Daniel Palken is currently the Director of Infrastructure for Energy and Permitting at Arnold Ventures, where he works to advance evidence-based policies that will help America build energy infrastructure better, faster, and at lower cost in order to meet the needs of America's growing 21st century economy. Prior to joining Arnold Ventures, Daniel Palken worked in the U.S. Senate from 2020 to 2025 under four United States Senators, primarily serving as senior policy advisor to Sen. John Hickenlooper of Colorado for energy and as Professional Staff for electricity policy on the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources under Chairman Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Daniel negotiated the transmission provisions of the bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act, and served as the lead policy staffer on five bills enacted into law. Prior to working in energy policy, Daniel completed his M.S. and Ph.D. in physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he applied tools of quantum measurement and Bayesian statistics to the problem of dark matter detection. Daniel graduated from Bowdoin College with a B.A. in physics and English.