When Merritt Dailey paused a steady tech career to chase a passion for the environment, she wasn’t sure where the path would lead. That decision set her on a course through Michigan Engineering’s Energy Systems Engineering (ESE) master’s—an experience she calls “one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for myself.” Today, Merritt is a climate tech investor deploying hundreds of millions of dollars into solutions that decarbonize the economy.
By 2019, Merritt had spent five years at Google and felt ready for change. She initially enrolled in a master’s program at an Ivy League institution, then realized Michigan’s program was a better fit because of its engineering focus and science rigor. What drew her was simple: “Michigan’s Engineering prowess… it is absolutely one of the best in the U.S. for engineering.”
During Merritt’s time in the program, COVID shifted the courses online. While this could have been challenging, Michigan Engineering is ranked 9th for the best online master’s in engineering programs, according to U.S. News & World Report. The Energy Systems Engineering program is available both on campus and online, so the program was already designed for distance learners.
Online, the support and connection were strong. She shares, “I truly have never met a better supporting faculty and staff. It feels like a really small and tight-knit group.” The online lecture experience “worked really, really well,” and she built lasting relationships via Zoom: “We’ve never met in person, but I still feel like we built a relationship.”
And the classes? They were filled with valuable lessons, including project-based experiences that brought the curriculum to life. “I took Margaret Wooldridge’s class on advanced thermodynamics. I literally still use principles from her class in my job. Every day,” shares Merritt. She also worked with Volker Sick and the Global CO₂ Initiative—connections she says “really greased the wheels for me to get jobs.”
Today, Merritt is a climate tech investor. She credits the program’s rigor and scope: “For me, getting on a more technical path has been a game-changer for my career. I have been selected for multiple jobs and roles because I have this technical background.”
One differentiator, she says, is Michigan’s breadth: policy at the Gerald R. Ford School, business at Michigan Ross, and a deep engineering focus at Michigan Engineering: “I was like a kid in a candy store. There are so many schools and areas of focus within the Michigan umbrella.”
Merritt discovered how a focus on learning and exploring available opportunities (rather than just a focus on grades) made a big impact on her education. She says, “I would really just focus on learning—take classes that are a little bit outside your comfort zone.” She also urges students to use office hours: “One of the great pleasures professors have is mentoring the students. I felt a lot more plugged in. I built relationships.”
Merritt was also involved beyond engineering, participating in clubs at Ross, ESE lunchtime chats, and Michigan’s vast alumni network. Even in a big university, she says, “there was such a multitude of ways to connect, whether you’re in person or online.”
Overall, Merritt feels that the experience was worth it. “It supercharged me,” she says, “I can be in roles I had only really dreamed of doing, and now I feel like I can do them and do them well.” The capstone, pathways, and cross-campus options mean “there’s so much room for what you’re passionate about.”
