The Center for Urban Policy Research (CUPR) seeks a Postdoctoral Associate to support externally funded projects aimed at accelerating building and grid decarbonization for a sustainable energy transition. CUPR has multiple ongoing projects funded by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the US Department of Energy, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation and others that include a mix of research design, fieldwork, data science, simulation modeling, writing, and presentations. The overarching goal of the Postdoctoral Associate will be to systematically investigate, evaluate, and address both technical and non-technical (political, behavioral, social) obstacles to building and grid decarbonization. The successful candidate will work with a team of approximately 20 researchers in the built environment group at CUPR and will contribute research skills and training at the intersection of engineering and public policy with knowledge and experience of buildings and energy systems. Specific postdoc duties will depend on the successful candidates skills and interests as matched to project needs, with time allowance to pursue independent, discretionary work.
Responsibilities are expected to include a subset of:
(1) Use advanced energy modeling to analyze energy efficiency, demand flexibility, and electrification measures in the building stock.
(2) Use advanced community scale energy models to analyze high performance buildings and geothermal energy systems.
(3) Assess technical and non-technical barriers to the adoption of renewable energy technologies, including geothermal energy.
(4) Conduct analyses of existing codes, standards, and policies related to building decarbonization.
(5) Author peer-reviewed publications and public reports on research findings.
(6) Maintain a database of research materials, datasets, and codebooks.
(7) Assist in developing proposals for external funding.