Carmen Iten holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from ETH Zürich. Studies abroad led her to the University of California, Berkeley and the Universitat Politècnica de València. She worked for ABB for two years, particularly focusing on fields such as microgrids and solar energy. Previous work experience include internships with the Boston Consulting Group, Siemens Thailand and an American Start-Up. As a Mercator Fellow, she seeks to work with renewable energy based mini-grids and evaluate their potential for rural electrification in Sub-Saharan Africa.