New director named for Idaho Falls CAES Center

Dr. Noel Bakhtain has been appointed director of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES). Bakhtian will take over the job on May 15. She has most recently served as senior policy advisor for environment and energy in the White House Office of Science and Technology. “Dr. Bakhtian’s energy policy and technical experiences span the programmatic portfolio of CAES,” said Idaho National Laboratory Director Mark Peters. “She will help forward the CAES mission of conducting advanced energy research, educating the next generation of scientists and engineers, and partnering with industry to advance our regional competitiveness.” Bakhtian earned a doctorate in engineering at Stanford University’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics; holds master’s degrees from Stanford University and the University of Cambridge, where she was a Churchill Scholar; and completed a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Duke University, where she was a Pratt Fellow. Before her work in the White House Office, Bakhtian worked for the Department of Energy’s Office of International Affairs and worked on numerous, innovative wind and water power grant programs. She succeeds Mike Hagood, who has been serving as acting director of CAES.