2023 Young Professional Best Paper Award Competition
USAEE is delighted to announce the 2023 USAEE Young Professional Best Paper Award Competition. This award, sponsored by 4 Score Economics LLC this year, recognizes outstanding research by young professionals in the field of energy economics. Not only will the winner receive recognition for their exceptional work, but they will also be rewarded with a complimentary conference registration for the 40th Annual USAEE/IAEE Conference in Chicago (November 6-8, 2023) valued at $800. We extend our sincere gratitude to Anna Broughel, whose invaluable support facilitated this collaboration.
USAEE Young Professional Best Paper Award Competition
USAEE invites young professionals (35 years and younger at the time of submission or five years or less from completion of their last degree) to submit abstracts for the 2023 best paper award competition. Please see below for information on the finalists and the award winners of the Young Professional competitions in previous years.
We invite young professionals working in academia, industry, government, and other organizations to participate in this competition. 3-4 finalists will be selected to submit their full papers and present their research live at a webinar with judges and the audience at 10 am ET on Friday, October 13th, 2023. Please note the following instructions and deadlines.
- Abstracts are due Monday, July 31st, 2023. Please use this Paper Abstract template for abstract submission. In your submission email to USAEE Academic Committee member Dr. Yuting Yang (yutingyang@unm.edu), please indicate your age at the time of submission and the year of obtaining your last degree.
- The invitations to the 3-4 finalists for the best paper competition will be sent out around August 18th.
- The finalists need to submit a full paper via email to yutingyang@unm.edu before September 22nd, 2023. The paper should be 8.5 by 11 inch page setup; 12-font size; 15 pages maximum (any paper that exceeds the page limitation will be subject to disqualification); the 15-page limit does not include references or appendices.
- The 3-4 finalists will present their research at a webinar held at 10 am ET on October 13th, 2023. In order to receive the award, finalists must present their work in the Young Professional Best Paper Competition webinar on Oct 13th.
- Please submit all the above-mentioned materials to yutingyang@unm.edu, with "Submission for USAEE Young Professional events" in the subject line.
To be eligible for consideration, the applicant must:
- be a young professional (35 years and younger at the time of abstract submission or five years or less from completion of their last degree);
- Students should submit their papers to the USAEE student events such as the student paper competition and USAEE annual conference, instead of this young professional competition;
- be a member of USAEE or IAEE in good standing. Membership information may be found at usaee.org or iaee.org.
- The concept development, the research described in the abstract and paper, and the writing of the paper must be primarily the work of the young professional or equal contribution of all authors, and cannot have previously won a prize at an IAEE-affiliated conference.
Questions related to these young professional events should be addressed to Dr. Yuting Yang (yutingyang@unm.edu).
2022
Webinar
Congratulations to our winner:
Click here to view the recording
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Paige Weber, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill INTERMITTENCY OR UNCERTAINTY IMPACTS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN ELECTRICITY MARKETS Paige Weber is an Assistant Professor in the Economics Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with an adjunct appointment in the Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program. She uses methods in applied microeconomics and industrial organization to answer research questions in energy, equity, and policy. Her research studies energy and electricity markets, climate change policy, distributional impacts of environmental policy, and industry responses to environmental regulation. She received her Ph.D. in Environmental Economics from Yale University in 2019, and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She has professional experiences in the electricity industry, federal government, and non-governmental research organizations, all of which inform and motivate her research agenda. |
Finalists
Congratulations to our winner:
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Paige Weber, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill INTERMITTENCY OR UNCERTAINTY IMPACTS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN ELECTRICITY MARKETS Paige Weber is an Assistant Professor in the Economics Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with an adjunct appointment in the Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program. She uses methods in applied microeconomics and industrial organization to answer research questions in energy, equity, and policy. Her research studies energy and electricity markets, climate change policy, distributional impacts of environmental policy, and industry responses to environmental regulation. She received her Ph.D. in Environmental Economics from Yale University in 2019, and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She has professional experiences in the electricity industry, federal government, and non-governmental research organizations, all of which inform and motivate her research agenda. |
And to our runner-up:
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Tim Schittekatte, Massachusetts Institute of Technology INTERMITTENCY OR UNCERTAINTY IMPACTS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN ELECTRICITY MARKETS Tim Schittekatte is a postdoctoral associate at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He teaches a course on engineering, economics, and regulation of the power sector and conducts research about the same topics within the MIT Energy Initiative. More specifically, his current research interests are power market design in times of crisis and electricity retail rates for decarbonizing power systems. Prior to joining MIT, he was a research fellow at the Florence School of Regulation at the European University Institute. He graduated as an engineer from Ghent University, Belgium, and completed the EMIN program with an international masters in economics. He holds a Ph.D. in energy economics from University Paris-Sud XI. |
This webinar was held on Oct 14, 2022, and featured four finalists of the USAEE Young Professional Best Paper Award Competition, who presented their work to a panel of judges. The competition is open for young (35 years of age and below) energy economists working in academia, industry, government, and other organizations. The four finalists were selected through a very competitive first-round evaluation process. Each of the presenters has 12 minutes to present their work and 8 minutes for Q&A with the judges and the audience. After the event, the judges select the winner of the "Best Paper" award among the competitors, though all presenters are recognized for the quality of their work by being selected for the final competition.
