From Flying Planes and Teaching Abroad to Advancing Green Technologies, A UCLA Alum’s Path to Self-Discovery
Alexander Moutoux ’17, MEng ’22 has built his career by staying open to opportunity rather than following a fixed long-term plan — ready to act when what he calls a “black swan event” appears and to take lessons from each experience along the way.
Born in San Francisco and raised in San Carlos, about 30 minutes south of the city, Moutoux spent much of his childhood outdoors, often in the mountains near his grandparents’ home outside Lake Tahoe. Those early experiences — skiing, hiking and observing environmental change over time — quietly shaped the direction his life would eventually take.
“I gained a love for an active lifestyle in nature,” he said. “Seeing how pollution and climate change have worsened the environment for all has affected me since an early age.”
His mother spent her career at the Environmental Protection Agency working on cleanup sites, while his father has run a law firm for more than three decades. From them, Moutoux learned both a concern for environmental impact and the importance of finding purpose in one’s work.
With an aptitude for math and science in middle and high school, Moutoux initially chose to major in physics when he began his undergraduate studies at UCLA. As he progressed through entry-level math and science courses during his freshman year, however, he found himself aligning more closely with engineering students taking the same classes. After learning more about the various engineering degrees and coursework, Moutoux decided his interests and strengths lay more in the practical, tangible nature of mechanical engineering than in theoretical physics. While he never lost his appreciation for physics, he transferred into mechanical engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering at the end of his first year.
After earning his bachelor’s degree, Moutoux spent a year living in Medellín, Colombia, where he taught English at a private language academy and established a guesthouse for international students and workers.
In December 2019, shortly after returning to Los Angeles, Moutoux took a job at a heating, ventilation and air conditioning manufacturer. As a technical sales engineer, he gained insight into the construction industry operations and developed skills in technical communication, forecasting and time management. While he found the role educational, it ultimately was not the right fit. During the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2020, he stepped away from the position and moved to Mammoth Lakes with two friends.
An avid skier, Moutoux served as ski captain and later treasurer of the UCLA Ski & Snowboard team during his undergraduate years. Living in the mountains for an entire winter and skiing regularly fulfilled a long-held dream and allowed him time to reflect on his next steps.
“I have never had a long-term career plan,” he said. “Opportunities come and go — it’s always a matter of timing and whether or not you are ready to seize them.”
It was also during this deliberate career break that Moutoux learned to fly an airplane, driving two hours each week to Carson City for flight lessons. Earning his private pilot license, he said, remains one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of his life.
“I’ve most enjoyed learning alongside the students as we tackle real-world problems together,” said Alexander Moutoux of his experience working with MEng students. “It’s rewarding to see them come up with creative solutions we would have never thought of.”
The road to new discoveries would eventually lead Moutoux back to UCLA Samueli when he learned about the school’s newly launched one-year Master of Engineering professional degree program in 2021. With a longstanding interest in environmentalism and renewable energy, he was drawn to the program’s Green Energy Systems track.
“I liked that it was only one year and included a summer capstone project,” Moutoux said. “I also liked the business school connection — an area the engineering course load did not easily allow me to explore as an undergrad.”
The Green Energy Systems curriculum covers a broad base of conventional and renewable energy systems, but one course stood out to Moutoux: a communications class taught by two UCLA Anderson School of Management professors.
“They required us to speak in front of the class multiple times throughout the quarter and gave honest, constructive feedback,” Moutoux said. “I learned how to deliver a concise, captivating and informative presentation.”
While completing his summer capstone project, Moutoux met one of the program’s industry advisors, Alex Spataru, founder of the Adept Group, a Los Angeles-based engineering consulting and project development firm. The project arranged by Spataru involved working with container terminal operators at the Port of Los Angeles to analyze diesel fuel use and model how hydrogen could theoretically power port operations.
The experience placed Moutoux’s work directly in front of industry leaders — the final report was later submitted as part of the Port of Los Angeles’ successful application for federal hydrogen hub funding.
Today, Moutoux serves as vice president at the Adept Group, where he works to lower emissions in communities most affected by pollution, particularly those around commercial ports.
Through his role, Moutoux maintains close ties to UCLA. The Adept Group has sponsored multiple MEng capstone projects since Moutoux’s graduation, working with student teams on client-facing challenges. Past projects have included microgrid designs for electric vessel charging, energy systems for UCLA’s South Bay campus housing and market analyses for zero-emissions vehicle transitions. In November 2024, the company was involved in UCLA’s signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Port of Los Angeles to foster collaborations on advancing sustainability, research and healthier communities.
“I’ve most enjoyed learning alongside the students as we tackle real-world problems together,” Moutoux said. “It’s rewarding to see them come up with creative solutions we would have never thought of.”
Looking ahead, Moutoux says he hopes the Adept Group can help advance renewable and zero-emissions technologies through projects that improve local air quality and address climate impacts.
“I want to make incremental progress and help new green technologies, big and small, become a reality,” he said.