Post-Doctoral Associate
Section: US: Other Academic (Visiting or Temporary)
Location: Cambridge, MA, United States
JEL Classifications:
C – Mathematical and Quantitative Methods
G – Financial Economics
L – Industrial Organization
Q – Agricultural, Natural Resource, Environmental and Ecological Economics
Keywords: Energy Economics, Climate Change, Electricity Markets, Commodity Price Volatility, Stochastic Processes, Real Option Valuation, Nuclear Power, Low-Carbon Fuels
Application Requirements:
CV
Cover Letter
Job Market Paper
2 Letters of Reference Upon Request
Position description:
We are seeking a motivated postdoctoral associate in the area of electricity markets and electricity system modeling. They will work with John Parsons (MITEI and MIT CEEPR) and Charles Forsberg (Nuclear Science and Engineering). This project studies the drivers of wholesale electricity price volatility, the changing profile of volatility as the electricity system is decarbonized, and the value of flexible industrial processes.
The project will use GenX, an open-source electricity system planning model developed at MITEI (genx.mit.edu), as well as the Idaho National Laboratory’s stochastic framework RAVEN (Risk Analysis Virtual ENvironment) and its dispatch plugin HERON (Heuristic Energy Resource Optimization Network) to model wholesale electricity prices and also to optimize flexible components of an integrated industrial system of nuclear generation, thermal storage and chemicals production and to value the system under decarbonization scenarios. Responsibilities include working with the other engineers and economists on the project; documentation of results in reports and presentations; and contributing to academic journal publication.
Qualifications:
Some mix of familiarity with electricity markets and pricing, with applied energy system modeling, with stochastic processes, and with statistical analysis.
Experience with algebraic modeling languages used for linear and mixed integer programming (e.g. Julia/JuMP, Python/Pyomo).
This position is Cambridge, MA. The successful candidate is expected to relocate. 12 month appointment with renewal contingent on performance and funding. We welcome people from all walks of life to bring their talent, ideas, and experience to our community. We value diversity and strongly encourage applications from individuals from all identities and backgrounds – like yours.
Requirements:
A PhD in economics or an engineering discipline or operations research.
Application Instructions:
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Early application is strongly recommended. The project has a tentative start date of September 1, 2023. Applications received before April 1, 2023 will be given priority.
All interested applicants must apply and submit their CV and cover letter on the MIT Careers page here:
In addition, also directly email the PI, John Parsons (jparsons@mit.edu) and cc: ceepr@mit.edu using the subject line: “MIT Postdoctoral application – [Your name]” with your CV, cover letter, and job market paper. The applicants should also be prepared to provide at least two letters of recommendation as and when requested.
Reference/Referee Instructions:
Reference Letters (if requested) may be emailed separately and directly to ceepr@mit.edu by the letter writer if needed – please include the job applicant’s full name (intended person that the reference letter supports) in the email body.
MIT is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Members of underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply.