JOE Listings (Job Openings for Economists)

February 1, 2023 - July 31, 2023

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

This listing is inactive.
MIT Energy Initiative
MIT CEEPR
Postdoctoral Associate

JOE ID Number: 2023-01_111471589
Date Posted: 02/27/2023
Date Inactive: 07/31/2023
Position Title/Short Description
Title: Postdoctoral Associate
Section: US: Other Academic (Visiting or Temporary)
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, UNITED STATES
JEL Classifications:
C -- Mathematical and Quantitative Methods
G -- Financial Economics
L -- Industrial Organization
Q -- Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics
Keywords:
Energy Economics
Climate Change
Electricity Markets
Commodity Price Volatility
Stochastic Processes
Real Option Valuation
Nuclear Power
Low-Carbon Fuels
Full Text of JOE Listing:

We are seeking a motivated postdoc 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:
PhD in either economics; an engineering discipline; operations research.
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).

Application Requirements:
  • External Application URL and Instructions Below
  • Letters of Reference Instructions Below
Application deadline: 07/31/2023
Reference Instructions:
The applicants should also be prepared to provide at least two letters of recommendation as and when requested. Referees may email their letters to ceepr@mit.edu with the subject line "LOR for [Applicant Name]"
Application Instructions:
The project has a tentative start date of September 1, 2023. Applications received before April 1, 2023 will be given priority.

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.


To apply for this opportunity, applicants should submit their application package (full CV) via the online MIT application portal.

Please also directly email 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.