Outgoing ENRP/STPP Fellows Reflect on Belfer Center Experience

The Environment and Natural Resources Program (ENRP) and Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program (STPP) bid a fond farewell—but not goodbye—to our outgoing research fellows who are departing the Belfer Center this summer.

Congratulations and best wishes to these talented scholars as they move on to the next step in their careers advancing a more sustainable world: Bo Bai, Jing Chen, Marinella Davide, Kaveri Iychettira, Priyank Lathwal, Jiaqi Lu, Abhishek Malhotra, Jonathan Moch, Alejandro Nuñez-Jimenez, Easwaran Narassimhan, Xin Sun, and Jeff Tsao.

Several departing fellows shared reflections on their time at the Belfer Center—as well as where you can continue follow their work.

Alejandro Nuñez-Jimenez

"Being a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Belfer Center has been a wonderful experience. Beyond the intellectual challenges and academic opportunities that Harvard Kennedy School has offered me, I am most thankful for the inspiring and brilliant colleagues I have met. Harvard is relentless at attracting the brightest and best from every corner of the world, and those with a passion for public service to make a better world find their way to Harvard Kennedy School. After my stay at the Belfer Center, I am fortunate to count some of them not just among my close colleagues but among my friends."

Alejandro has accepted a position as a Senior Researcher at the Sustainability and Technology Group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich), Switzerland, where he will continue to investigate the role of hydrogen in the decarbonization of energy systems with a renewed emphasis on the interplay between innovation policy and technological change. Follow his work at @anunezjimenez on Twitter.

Priyank Lathwal

"The Belfer Center has been key to my growth as an early career researcher. My interests found a comfortable home in the warm and intellectually stimulating environment at the Center. Belfer taught me to be bold in tackling problems that may not have straightforward answers but demand rigorous and evidence-based scholarship to inform the policy process. I am grateful to have worked with many great intellectuals, including Professor John Holdren, Professor Daniel Schrag, and Professor Henry Lee, on climate and sustainability issues."

Priyank will join the World Bank Group as part of the incoming Fall 2022 cohort of the Young Professionals Program (YPP). Follow his work at @priyanklathwal on Twitter.
 

Bo Bai

"At the Belfer Center, I met many excellent scholars. Different academic backgrounds can always spark new ideas. I finished my study on the economic and environmental performance of different load shaving strategies under high renewable energy penetration situations. Based on the life-cycle analysis, I also worked with other fellows to study the regional differences in carbon footprints for lithium battery manufacturing."

Currently, Bo is an assistant professor at Bay Area International Business School, Beijing Normal University, where she will continue her work on the decarbonization of the power and transportation sectors, including the development of renewable energy sources and related economic and social impacts, the economic and environmental feasibility of energy storage options like hydrogen and battery storage systems, and blockchain combined with micro-grids. Visit her personal page to follow her work.

Jonathan Moch

"My time at the Belfer Center was a truly great experience where I was able to delve into the world of decarbonization policy and better understand how science and analysis can influence and inform policy. In my short time at the State Department so far, lessons learned at the Belfer Center have already been an invaluable resource to draw upon."

Jonathan began working at the U.S. Department of State in the Office of Global Change as a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in late March, where he is helping to carry out and design U.S. bilateral and multilateral foreign policy related to climate, including through working on the UNFCCC negotiations and on new Just Energy Transition Partnerships with the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. He can be reached via email. 

Jing Chen

"At the Belfer Center, what impressed me most was the excellent academic atmosphere and the chance to meet many outstanding scholars. I finished my study on coal power phaseout issues in the context of decarbonization, with an emphasis on the challenges faced by Chinese provincial governments."

Jing will continue her work on power sector decarbonization with a focus on Chinese coal power phaseout policy change in the post-pandemic era. Visit her personal page to follow her work or contact her via email. 

Xin Sun

"Visiting the Belfer center has been an awesome experience for me. The relaxed environment, wise group leaders and managers, and excellent colleagues here have provided me with lots of interdisciplinary knowledge and inspiration, which contributed greatly to my research. And the friends I met here are the greatest treasure I have gained. I will keep the connections for the rest of my life."

Xin will return to Tsinghua University to complete the final year of his PhD program, where he will continue his research on the sustainability of critical materials for the energy transition. Visit his personal page to follow his work or contact him via email.