Bennett Schmitt is a Naughton Fellow pursuing a masters in Climate Adaptation Engineering at Trinity College Dublin. He was named Salutatorian of the University of Notre Dame’s Class of 2025, graduating with a bachelors in Environmental Sciences and Applied & Computational Mathematics and Statistics and a minor in Energy Studies.
Bennett is passionate about sustainability and clean energy, and he hopes to build a career in sustainable development that focuses on expanding energy access in rural and developing regions. His thesis at Trinity will explore the rapid uptake of solar energy in Puerto Rico and investigate the downstream technical and social impacts on grid stability and energy resilience across the island. The work will focus on how Puerto Rico can craft policy approaches and community energy-sharing mechanisms to ensure an equitable energy transition.
Bennett is a member of the Notre Dame Dublin part-time staff where he assists with front of house duties and event management at O'Connell House.