The four finalists:
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Paige Weber, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill INTERMITTENCY OR UNCERTAINTY IMPACTS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN ELECTRICITY MARKETS Paige Weber is an Assistant Professor in the Economics Department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, with an adjunct appointment in the Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program. She uses methods in applied microeconomics and industrial organization to answer research questions in energy, equity, and policy. Her research studies energy and electricity markets, climate change policy, distributional impacts of environmental policy, and industry responses to environmental regulation. She received her Ph.D. in Environmental Economics from Yale University in 2019, and her Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley. She has professional experiences in the electricity industry, federal government, and non-governmental research organizations, all of which inform and motivate her research agenda. |
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Xingchi Shen, Yale University INTERMITTENCY OR UNCERTAINTY IMPACTS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN ELECTRICITY MARKETS Xingchi Shen is a Postdoctoral Associate in Energy Economics at Yale School of the Environment (YSE). His research interests include the economics of electrification and energy efficiency, energy consumption behaviors, clean energy transition, and social equity. His previous and ongoing research examines the economic incentives and consequences of clean technology adoption (e.g., heat pumps, solar photovoltaics, electric vehicle, home battery) in the buildings and transportation sectors, which provides decision-support for decarbonization policies. Xingchi received his Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Maryland. |
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Ruoyu Chen, University of Windsor INTERMITTENCY OR UNCERTAINTY IMPACTS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN ELECTRICITY MARKETS Ruoyu Chen is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Windsor, specializing in the areas of environmental and energy economics, urban economics, and development economics. Ruoyu’s research primarily focuses on advancing the understanding of the effectiveness of carbon trading in restriction power sector emissions and renewable energy adoption, with a special interest in the Chinese economy. His research also encompasses the economic impacts of housing market regulations. He obtained his Ph.D. in Economics and his M.A. in International Trade and Investment Policy from George Washington University, and his B.A. in English Literature and Linguistics from Tsinghua University. For more information on Ruoyu’s research, please see https://stevenrychen.com/. |
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Tim Schittekatte, Massachusetts Institute of Technology INTERMITTENCY OR UNCERTAINTY IMPACTS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY IN ELECTRICITY MARKETS Tim Schittekatte is a postdoctoral associate at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He teaches a course on engineering, economics, and regulation of the power sector and conducts research about the same topics within the MIT Energy Initiative. More specifically, his current research interests are power market design in times of crisis and electricity retail rates for decarbonizing power systems. Prior to joining MIT, he was a research fellow at the Florence School of Regulation at the European University Institute. He graduated as an engineer from Ghent University, Belgium, and completed the EMIN program with an international masters in economics. He holds a Ph.D. in energy economics from University Paris-Sud XI. |
Judges
Moderator:
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Yueming (Lucy) Qiu University of Maryland College Park |
Yueming (Lucy) Qiu is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy at University of Maryland College Park. Her research group focuses on using big data with quasi-experimental and experimental methods to answer empirical questions related to the interactions among consumer behaviours, energy technologies, and incentives. Her research projects have been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, Electric Power Research Institute, the Department of Defence, and Water Research Foundation. Dr. Qiu received her Ph.D. from Stanford University and B.S. from Tsinghua University. She has published in scientific journals including the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Nature Energy, Nature Sustainability, and Nature Communications. |
Judges:
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IMELDA The Geneva Graduate Institute |
Imelda is the André Hoffmann Assistant Professor in Environmental and Resource Economics and part of the Center for International Environmental Studies since 2021. She is an applied microeconomist and she received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Hawaii in 2018. She did her postdoctoral research at the Department of Economics, Carlos III University in Madrid, where she investigates policies to achieve the clean energy transition. Her research explores the intersections of health, energy, gender, and environmental economics, looking at how clean energy transition and policies can improve welfare and market outcomes. |
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Eric Hittinger Rochester Institute of Technology |
Eric Hittinger is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Policy at Rochester Institute of Technology. He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University, an MS in Macromolecular Science, and BS in Polymer Science and Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. Professor Hittinger has a background in electricity system policy, operation, and economics, with a focus on understanding the benefits and limitations of energy storage and renewable electricity sources. His research often uses techno-economic modeling of electricity systems to understand the effects of system policies and interactions.
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Akshaya Jha Carnegie Mellon University |
Akshaya Jha is an Assistant Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University, Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy Jha’s research interests lie at the intersection of energy and environmental economics and industrial organization. His research uses a combination of economic modeling and causal inference techniques to quantify the economic and environmental costs and benefits of a wide range of policies impacting wholesale electricity supply. In recent work, he has examined the introduction of financial trading to California’s wholesale electricity market, the phase-out of nuclear power in Germany, the dramatic growth of rooftop solar capacity in Western Australia, and the determinants of electricity blackouts in India. He received a BS in Economics and Statistics from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University. |
2021
Webinar
Congratulations to our winner:
Finalists
Congratulations to our winner:
And to our runner-up:
Imelda, Graduate Institute Geneva (IHEID) and her paper MARKET POWER AND PRICE EXPOSURE: LEARNING FROM CHANGES IN RENEWABLES' REGULATION.
This webinar was held on Oct 5, 2021 and featured four finalists of the USAEE Young Professional Best Paper Award Competition, who presented their work to a panel of judges. The competition is open for young (35 years of age and below) energy economists working in academia, industry, government, and other organizations. The four finalists were selected through a very competitive first-round evaluation process. Each of the presenters have 12 minutes to present their work and 8 minutes for Q&A with the judges and the audience. After the event, the judges select the winner of the "Best Paper" award among the competitors, though all presenters are recognized for the quality of their work by being selected into the final competition.
The four finalists:
Marta Talevi has a PhD in Environmental Economics from the London School of Economics (LSE), and is currently a Postdoctoral Associate at Yale School of the Environment (YSE). Marta's research interests are in applied microeconomics, with a focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation, (clean) energy access, and environmental justice. Current projects include research on the effectiveness of energy decarbonization programs and incentives for technology adoption, energy access (electrification and clean cooking), energy economics in humanitarian settings in Sub-Saharan Africa, and inequality in pollution exposure of marginalized groups.
Akshaya Jha - Carnegie Mellon University
Akshaya Jha is an assistant professor of economics and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University. Jha's research examines the benefits and costs of economic and environmental policy pertaining to the coal and electricity sectors in the United States and India. His recent work utilizes a combination of econometric, machine learning, and economic modeling techniques to study the phase-out of nuclear power in Germany, the introduction of purely financial participation to California’s wholesale electricity market, and the extent to which blackouts in India are due to upstream misallocation of wholesale electricity supply. He received his PhD in Economics from Stanford University and his B.S. in Economics and Statistics from Carnegie Mellon University. For more information on his research, please visit http://www.akshayajha.com
Yuting Yang - University of New Mexico
ELECTRICITY INTERCONNECTION WITH INTERMITTENT RENEWABLES
Yuting Yang is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of New Mexico, specializing in environmental and energy economics. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from the Toulouse School of Economics, her M.A. in Economics Development from Vanderbilt University, U.S., and her B.A. in International Economics from Zhejiang University, China. Yuting’s research primarily focuses on issues related to energy transition towards a low carbon economy, with an emphasis on energy policies in the electricity sector. Her current research includes work looking at the expansion of cross-border electricity transmission and its impact on energy transition and carbon emissions.
Imelda - Graduate Institute Geneva (IHEID)
MARKET POWER AND PRICE EXPOSURE: LEARNING FROM CHANGES IN RENEWABLES' REGULATION
Imelda is an assistant professor in the International Economics Department at the Graduate Insitute Geneva (IHEID) since 2021. She is an applied microeconomist with a research focus on Energy and Environmental Economics. In particular, her research explores the intersections of energy, health, gender, and environmental issues, looking at how clean energy transition and policies can improve welfare and market outcomes. She holds a BA in Economics from the University of Padjadjaran (Indonesia) and obtained her PhD in Economics at the University of Hawaii in 2018. She did her postdoctoral research at the Department of Economics, Carlos III University in Madrid, where she investigates policies to achieve the clean energy transition at least cost.
Judges
The moderator and the judges of the competition are:
Moderator: Yueming (Lucy) Qiu, University of Maryland College Park
Yueming (Lucy) Qiu is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy at University of Maryland College Park. Her research group focuses on using big data with quasi-experimental and experimental methods to answer empirical questions related to the interactions among consumer behaviours, energy technologies, and incentives. Her research projects have been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, Department of Defence, and Water Research Foundation. Dr. Qiu received her Ph.D. from Stanford University and B.S. from Tsinghua University.
Mark Agerton, UC Davis & Rice University’s Baker Institute
Mark Agerton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Davis and a nonresident scholar at the Center for Energy Studies housed at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. Agerton works on issues in energy and resource economics. His current research examines several aspects of the U.S. shale boom, including how firms learn where to drill, the economics of mineral leasing, constraints in midstream infrastructure, flaring, and methane emissions. Agerton earned a Ph.D. in Economics from Rice University, an M.A. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a B.A. in Spanish from Davidson College.
Anna (Ebers) Broughel, Tetra Tech
Anna (Ebers) Broughel is a renewable energy economist at an engineering consulting firm Tetra Tech. Her most recent research reviewed over 60 international energy scenarios for 2040 and beyond, developing four main scenarios for post-COVID19 energy futures. Prior to joining Tetra Tech, she worked at the U.S. Department of Energy as a Science and Technology Fellow. During her post-doctoral training at the University of St.Gallen in Switzerland and at the University of Maryland, College Park, she researched social acceptance of wind energy and other energy technologies. She holds a PhD in economics and policy from the State University of New York in association with Syracuse University, where she was a Fulbright scholar. Currently, she serves as a council member for the U.S. Association for Energy Economics and is a non-resident fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. In the past, Dr. Broughel has taught classes in energy policy and climate change as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Stephen Jarvis, London School of Economics
Stephen Jarvis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at the London School of Economics. His research is mainly in the fields of economics and public policy, covering a range of energy and environmental topics, including electricity markets, climate change, air pollution and the political economy of clean energy. His most recent work studies the local planning barriers faced by wind and solar power projects. Stephen received his PhD from the University of California Berkeley.
Olivier Massol, IFP School in France
Olivier Massol is Professor of Economics at the Center for Energy Economics and Management and Scientific Assistant Director at IFP School in France. From 2000 to 2007, he worked for Gaz de France (now Engie) – a utility company – as an economist and then a project manager. Olivier’s research interests and expertise are in applied economics and more specifically in the fields of Industrial Organization and Energy and Natural Resources Economics. His contributions concentrate on questions related to: (i) the monetization of natural resources; (ii) the economics of energy infrastructures; (iii) the modeling of strategic interactions in the energy industries, or (iv) the spatial integration of energy markets. Olivier is an elected council member of the French Association for Energy Economics and has been appointed Honorary Research Fellow of the Department of Economics at City, University of London.
2020
Webinar
Congratulations
Congratulations to our winner: Stephen Jarvis, Energy & Resources Group and Energy Institute at Haas, University of California Berkeley, for his paper "The economic costs of NIMBYism: Evidence from renewable energy projects".
Finalists
Congratulations to our winner:
Stephen Jarvis, Energy & Resources Group and Energy Institute at Haas, University of California Berkeley, for his paper "The economic costs of NIMBYism: Evidence from renewable energy projects".
This webinar features four finalists of the USAEE Young Professional Best Paper Award Competition, who will present their work to a panel of judges. The competition is open for young (35 years of age and below) energy economists working in academia, industry, government, and other organizations. The research papers were solicited in the summer and have undergone initial evaluation by the judges. Each of the presenters will have 15 minutes to present their work and 10 minutes for Q&A with the judges and the audience. After the event, the judges will select the winner of the "Best Paper" award among the competitors, though all presenters are recognized for the quality of their work by being selected into the final competition.
The presentations will occur in this (randomly selected) order:
Sylwia Bialek, Institute for Policy Integrity, New York University
Efficiency in wholesale electricity markets: On the role of externalities and subsidies
Sylwia Bialek, PhD, works as an economist at the Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University, studying the efficacy of environmental policies. Recently, her focus has been on environmental policies in the context of electricity market design and regulation, in particular in connection to capacity markets. In addition to producing scholarly research, Dr. Bialek has also engaged actively in PJM and NYISO proceedings and working groups.
Rodney Kizito, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Stochastic optimization of distributed generator location and sizing in an islanded utility microgrid during a largescale grid disturbance
Rodney Kizito graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2010 with a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering. He went on to earn a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Arkansas in 2017 and is currently pursuing his PhD in Industrial Engineering at the University of Tennessee (UT), while working for the U.S. Department of Energy in the Research and Development division. His current research focuses on the optimization of solar-based microgrids during large-scale power disturbances, as well as the application of predictive analytics through the use of machine learning. Rodney’s graduate career currently includes four publications, and awards such as the Rising African American Leaders Award from Pitt’s African American Alumni Council, the 2020 Outstanding Graduate Student Award and the Chad Holliday Graduate Fellowship from UT’s Industrial and Systems Engineering department. He is very active in his many communities through his work with underserved Middle and High School students and commits himself to helping these students realize that future careers in STEM fields are a possibility for them, regardless of their backgrounds.
