4-faculty-staff
Exploring pathways to a brighter energy future
A new faculty member brings his passion for sustainable and equitable energy systems to the classroom
Rodrigo Mercado Fernández, PhD, joined Loyola’s School of Environmental Sustainability (SES) as an assistant professor in the spring of 2025, bringing a robust engineering background, a globally informed perspective, and a passion for understanding how our energy choices affect people and the planet.
“I think the energy space is incredibly exciting. There are a lot of important challenges that we’re facing at the moment. It’s important to engage people with broad perspectives in the discussion, including SES students who are studying different aspects of sustainability.” Rodrigo Mercado Fernández, PhD
Engineering energy solutions
Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Mercado Fernández spent his early childhood in Oak Park, Illinois, while his parents pursued graduate studies at the University of Illinois Chicago. He later returned to Mexico, where he completed his undergraduate degree in mechanical and electrical engineering at the University of Guadalajara before working at GE Aviation. From there, he decided to explore his growing interest in energy by pursuing a PhD in industrial engineering and operations research at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
“I was drawn to the energy field because of how impactful it is in our day-to-day lives and because of its importance—both now and in the future,” he said. “While a lot of people focus on materials or efficiency, I was more interested in the big picture: how we make decisions and design policies around energy systems.”
After completing his PhD, Mercado Fernández took a postdoctoral position at the Appalachian Energy Center, where he worked for two years. He then spent two and a half years as a professor in the industrial engineering program at the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Guadalajara before taking on his current role at Loyola.
Today, Mercado Fernández’s engineering background and focus on systems-level thinking continue to inform his research and teaching. His work explores energy transition pathways and their intersections with sustainability, equity, and health, focusing on how policy and planning can better support communities.
Research to guide equitable energy policies
Currently, Mercado Fernández leads a collaborative research project with Appalachian State University, analyzing power outage and hospital data to assess how outages impact health outcomes in North Carolina. They have found that heat-related illnesses increase with more extended outages, and outages can also increase the risk of hospital visits for cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. In addition to learning about the types of health risks associated with outages, the researchers aim to understand how factors like geography, age, and socioeconomic status affect vulnerability.
“Our goal is to help guide more equitable policy responses to climate impacts,” says Mercado Fernández. “We want to understand who is most at risk and how we can target interventions to make communities more resilient. So, for example, we want to identify which parts of the grid are most vulnerable to various types of disasters. Then we want to determine how we can incorporate that knowledge into our decision-making and long-term planning so that we have a more robust system going forward.”
This research provides valuable information for policymakers and community advocates and contributes to scholarly work published in journals such as Energy and Climate Change and Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition.
“Through my classes, I want students to understand where our energy comes from, the trade-offs involved in our energy systems, and what we need to think about in a transition to more sustainable systems.”
Teaching to inspire
At Loyola, Mercado Fernández brings his passion for sustainable and equitable energy systems to the classroom. He teaches courses including Energy and the Environment and Introduction to Energy and Power Systems, which include both undergraduate and master’s students. His goal is to give students the tools to engage with complex energy issues—whether they go on to work in energy, policy, ecology, or community-based work.
“Through my classes, I want students to understand where our energy comes from, the trade-offs involved in our energy systems, and what we need to think about in a transition to more sustainable systems,” he said.
He’s especially excited about helping students feel confident engaging across disciplines and sectors. “I want them to be able to have informed conversations—with engineers, with NGOs, with community members—about energy issues and why they matter.”
Mercado Fernández said he was drawn to Loyola and SES in particular because of the school’s interdisciplinary programs and the opportunity to work with people who share his interests in sustainability, climate, and energy. He said he enjoys interacting with students and colleagues at SES and appreciates the opportunity to teach classes on topics related to his research. As his career at Loyola continues to develop, he looks forward to collaborating with faculty, staff, and students on impactful research efforts to help shape more equitable and sustainable energy policies.
-By Stephanie Folk
Fall 2025
Engineering energy solutions
Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Mercado Fernández spent his early childhood in Oak Park, Illinois, while his parents pursued graduate studies at the University of Illinois Chicago. He later returned to Mexico, where he completed his undergraduate degree in mechanical and electrical engineering at the University of Guadalajara before working at GE Aviation. From there, he decided to explore his growing interest in energy by pursuing a PhD in industrial engineering and operations research at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
“I was drawn to the energy field because of how impactful it is in our day-to-day lives and because of its importance—both now and in the future,” he said. “While a lot of people focus on materials or efficiency, I was more interested in the big picture: how we make decisions and design policies around energy systems.”
After completing his PhD, Mercado Fernández took a postdoctoral position at the Appalachian Energy Center, where he worked for two years. He then spent two and a half years as a professor in the industrial engineering program at the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Guadalajara before taking on his current role at Loyola.
Today, Mercado Fernández’s engineering background and focus on systems-level thinking continue to inform his research and teaching. His work explores energy transition pathways and their intersections with sustainability, equity, and health, focusing on how policy and planning can better support communities.
Research to guide equitable energy policies
Currently, Mercado Fernández leads a collaborative research project with Appalachian State University, analyzing power outage and hospital data to assess how outages impact health outcomes in North Carolina. They have found that heat-related illnesses increase with more extended outages, and outages can also increase the risk of hospital visits for cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. In addition to learning about the types of health risks associated with outages, the researchers aim to understand how factors like geography, age, and socioeconomic status affect vulnerability.
“Our goal is to help guide more equitable policy responses to climate impacts,” says Mercado Fernández. “We want to understand who is most at risk and how we can target interventions to make communities more resilient. So, for example, we want to identify which parts of the grid are most vulnerable to various types of disasters. Then we want to determine how we can incorporate that knowledge into our decision-making and long-term planning so that we have a more robust system going forward.”
This research provides valuable information for policymakers and community advocates and contributes to scholarly work published in journals such as Energy and Climate Change and Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition.
Teaching to inspire
At Loyola, Mercado Fernández brings his passion for sustainable and equitable energy systems to the classroom. He teaches courses including Energy and the Environment and Introduction to Energy and Power Systems, which include both undergraduate and master’s students. His goal is to give students the tools to engage with complex energy issues—whether they go on to work in energy, policy, ecology, or community-based work.
“Through my classes, I want students to understand where our energy comes from, the trade-offs involved in our energy systems, and what we need to think about in a transition to more sustainable systems,” he said.
He’s especially excited about helping students feel confident engaging across disciplines and sectors. “I want them to be able to have informed conversations—with engineers, with NGOs, with community members—about energy issues and why they matter.”
Mercado Fernández said he was drawn to Loyola and SES in particular because of the school’s interdisciplinary programs and the opportunity to work with people who share his interests in sustainability, climate, and energy. He said he enjoys interacting with students and colleagues at SES and appreciates the opportunity to teach classes on topics related to his research. As his career at Loyola continues to develop, he looks forward to collaborating with faculty, staff, and students on impactful research efforts to help shape more equitable and sustainable energy policies.
-By Stephanie Folk
Fall 2025