David Anthoff is an environmental economist who studies climate change and environmental policy. He co-develops the integrated assessment model FUND that is used widely in academic research and in policy analysis.

Professor Ray’s research interests are water and development; technology and development; common property resources; and social science research methods. Her research projects focus on access to water and sanitation for the rural and urban poor, and on the role of technology in improving livelihoods.

Beyond Energy Access: Understanding the Household Dynamics of Modernizing Cooking in Rural Karnataka, India (MA ’18) Bodie uses interdisciplinary approaches to investigate land-based solutions to climate change. He currently studies how policy and innovative technology can enable carbon-beneficial forest management. This work bridges industrial ecology, forest economics, and forest ecology. His modeling work has focused […]

Cristina is a Spanish Fulbright scholar, MS student at ERG and Graduate Student Research Affiliate at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Through her graduate coursework, she focuses on facilitating renewable energy integration in the electricity markets through inclusive, innovative and citizen-centric solutions. As an Affiliate at LBNL, she is working on market valuation and […]

John’s research is primarily concerned with macro-energy systems analysis. He is interested in the life cycle characteristics of renewable energy systems, with a current focus on the carbon drawdown potential of BECCS and other product pathways in the bioeconomy. He is also interested in the qualitative changes implied by future energy pathways by way of […]

Effects of Electricity Consumption and Rate Design on Solar Plus Storage-enabled Grid Defection (MS ’19) Will’s primary research interests involve assessing the opportunity for distributed energy resources to participate on the electric system while investigating their technical impact on the grid. Prior to joining ERG, he worked for the Brattle Group’s utilities group in Boston […]

Modeling Organic Waste Management for Soil Carbon Sequestration in California (MS ’19) Anaya is a PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG) at UC Berkeley. Prior to joining ERG, Anaya attended the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University where she earned a Master of Science in Agriculture, Food and […]

Stephen is a PhD Candidate at UC Berkeley’s Energy & Resources Group and a Researcher at the Energy Institute at Haas. His work lies at the intersection of economics, public policy and data science. His research interests are centered on the energy sector and the environment, with a particular focus on electricity markets. His primary […]

The Cost of Reliability in Decentralized Solar Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (MS ’18) Jonathan studies transitions in electric power systems and electricity markets, specifically microgrids and distributed energy resources, the role of new technologies in grid planning, and the effects of the physical structure of power systems on social equity. He is interested in both […]

Joyceline is a Tanzanian who holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Rochester. Her research interest lies in energy decentralization, diversification, economics and policy making to empower women and improve the standard of living in East Africa. She currently works at the Renewable & Appropriate Energy Laboratory on Off grid systems […]

Priyanka is a first-year Masters of Science Student with the Energy and Resources Group. At ERG, she plans to identify and quantify the economic benefits of just transition policies and explore issues at the nexus of international economic development and climate action. Prior to coming to ERG, she worked with the New Climate Economy (NCE), […]

I am applying to the joint degree so that I can upgrade my pre-existing knowledge of climate policy and environmental economics through the MPP, while adding new knowledge of other  disciplines through the MS in Energy and Resources that bolster my effectiveness as an analyst for, advocate against, and advisor on climate change. I am […]

The Impact of Data Access on Academic Research: Evidence from the Land Remote-sensing Commercialization Act of 1984 (MS ’18) Esther researches how climate change will impact the financial sector and how the private sector and regulatory agencies are responding to climate-related financial risks. She is interested in the assessment and valuation of these risks, as […]

Luke’s research emphasizes policy mechanisms to encourage innovative technological and management approaches to environmental challenges. Broadly, he is focused on using economics and data science to inform environmental law and policy. Currently, Luke is a Graduate Student Researcher with the Global Policy Lab where he is working with a large team to ensure that satellite […]

Julia studied economics and Spanish at UC Berkeley as an undergraduate, and realized her interest in energy and environmental issues while a research assistant at the UC Energy Institute. After consulting in the energy and finance sectors, she worked at Pacific Gas & Electric forecasting electric generation and its cost for customer rates. For the […]

Valeri Vasquez is a PhD candidate in the Energy and Resources Group. She has a Designated Emphasis in Computational Data Science and Engineering, and is a Moore/Sloan Fellow at the Berkeley Institute for Data Science. Valeri conducts most of her work in the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics under the School of Public Health. There, […]

Liyang’s research goal is to accelerate clean energy technology adoption for a sustainable and equitable energy future through an interdisciplinary approach. For the past several years, Liyang is a researcher at Berkeley Lab, where she plans to be part of as she pursues her studies at ERG. Previously, Liyang worked at Eversource and completed a […]

Greater than the Sum of Their Parts? Political Impacts of State Climate Policies in the Face of Partisan Polarization (MA/MPP ’17) Dan completed concurrent degrees at the Goldman School of Public Policy and the Energy and Resources Group. He came to Berkeley after working for seven years in energy consulting at Tetra Tech and philanthropy […]

Samuel Carrara holds a Bachelor Degree and a Master Degree in Mechanical Engineering (Major: Energy and Mechanical Plants) and a PhD in Energy and Environmental Technologies, all from the University of Bergamo, Italy. After working as an engineer in the gas turbine field, he is now a researcher at Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM), Milan, […]