Stephen Jarvis, Energy & Resources Group and Energy Institute at Haas, University of California Berkeley
The economic costs of NIMBYism: Evidence from renewable energy projects
Stephen Jarvis is a PhD Candidate at UC Berkeley’s Energy & Resources Group and a Researcher at the Energy Institute at Haas. His research interests are centered on energy and environmental economics, with a focus on applied econometrics and machine learning methods. His current research includes work looking at the phase-out of nuclear power in Germany and a study of the social costs of NIMBYism in the context of renewable energy deployment. He came to Berkeley after three years working for Ofgem, the UK’s energy regulator, and before that he studied at the London School of Economics.
Amanda J. Harker Steele, KeyLogic Systems LLC
Modeling disruptions in power system reliability using a state contingent production function approach
Amanda J. Harker Steele Abstract
Dr. Harker Steele works as an economist for KeyLogic Systems LLC. supporting the Systems Engineering and Analysis Directorate at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Lab (NETL). In her current role she utilizes economic theory and empirical methodology to analyze the economic impacts of R&D being conducted by the lab. Her research focuses on the development and deployment of carbon capture technologies, electricity market infrastructure changes, coal markets, and demand response for natural gas. In general, her research interests center on understanding the economic efficiency and distributional equity implications of policies related to energy production and consumption across the United States. She has a strong interest in energy economics, environmental economics, production economics, and regional economic issues.
Judges
The moderator and the judges of the competition are:
Moderator: Yueming (Lucy) Qiu, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland College Park
Yueming (Lucy) Qiu is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Policy at University of Maryland College Park. Her research group focuses on using big data with quasi-experimental and experimental methods to answer empirical questions related to the interactions among consumer behaviours, energy technologies, and incentives. Her research projects have been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, Department of Defence, and Water Research Foundation. Dr. Qiu received her Ph.D. from Stanford University and B.S. from Tsinghua University.
Dawud Ansari, German Institute for Economic Research
Dawud Ansari is a researcher at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and director and co-founder at the Energy Access and Development Program (EADP). Besides that Dawud is an independent consultant and (senior) lecturer at multiple institutions. He researches for and advises national and international bodies on the economics and governance of energy systems, development issues, energy access, and resource management, particularly in the Middle East. In addition to that, Dawud works on numerical modelling, off-grid design, and management topics. He holds a PhD in economics and studied at Berlin Institute of Technology, Humboldt University, and the Johns Hopkins University.
Anna (Ebers) Broughel, Tetra Tech
Anna (Ebers) Broughel is a renewable energy economist at an engineering consulting firm Tetra Tech. Her most recent research reviewed over 60 international energy scenarios for 2040 and beyond, developing four main scenarios for post-COVID19 energy futures. Prior to joining Tetra Tech, she worked at the U.S. Department of Energy as a Science and Technology Fellow. During her post-doctoral training at the University of St.Gallen in Switzerland and at the University of Maryland, College Park, she researched social acceptance of wind energy and other energy technologies. She holds a PhD in economics and policy from the State University of New York in association with Syracuse University,
Nathalie Hinchey, The Brattle Group
Nathalie Hinchey is an Associate at The Brattle Group, an economic and litigation consulting firm. Nathalie has published research that examines strategic investments, competition, and market manipulation in various natural gas markets. Additionally, Nathalie has experience quantifying commercial damages in the energy industry and has provided expert testimony support for pipeline market power cases. During Nathalie’s doctoral studies, she was a Graduate Fellow at the Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies. Nathalie received her PhD in Economics and MA in Statistics from Rice University, and her MA in Economics from the University of Toronto.
Chiara Lo Prete, Pennsylvania State University
Chiara Lo Prete is Associate Professor of Energy Economics at The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Lo Prete studies the design and operations of electricity markets using quantitative methods at the intersection of economics, operations research and statistics. Current research focuses on market design to accommodate renewable energy penetration, grid resilience against natural gas disruptions, and impact of state environmental policies on regional electricity markets. Before joining Penn State in 2014, Dr. Lo Prete earned a Ph.D. in Geography and Environmental Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University in 2012, and was a Ziff Environmental Fellow at Harvard University from 2012 to 2014.
