Dr. Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao (https://www.elviscao.com/) is a renowned scholar and leader in climate and sustainability. Currently, as a Schmidt Science Fellow at MIT, he combines his expertise in technology, business, and policy to focus on carbon capture and utilization. His role as an Inaugural Impact Fellow at the MIT Climate & Sustainability Consortium involved collaborating with Fortune 500 companies to tackle climate-related challenges and foster collaboration between academia and industry. During his Ph.D. studies at Cornell University, Dr. Cao made significant breakthroughs in CO2 conversion by developing a scalable solar reactor. His accomplishments led to his inclusion on Forbes 30 Under 30 and secured the industrial partner a finalist position in the prestigious $20M Carbon XPRIZE. As the co-founder of Arbon, Dr. Cao's startup focuses on direct air capture of CO2 and utilization, winning the Activate Fellowship and the Second Place Award in the MIT Climate & Energy Prize. As the Co-PI, he recently received a ~$350K grant from a Carbontech Program funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). Dr. Cao's impact extends beyond his research accomplishments. He has contributed to global energy transition roadmaps and white papers for the UN and the World Economic Forum. His innovative contributions to climate change have been recognized by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, leading to speaking engagements at renowned events such as the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings.