My primary research interest is in improving our understanding of the environmental and social aspects of energy systems, and in the development of energy systems that support the world we desire to live in. I am particularly interested in better characterizing environmental impacts of energy production and transformation, especially air pollution and greenhouse gases, and in the economic, political, and other social aspects of energy systems with reduced environmental impacts. Questions of energy security; how to define it, how to measure it, how to achieve it; are also an area of interest. Of the many forces that shape the development of energy systems, I am particularly interested in government policy, especially incentive-based approaches. Over the next several years, I will pursue these interests through an NSF grant on energy sector decision-making under uncertainty, DoE-sponsored work on distributed energy, research with the California Climate Change Center.  

I also have a general interest in the social processes by which energy and environmental policy is created and implemented, and the outcomes that result from such policy choices. This includes a specific interest in understanding how to improve the use of scientific and engineering information in policy-making. I also have a general interest in the development and application of interdisciplinary approaches to challenging problems associated with energy and environmental policy. I am pursuing  these interests through a project on hazardous waste management.

Curriculum Vitae

Publications

Study of the Low Carbon Fuel Standard