Dr. Charles Upshaw
Charles Upshaw is a Founding Partner and CEO of IdeaSmiths LLC where he oversees company operations and leads projects across a diverse range of topics, including early stage energy technology due diligence, thermal systems modeling, and strategic advising. Charles was previously Lead Engineer at Positive Energy where he supported and oversaw a variety of design and consulting projects, spanning from traditional mechanical and plumbing designs, to advanced analysis and design of back-up and off-grid energy systems and on-site water systems for large high-performance houses. Prior to joining Positive Energy, he was a Program Manager at UT’s Austin Technology Incubator (ATI). At ATI, Charles was ‘Lead Instigator’ of the Water RIOT (Water Resiliency with Internet of Things) program, an Economic Development Agency-funded effort to kick-start a ‘smart water’ startup ecosystem in Texas. Charles Upshaw received his PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas where he spent over eight years in various research positions in the Webber Energy Group. Charles’ PhD research focused on modeling energy and water flows in the built environment with a multi-disciplinary systems-level approach, and his MSc thesis research focused on thermal systems modeling of power generation from Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC).