Sarah Sausan, Emma Li, and Mofopefoluwa Ajani of Century EGS Share First Place at 2026 Net‑Zero Tech Competition

The Academia Sinica, in collaboration with the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, hosted the inaugural 2026 Net-Zero Technology Business Plan Competition, bringing together Stanford students to develop commercialization strategies for emerging net-zero technologies in Taiwan.

A total of twelve interdisciplinary Stanford teams participated, addressing Taiwan’s energy transition challenges through market-driven, technology-based solutions. Following multiple rounds of evaluation, four finalist teams were invited to Taiwan to present their proposals to a panel of experts from academia, industry, and government. 

Among the finalists, the Century EGS Team—comprising PhD students Sarah Sausan, Emma Li, and Mofopefoluwa Ajani—developed an AI-based geothermal risk assessment model aimed at reducing the financial uncertainty associated with deep geothermal projects. By improving investment confidence, the approach seeks to accelerate the deployment of geothermal energy as a reliable baseload power source. 

In a highly competitive final round held at Academia Sinica, Century EGS and CorePower were jointly awarded first place. Both teams focused on geothermal commercialization but proposed distinct and complementary strategies, earning strong recognition from the judging panel. 

The competition was initiated following a November 2025 visit by James C. Liao to Stanford, where discussions with Arun Majumdar led to the creation of a program designed to bridge Stanford’s entrepreneurial ecosystem with Academia Sinica’s research capabilities and foster industry collaboration. 

Reflecting on the experience, the Century EGS team noted, “We really enjoyed participating in the competition, where we explored the implementation of enhanced geothermal systems in Taiwan. It was an exciting journey involving technical analysis, business model development, and building a Minimum Viable Product.”

Congratulations to the Century EGS Team—Sarah Sausan, Emma Li, and Mofopefoluwa Ajani!