Research Profile

I am a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society at MIT. My research agenda integrates infrastructure systems across the transportation and energy sectors and investigates the impacts of human-technology interactions and industrial processes on those systems. A key goal is to develop sustainable and resilient infrastructure systems, such as energy storage systems, in the context of climate change and digitalization. I use a variety of methods, e.g., agent-based modeling, energy systems modeling, stated-choice experiments, regressions, (un)supervised machine learning, and field studies. With my research findings, I aim to inform decision-making in industry and policy. I have attracted over 220,000 USD in research grants and fellowships, including from the Swiss National Science Foundation. I am passionate about increasing diversity and inclusion inside and outside of the research community through mentorship, teaching, and outreach.

Publications

My work has investigated the interaction of technology control with decision-making, incentives for changing the use of technology to improve system outcomes, and the impact of the adoption and use of new technologies on system dynamics. For example, I examined the decision-making of adopting heat pumps and charging electric vehicles in interaction with control algorithms and incentives.

As I aim to support the knowledge transfer between academia, industry, policy, and the public, my publications include peer-reviewed journal articles, practitioner articles, and blog posts.

Scientific Conference Contributions

I enjoy exchanging ideas about sustainable systems with colleagues across different countries and backgrounds. I seek to engage with communities across fields, including complexity science, systems modeling, energy systems, technology innovation, and sustainability.

Talks

Besides invited presentations at scientific seminars, I regularly speak at industry and policy conferences/seminars, co-lead workshops with different stakeholders, and have been a podcast guest.

Advising and Teaching

One of my passions is to engage with students from various backgrounds, including different engineering disciplines, natural sciences, and social sciences. I particularly enjoy developing student research projects and discussing them in weekly one-on-one meetings. From undergraduate to graduate courses and from large lectures to small seminars, I find discussions with students inspiring and seek to provide an interdisciplinary perspective on pressing societal challenges, such as climate change. I have implemented innovative teaching methods, e.g., peer assessment and the Six Sentence Argument (6SA), and developed online teaching videos.