Post-doctoral Research Associate

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.

Required

o Professional knowledge in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, architecture, urban planning, or other, as related to building sciences and energy systems

o Advanced experience with whole building energy modeling tools such as EnergyPlus, OpenStudio, or DesignBuilder and community scale building energy tools such as UrbanOpt

o Strong quantitative research skills, with the ability to leverage these methods for decarbonization strategies

o Fluency in task automation, data cleaning and analysis in a programming language, with a preference for Python and/or R

o Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail; the successful candidate will record and share detailed accounts of their efforts (analysis steps, etc.) and participate in regularly scheduled research team meetings

o Strong written and presentation skills; the successful candidate will be involved in producing written reports summarizing research findings and describing research materials and methodology

Preferred

o Familiarity with energy policy analysis approaches and methods, including stakeholder interest and conflict analysis, benefit-cost analysis, utility rate development, program evaluation, regulatory policy analysis and report writing

o Experienced working in multi-disciplinary teams and engaging with diverse stakeholders
o Experienced in social science research methods