Dr. Carolyn investigates the roles technology and innovation play in enabling competitive differentiation in the upstream energy sector from how a company sources new technology to how technology shapes a firm's strategic goals. Her recent research includes understanding the clean energy innovation ecosystem and the implications of the energy transition for the innovation landscape. Dr. Carolyn co-chairs CERAWeek's Energy Innovation Pioneers program, for which she tracks emerging energy technology trends and identifies promising startups that develop game-changing technologies across the energy value chain. She was a contributing author to the 'Advancing the Landscape of Clean Energy Innovation' report, jointly produced with the Energy Futures Initiative and supported by Breakthrough Energy. Previously, Dr. Carolyn managed the Quantitative Fuel Analytics Group at Edison Mission Marketing and Trading, where she provided short-term and long-term insights on coal, natural gas and environmental markets. She also advised senior management on market implications of proposed environmental policies and the emerging North American shale gas supply.

Dr. Carolyn was a Clare Boothe Luce Postdoctoral Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she co-authored The Future of Natural Gas study that investigated the impact of unconventional supply on North American and global energy markets and carbon policy. She worked in domestic and international development and operational roles as a reservoir engineer for BP, Shell and Chevron.

She completed a Bachelor of Science in engineering chemistry from Queen's University, Canada, and holds a Ph.D. and Master of Science in petroleum engineering from Stanford University, United States.