Our House Leaders
Resident Leaders at Explore Energy House 2024-2025
Varun Shirhatti
Varun is a senior and coterminal Master’s student from Bangalore, India and San Diego, CA, majoring in Earth Systems. He’s interested in ecology and land management, and particularly nature-based approaches to sustainability. This year, Varun is an Earth Systems Student Advisor, sings with Stanford Talisman, and teaches public speaking. Varun was an RA at Explore Energy House in 2023-24, and was also the director of Students for a Sustainable Stanford. Outside of academics, he likes to read, make music, and get outside for hikes (not necessarily in that order). He’s always happy to catch a meal and/or chat about anything at all – classes, life, or whatever else comes to mind!
Solomon Kim
Solomon is a coterminal Master’s student studying Sustainability from Los Angeles, CA. He designed his own major in Environmental Engineering and Computer Science. He has a younger sister Solmih who is a junior at Stanford, and his parents are immigrants from Korea. After Stanford, he hopes to work in the climate space. He is interested in the fields of energy efficiency, renewable technology, and job creation in the climate sector. Solomon was an Inaugural Resident Assistant at the Explore Energy House and participated in Intramural Basketball for 3 years during his time here.
Nomin Bayarsaikhan
Nomin is a senior from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia studying Electrical Engineering. She’s interested in the intersection of engineering and climate change, specifically the decarbonization of the electric grid. Nomin has been on the leadership team of Stanford’s Society of Women Engineers and has also organized events like a solar-powered lamp making workshop as a co-lead of the Engineers for Sustainable World club. Nomin enjoys crocheting, going to social dance events and rock climbing in her free time.
Zach Mouza
Zach is a junior from Seattle, Washington majoring in Bioengineering. He’s interested in developing novel technologies that help solve problems pertaining to sustainability, like food systems and climate change. Zach formerly worked in the Petrov Lab, an Ecology/Evolutionary Biology lab where he conducted research about pesticide resistance in fruit flies. Now Zach works in the Feig Lab, a Mechanical Engineering lab about using hydrogels for novel treatments. Outside of school, Zach enjoys playing cards and videogames, reading mystery books, and showing pictures of his cat.
Alison Fajardo
Alison is a junior from New Jersey majoring in Chemical Engineering and minoring in Biology. As a first-generation student, she is proud of her Ecuadorian background. She loves all things soil! Her future goals are to use bioengineering tools with a focus on regenerative agriculture to create more equitable food systems. Alison is a Zero Waste Intern for the Office of Sustainability and a research assistant under the Coleman lab. Outside of academics and jobs, she enjoys documentaries, thrifting, playing volleyball, drawing, going on off-campus adventures, and gymming.
Sebastian Esteva
Sebastian is a junior, FLI, Mexican-American, with a love for long evening walks, climbing, and listening to way too many audiobooks. He’s a Bio-mechanical engineering major and has a passion for the humanities, like law, film, and politics. Sebastian is in SENSA consulting and is the Course Coordinator for Mind over Money, Stanford's financial literacy program. Catch him anytime for a talk about intersectional energy issues, life, or just about the house ('24-'25 will be his third year with the Energy dorm!).