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NEW YORK — From a climate and energy perspective, the world is in the midst of a historic transition. Navigating this transition effectively requires insights, analysis and actionable solutions across a range of technological, social, political, financial, and geopolitical dimensions. To meet the urgency of the moment, the Center on Global Energy Policy continues to expand the scope, breadth and depth of its expertise across a broad range of disciplines, both domestic and international. Toward that end, CGEP is pleased to announce a cluster hire of six new research scholars who bring expertise in the fields of climate, energy policy, geopolitics, markets, and climate security. They also hail from around the world and bring deep expertise and experience in key regions of the energy world, both developed and developing, which is of central importance given that most of the increase in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions will come from emerging markets and developing economies. As is true for CGEP’s existing team, this new cluster of scholars will thus be based around the world, including at several of Columbia’s Global Centers.
The new scholars are Anne-Sophie Corbeau, Dr. Kaushik Deb, Dr. Harrison Fell, Kate Guy, Dr. RJ Johnston, and Dr. Tom Moerenhout. At CGEP, they will conduct research, collaborate with the strong community of scholars at the Center as well as across Columbia University, including the newly formed Climate School, and engage with public and private sector leaders, journalists, students and other key stakeholders.
“This is an exciting time for the Center on Global Energy Policy. We’re thrilled to welcome six new scholars to our team who bring immense expertise and important perspectives to a variety of research areas critical to understanding the global energy landscape,” said Jason Bordoff, Co-Founding Dean of Columbia’s Climate School, Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs, and Founding Director of CGEP.
“CGEP’s growth and ability to attract top talent further demonstrates the importance of the scholarship it produces in service of advancing smart, actionable and evidence-based energy and climate solutions,” said Dr. Geoffrey M. Heal, Donald C. Waite III Professor of Social Enterprise in the Faculty of Business and co-chair of CGEP’s Academic Steering Committee.
Anne-Sophie Corbeau’s research focuses on hydrogen and natural gas. Anne-Sophie has over 20 years of experience in the energy industry and is a recognized expert on natural gas. She is the author of many publications focusing on gas, LNG markets, Asia, China, India and Africa, including the book “LNG markets in transition: the great reconfiguration” (Oxford, 2016). She is also a member of the Gastech governing body.
Before joining CGEP, Corbeau was a senior Leader and head of gas analysis at BP, where she was responsible for advising the Leadership Team on gas market developments and long term pricing assumptions. As part of the Economic and Energy Insights team, she was leading the Energy Outlook’s analysis on gas, industry, nuclear and hydrogen. She also served as a member of BP France’s Comex (board).
She began her career as an engineer working on fuel cells and hydrogen at Peugeot and Debis Systemhaus. Anne-Sophie holds an MSc from the Ecole Centrale Paris and an MSc from the University of Stuttgart.
Dr. Kaushik Deb’s research focuses on policies to achieve a just and efficient energy transition in developing countries, including the role of oil and gas markets. Prior to joining the Center, Kaushik led the Markets and Industrial Development Program at the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center in Riyadh, managing the Center’s engagement with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy in supporting the development of short and long term strategies for oil and gas markets to achieve the Kingdom’s energy sector objectives.
Before this, Dr. Deb was the Head, Global Gas Markets in Group Economics in BP overseeing analysis that formed the basis for the investment and trading strategy of the company in natural gas. Kaushik has a Doctor of Science degree from ETH Zürich and a Master of Arts in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics.
Dr. Harrison Fell specializes in the fields of environmental, energy, and natural resource economics with a focus on the design of climate policy. His recent work focuses on issues related to renewable energy deployment and integration, policy design and assessment of emissions regulations, and electricity market regulations. Prior to joining CGEP, Dr. Fell was an associate professor (with tenure) at North Carolina State University, an assistant professor at the Colorado School of Mines, and fellow at the DC-based think tank Resources for the Future.
Dr. Fell’s research has been published in over 25 peer-reviewed journals, including publications in the leading environmental economics field journals and top general interest economics journals. Dr. Fell currently serves on the editorial councils at two of the top environmental economics journals, the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management and the Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in economics from the University of Washington and B.S. degrees in economics and engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.
Kate Guy joins CGEP to spearhead an initiative on climate and security. She is an expert in the intersection of our changing climate, national security threats, and global governance institutions. She is a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Climate and Security, where she also serves as Deputy Director of the International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS). She is currently pursuing a PhD in International Relations at the University of Oxford, where she researches great power conflict and climate change. At Oxford, she has served as a lecturer in International Relations at University College, a researcher at the Blavatnik School of Government, and led courses in the University-wide Oxford School of Climate Change.
Guy has worked in American politics and international environmental policy with numerous institutions, including Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, the U.S. Department of State, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Truman National Security Project, Foreign Policy for America, and the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Kate earned her B.A. in Political Science and M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University, focusing in foreign policy and climate change. She was raised in Minnesota, and currently lives in Washington, DC.
Dr. RJ Johnston’s research and expertise lies in the energy transition with a focus on oil and gas. He is founder and Managing Director for Eurasia Group’s Energy, Climate, and Resources practice, and served as the firm’s CEO from 2013 to 2018. RJ works closely with corporate and institutional investor clients in the oil and gas, mining, electric power, and clean tech sectors.
Prior to joining Eurasia Group, Dr. Johnston served as managing director of equity research at Medley Global Advisors, where he was responsible for providing political and strategic insights to clients in the institutional investment community and served as the lead analyst for global energy equities. In addition, Dr. Johnston was a research director at UBS Warburg Energy, working directly in support of energy trading. He holds a doctorate in international relations from American University, a master’s degree in political science from McMaster University, and a bachelor’s degree in political studies from Bishop’s University.
Dr. Tom Moerenhout’s research expertise and practical engagements focus on political economy, geopolitics and international economic law. His main expertise lies in the role of trade, investment and fiscal policies in sustainable development, the politics of a just energy transition, and resource valuation & regulation. He is an advisor on energy subsidy reform to the World Bank’s Infra Energy Global Program, and a senior associate at the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
Dr. Moerenhout also leads the energy subsidy program at Johns Hopkins’ Initiative for Sustainable Energy Policy. He holds two master’s degrees and a PhD at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. Prior to joining Columbia University, he was a visiting fellow at the LSE Department of Government and Aramco-OIES fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. In 2015-2016 he was a Fulbright fellow at Columbia University.
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