Tessa Beach

Tessa Beach is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at the University of California, Berkeley. Her dissertation research centers on the effects of transitions in society's electric power systems associated with carbon reduction and renewable integration policies. In particular, she is focused on developing geospatial metrics and methods to evaluate the potential environmental and urban development implications of such transitions at both regional and local spatial scales. Tessa also holds an M.S. in Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a B.S. in Biology from the University of California, San Diego. In addition to her educational background, Tessa has extensive experience working to address energy and environmental issues across government, academic, and non-profit sectors. She currently holds a position as an Environmental Planner for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Francisco District. She has served as an academic researcher on numerous projects for the California Energy Commission and an instructor for graduate-level courses on geographic information systems, advanced quantitative methods for environmental planning, and renewable energy policy at UC Berkeley. From 2008-2010, she served on the Board of Directors of Get Oil Out!, a non-profit organization advocating to end fossil fuel development and promote renewable energy in Santa Barbara County. Through such educational and work experiences, Tessa strives to understand and mitigate the potential impacts of transitions in society's critical infrastructure systems before they occur.