In a previous Insider Story, we shared profiles of five different PMEC alumni, all working in marine energy. Ali Trueworthy and Kelly Ruehl described their experience in national labs, while Ben Strom, Moriel Arango, and James Joslin all shared their work as founders of marine energy companies. But these are just a few of the career pathways that PMEC alumni forge. In this blog, we dig into the numbers for a birds-eye view of alumni outcomes.
How are students affiliated with the Pacific Marine Energy Center?
Students are affiliated with PMEC in a variety of ways. All of our students are enrolled at one of our three affiliate universities: University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Oregon State University, and University of Washington. Undergraduate and graduate students can also participate in one of the two marine energy clubs (the OSU Marine Renewable Energy Club and UW’s WAWave), both of which have recently competed in the national Marine Energy Collegiate Competition. They can also do lab and/or field research with a PMEC faculty or staff mentor.
PMEC supports multiple graduate students each year – as many as our grants can fund – to work on marine energy projects. These graduate students are typically in an engineering discipline, marine affairs, fisheries, or public policy.
Where are PMEC alumni now?
From 2009 to 2025, over 126 students have completed graduate degrees with a PMEC-affiliated advisor. About two thirds of those students earned a masters degree, the other third earned a doctorate. PMEC strives to create and support ample opportunities for networking as students launch their careers. For example Ali Trueworthy, currently a postdoctoral scholar at PNNL, met her current mentor at a PMEC All-Center Meeting. Moriel Arango recalls that his advisor introduced him to colleagues who were co-founding BladeRunner Energy, where Moriel is now CEO and CTO. The pie chart shows more broadly what pathways our graduates have chosen.
Take a look at some examples from each category:
Industry - Energy (non-marine): Hydropower, wind power, electric utilities. These graduates are working at Bonneville Power Administration, Bloom Energy, Tetra Tech, Canyon Hydro, etc…
Industry - Ocean Engineering + energy: These graduates are working at Glosten, MarineSitu, CPower, Moffat & Nichol, etc…
Industry - Other: Robotics, tech, consulting, GISmapping, and software engineering. These graduates are working at Boeing, AWS, Alphabet, etc…
National Labs: These graduates are working at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Sandia National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Non-profit: These graduates are working for Global Fishing Watch, the Ocean Exploration Trust, Renewable Northwest, etc…
Government: These graduates work for the California Coastal Commission, the LA Department of Natural Resources, the US Navy, the US Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA, Department of Energy, etc…
University: These graduates work at University of Washington, University of Rochester, University of Oslo, UMass Dartmouth, Oregon State University, Everett Community College, etc…
Interested in Studying with PMEC, or hiring a PMEC alum?
Marine energy education and workforce development are high priorities for PMEC. Prospective students who wish to study marine energy should consider applying to one of PMEC’s three partner universities. Undergraduates typically begin a connection to PMEC during the course of their degree and may choose to focus on marine energy research. Students interested in an advanced degree in marine energy should connect with a PMEC faculty member in their area of interest for guidance on applying. PMEC Co-Director Hilary Boudet, who advises masters and doctoral students, states,
“I select students who show interest in the topic and have related skills to the work (or are willing to learn the related skills). I like to see students take initiative on their own to get involved, reaching out to faculty and sharing their interests and aspirations, showing up at events, and getting involved independently.”
Employers often share marine energy job postings with us for distribution in our bi-weekly newsletter. We welcome career-related submissions, please email communications@pmec.us for more information.
Lastly, we are actively developing our alumni network. If you are a PMEC alum and wish to learn more, please take our 2-minute Alumni Interest Survey!