Paul-Etienne Pini is a Belfer Young Leader and an MPP candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he is also an Anne Dias & Kenneth Griffin Fellow and a Sachs Fellow. 

He most recently worked for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), on bolstering energy security and infrastructure development in Europe and Central Asia. Before Harvard, Paul served as a policy analyst for the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency, where he coordinated expert taskforces and developed IAEA strategic foresight to help countries advance their nuclear decommissioning and environmental remediation programs. He also initiated the critical analysis and update of the IAEA’s Policy Guidance on Radioactive Waste Management, leading consultations with Member States across Europe and Asia to promote public sector capacity-building, integrated planning and policy reform. Previously, Paul worked for the OECD, evaluating the adequacy of national funding schemes for nuclear back-end activities, and contributed to delivering policy guidelines for OECD governments to make these schemes more flexible and sustainable. 

His research interests include energy transitions, decarbonization, energy infrastructure lifecycle management, energy access, regional development and multilateral cooperation. Originally from France, Paul holds a BA in Land Planning & Development and an MPhil in Geography, Decision-Making & Environment from Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon. In 2019, he also attended Columbia University as an exchange student in International Relations.