Caltech in Houston
An Evening with Techers in Houston
Join fellow alumni, postdoctoral scholars, parents, and members of the Caltech community for an evening reception at Xochi, the Oaxacan restaurant from James Beard Award–winning Chef Hugo Ortega, located in downtown Houston’s Marriott Marquis across from Discovery Green.
Barbara Burger (PhD ’87), a 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, will lead a conversation on the central themes shaping energy in 2026 — from geopolitics and the rapid progress of AI to impacts on the environment and the economy.
For questions, contact Karen Ravago-Ballaret at info@alumni.caltech.edu.
Registration
$20 per guest
$10 for GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) alumni
Please register in advance.
Registration ends Monday, April 13, 2026.
Barbara J. Burger (PhD '87)
Speaker
Barbara J. Burger (PhD ’87) is a former Vice President of Innovation and President of Chevron Technology Ventures. During her career at Chevron, she held leadership positions across the company’s businesses as well as a wide range of civic and industry organizations. Burger has built an advisory and director portfolio with firms including Bloom Energy, Milestone Environmental Services, Revterra, Emerald Technology Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, Marunouchi Innovation Partners, Syzygy Plasmonics, and Epicore Biosystems. She serves as Board President of the Houston Symphony.
At Caltech, she supports graduate women in chemistry who pursue careers beyond academia and serves on the Resnick Sustainability Institute Advisory Board. Burger also serves on the University of Rochester Board of Trustees, where she established the Barbara J. Burger Endowed Scholarship in the Sciences and the Barbara J. Burger iZone, a space where students generate, refine, and communicate ideas for social, cultural, community, and economic impact.Burger holds a BS in chemistry from the University of Rochester, a PhD in chemistry from Caltech, and an MBA from UC Berkeley. She received the Caltech Distinguished Alumni Award in 2021.