoring and assists with the implementation of government policies. At Catchlight, Laura coordinates policy between the two parent organizations and various U.S. federal and state regulators to help avoid unnecessary impediments to the production of biomass and its conversion into biofuels.
Among her recent accomplishments, Laura managed Chevron’s response to the 2009 Carbon Disclosure Project, the world’s only global climate change reporting system. “It was a huge effort, requiring us to collect and collate data from every part of the corporation,” said Laura. “Based on our comprehensive reporting, Chevron ranked first among energy companies on its level of carbon disclosure and was fifth overall among all respondents.
Laura’s work also recently was recognized by the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. As reflected the accompanying photos, her photo graced the cover of the SHPE Magazine and she was featured in a principal article in the magazine.