Energy Economics Researcher - Postdoctoral Fellow

The University of Texas at Austin • Austin, TX

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Center of Energy Economics (CEE), a key research unit within the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG), plays a critical role in advancing the understanding of energy economics, market analysis, and financial valuation across a variety of energy value chains. The CEE’s mission is to support research that addresses both traditional and emerging energy systems, including oil and gas, low-carbon solutions like hydrogen and CCS, and renewable energy technologies. The Center focuses on providing comprehensive economic assessments that span the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors, enabling a holistic view of energy markets and their transitions. This position will contribute to a research portfolio, with approximately 50% of effort focused on upstream oil and gas production modeling (supply-side analysis), and the remaining 50% on multidisciplinary research related to large load site selection and energy/resource strategies (demand-side analysis), including emerging topics such as data center energy needs, infrastructure planning, and resource availability. By combining expertise in economics, technology, and policy analysis, CEE supports cross-cutting research efforts aimed at informing decision-making in energy investments, market dynamics, and sustainable energy solutions for the future. This position is initially for one year, renewable up to three years depending on funding, project needs, and performance. The postdoctoral researcher will play a key role at the Center of Energy Economics (CEE) at the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG), contributing to research on the economic and technological aspects of energy transitions. The role is designed to support two complementary research directions: Upstream oil and gas production modeling (supply-side focus) Large load site selection and energy/resource strategy (demand-side focus), including data center-related energy and infrastructure analysis The postdoc will be responsible for developing production models and analyzing key drivers in unconventional oil and gas plays, while also contributing to multidisciplinary research on energy demand growth, infrastructure constraints, and optimal siting strategies for large energy-consuming facilities. The researcher will also conduct techno-economic analyses of low-carbon energy solutions (e.g., hydrogen, CCS/CCUS, geothermal), and lead efforts in data mining, market research, and modeling to assess value chains and perform financial analyses, including Net Present Value (NPV) modeling. In this role, the postdoc will contribute to independent research, including publishing in peer-reviewed journals and presenting findings to stakeholders. In addition, the postdoc will actively support Industry Affiliate (IA) programs and broader funding activities through both technical contributions and organizational coordination. This includes preparing materials, supporting meetings and deliverables, and contributing to proposal development. These activities are an important component of the role and are intended to build skills essential for a future research-track career.

Requirements

• PhD in engineering, economics, or related field obtained within 3 years of hire.
• Experience with energy markets or energy technology research.
• Expertise in working with large datasets and developing quantitative models.
• Documented experience in programming languages such as Python, R, or VBA.
• Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience in techno-economic analysis and Net Present Value (NPV) modeling.
• Experience or interest in large-scale energy demand analysis, infrastructure planning, or site selection (e.g., data centers or industrial loads) is a plus.

Nice To Haves

• The ideal candidate will have a PhD in petroleum engineering, energy economics, data science, or industrial engineering, with a strong background in data science and upstream economic modeling.
• Experience in the energy sector, particularly in the oil and gas value chain, is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with key topics in energy transition, such as hydrogen, carbon management, and emission tracking, would be beneficial.
• Additionally, the candidate should have experience applying advanced statistical or econometric methods to energy systems modeling and ideally have prior experience in developing and executing grant proposals.

Responsibilities

• Analyze productivity drivers in unconventional oil and gas plays, applying findings to develop production outlook models for various commodity price scenarios.
• Conduct research on large load growth (e.g., data centers), including energy demand characterization, siting considerations, and infrastructure/resource constraints (power, water, land, and connectivity).
• Develop analytical frameworks to evaluate trade-offs in site selection and energy/resource strategies for large-scale energy consumers.
• Conduct market research and data collection for demand, production, and transportation of hydrogen and other low-carbon energy solutions.
• Review and summarize relevant literature in the energy space.
• Create data analysis frameworks and develop economic models to support ongoing research.
• Conduct independent research and contribute to the development of grant proposals.
• Present research findings to Industry Affiliates (IA) and other stakeholders at IA meetings and short courses.
• Publish findings in BEG Reports of Investigation, peer-reviewed international journals, and informal reports.
• Utilize high-performance computing techniques in simulation studies supporting research efforts.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees