Researcher and Consultant
Kathlen
Kathlen is a Brazilian researcher and consultant, currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Sussex, where she focuses on pathways for a just energy transition in Brazil. She also completed a Master’s degree at the University of Sussex, specialising in Energy and Climate Policy (2023-2024). Prior to this, Kathlen earned in 2020 a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), where her research centred on energy communities, with a focus on the emergence and development of solar cooperatives in Brazil. Since 2020, Kathlen has gained experience as a consultant in the energy and climate sector, working with national and international organisations such as the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Confederation (DGRV), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Carbon Trust, the C40, Cities Finance Facility (CFF), Organização das Cooperativas Brasileiras (OCB), and Centro Brasil do Clima (CBC).
Researcher and Consultant
Her work focuses on promoting renewable energy cooperatives, supporting distributed energy systems, and advancing policies for a just energy transition in Brazil. She has led diverse projects, including integrating renewable energy into family agriculture, exploring agrivoltaics opportunities in Brazil, and addressing the technical, economic, and regulatory challenges of transitioning the Isolated Systems in the Amazon to renewable energy. Kathlen is also one of the co-founders and coordinators of the Brazilian Women’s Network in Solar Energy (Mesol Network), a civil society organisation that aims to promote gender equity in the sector.
She joined the SSTR book project as part-time research assistant in 2024.