Mind the Gap: Bridging Strategies for Universal Energy Access (PhD ’19) Since graduating as an electronics engineer in 2004, JP Carvallo has been working, studying, and researching different aspects of the energy field. His current interests relate to varied topics in sustainable development for less industrialized economies, with a geographical focus in Latin America and Asia. […]

Wind generation: A step towards energy independence on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua (MS ’08) Exploring the role of information in development policy and practice in the fields of rural electrification, climate change mitigation, and fishing economics on Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast (PhD ’12)

On Rate Regulation in Modern Electricity Sectors (PhD ’17) Felipe was a Ph.D. Candidate with ERG. His research seeks to improve the understanding and organization of energy systems, leveraging methods, and concepts developed in fields including operations research, microeconomics, and industrial organization. Felipe’s work puts a particular emphasis on the development and application of data […]

Michael Cohen puts the power and complexity of the grid into students' hands via a video game. We asked Michael about his innovative project and his unique experience at ERG. "In addition to developing the game itself, I am working with teachers at local high schools to develop curriculum around it and try it out with their students this year. I hope to not only create a solid educational product but also gain some insights into how technology can be used to support learning about complex systems in general."

Measured Energy Savings and Economics of Retrofitting Existing Single-Family Homes: An Update of the Beca-B Database (91 MA)

Policies for an Ecological Civilization: China, Carbon, and Economic Reform (PhD ’19) Cecilia is a PhD candidate at ERG. Her dissertation uses economic modeling and social science to critically analyze several of China’s flagship energy and climate policies. She is a research affiliate at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s China Energy Group, where she works […]

Modeling Adaption to Sea Level Rise Under Uncertainty (MS ’19) Catherine received a BA in Economics from Dartmouth College, with a minor in Environmental Studies. Prior to coming to ERG, she worked on issues related to U.S. energy policy and integrated assessment modeling at the Joint Global Change Research Institute. At ERG, she is interested […]

Minding Electron Leakage: How Utility Regulation Can Improve Upstream Energy Efficiency (MS ’14) Ben is a concurrent MS-MPP degree student in ERG and the Goldman School of Public Policy. His primary area of focus is the spread of technologies and policies that promote energy efficiency. Ben also works in Berkeley Lab’s Heat Island Group, which […]

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT This ERG alumni spotlight features one of the first ERG graduate students, David Marcus (MA’77), and is written by ERG alumna, Sarita Sarvate (MS’78). The piece is the first of a series of stories on the achievements and journeys of alumni, showcasing their life after ERG. Small is Beautiful by Sarita Sarvate (MS’78) One summer […]

Measuring California’s Energy Service Affordability (MS ’19) Christian is fascinated by energy end-uses’ effect on communities’ economic and political well-being. While his formal scientific background is in biorenewable resources, his focus is on the sustainable development of holistic energy solutions based on socioeconomic, geographic, and natural resource characteristics for communities both domestic and developing abroad. […]

Monkgogi (who goes by MK) was born and raised in Botswana and recently graduated cum laude with her BA from Scripps College in Environment, Economics, and Politics. Personally, MK has worked extensively with and for underrepresent students in higher education through numerous leadership roles, mentorships, and volunteering opportunities. Access to and visibility of underrepresented students […]

Environmental, Economic, and Social Trade-Offs of Hydropower Relicensing (MS ’16) Joseph is interested in the social, environmental, and economic trade-offs in energy development, and in particular the social conflicts arising around utility-scale wind farm siting and hydropower relicensing. His master’s research focuses on the relicensing of the Yuba River Development Project, a large hydropower project […]

Formerly a freelance writer and founding director of the Vietnam Green Building Council (2007-2009), Jalel remains a board member and international coordinator for Green Cities Fund (its NGO parent).  In 2012 he co-founded the Southeast Asia – Renewable and Adaptive Energy (SEA-RAE) group at Berkeley.  At ERG he has designed a class on ecological economics; […]

Ida Sognnaes is a PhD student in the Energy and Resources Group. She is originally from Norway and came to Berkeley for the first time as part of her five year MSc in Applied Mathematics and Physics where she focused on Renewable Energy and Climate Science. She wrote her Master thesis with John Harte in […]

"In a sense, we’re going through a tran­si­tion here. The indus­try is going through a tran­si­tion that we’re only see­ing the begin­ning of,” says Dr. Cyrus Wadia (PhD’08). Cyrus knows about transitions. He has been a policy advocate, business entrepreneur and scientific innovator for clean energy and human welfare prior, throughout and since his time at ERG. He has not only observed but has been part of the change in the world’s switch to solar. His multiple hats and his work on the frontline edge of policy, economics and science made him a perfect fit for the interdisciplinary program at ERG.

M.S. 1986 – A Vehicular Power Plant Application of the Monolithic Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Ph.D. 1995 – Fan-Lizhi’s Big Bang: Science and Politics in Mao’s China ERG alumnus Jim Williams, now a professor at the University of San Francisco, is a global thought leader in the area of low-carbon energy systems. At USF his focus is on […]