Meet The Forum Team: Julia Olszewski

Could you tell me a little about your academic or professional journey before you came to Yale?

I studied Economics and English as an undergraduate at Tufts University (c/o 2020). I enjoyed learning about economic theory and its more practical applications in econometric modeling, but I didn’t know exactly which sub-field I wanted to apply it to. 

I took a job as an analyst at an economic consulting firm after I graduated and began working within their Electricity Practice, and that kind of changed everything for me. My project work quickly zeroed in on the economics of energy systems; how do electric utilities set the rates they charge customers for power? What are the costs and benefits of widespread electric vehicle adoption on the electric grid? How should utilities phase their transition to a clean grid to incur the lowest marginal cost? I learned basically everything I know about energy through that job and learned that I love thinking through the tough questions around energy affordability, especially in the context of the energy transition and the advent of AI data centers.

I transitioned to a role in the public sector after 4 years as a consultant; I wanted to take what I’d learned on the quantitative modeling side of things and apply it to more programmatic work on the ground. I had an incredible experience working on the Green Economy team within the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and learned so much about the messier realities of working in the clean energy space: what tools does government have to encourage local workforce development in green industries? What are the most cutting-edge climate technologies in development right now, and what are the barriers to scaling them in a densely populated city like New York? 

After about a year and a half at NYCEDC, I decided I’d benefit from a graduate program that could afford me a stronger systems-based understanding of the various social, political, and economic dynamics underpinning the energy transition. And now I’m here!

What is your specific program or area of research here at Yale?

I’m in my first year of the Master of Environmental Management program here at the Yale School of the Environment (YSE). Unsurprisingly I am in the “Energy and the Environment” specialization, which offers a cool fusion of quantitative and qualitative courses looking at the many facets of the energy world. I’m hoping to get involved in some energy economics or related research once I have a semester under my belt.

I’ve recently become interested in the Industrial Ecology and Green Chemistry (IEGC) specialization as well and am enrolled in the introductory course with Dr. Yuan Yao. Learning about this field, and all its intersections with the renewable energy space, has been a surprising highlight of my time here so far, and I’m looking forward to continuing to explore the connections between the two specializations.

What first drew you to join the Yale Clean Energy Forum? 

As much as I’ve been enjoying my quant-heavy courseload this semester, I’ve found myself missing writing! I was drawn to the Forum out of a desire to dig into clean energy related topics that I myself am interested in, and to write about them in a way that’s digestible to a broad audience. A lot of the existing literature on the energy transition is quite dense, and the energy world itself is rather opaque. I think the Forum is such a great way to peel that curtain back a bit for anyone who’s interested in learning more about it.

Was there a specific moment or experience that first sparked your interest in clean energy? 

I remember learning about asthma hospitalization rates in the Bronx when I was in college. The Bronx has the highest asthma prevalence in all of New York City, due to decades of systemic environmental injustices and poor city planning (lots of diesel exhaust due to the high concentration of food distribution and logistics centers in South BX). That moment made me really aware of the long-term health outcomes of climate change and who has historically borne the weight of the climate crisis. 

How has your perspective on the energy transition evolved since you first got into this field?

I’ve come to learn that the energy transition is so much more than an environmental imperative. It’s a social justice issue, a political issue, and these days a national security issue. Working families are struggling to keep the lights on amid soaring power costs in the summer and winter months, and this is only going to get worse as utilities reckon with the dual pressures of cleaning up their grids and serving unprecedented new load from data centers. It is incumbent upon the new generation of environmental leaders to ensure that consumers, especially those in communities who have historically been on the front lines of the climate crisis, have access to reliable, affordable, clean electricity in their homes.

What are your career aspirations after Yale? What kind of impact do you hope to make in the Green Energy Space?

Unsure but I’m figuring it out! I could see myself working for a utility regulator. I could see myself working for a renewable energy developer. I could see myself working for a third-party research organization doing thought leadership or policy advocacy. I think my sweet spot will be a role that prioritizes cost-efficiency and affordability in the energy transition - there are a lot of smart people working on these exact questions right now, and I’d like to contribute to the dialogue.