23 May 2017
2010 YSSPer Jessica Jewell
"The YSSP program changed my career. I came to Laxenburg from Central European University in Budapest, just a short ride up the Danube after the first year of my PhD. When I arrived at IIASA, I only had a vague idea of my dissertation topic (measuring and comparing energy security between countries). The Energy Program at IIASA was the ideal environment to transform my fuzzy research ideas into an actionable research plan. Scientifically, it offered just the right amount of guidance with opportunities to continue to engage with my home institution. Working in the Energy Program also gave me access to unique datasets and scenarios which would eventually become the basis of my dissertation.
That first summer at IIASA I was also taught how to connect my science to ongoing international scientific discussions. Since scientists in the Energy Program are so connected to international scientific processes (that summer they were wrapping up the Global Energy Assessment and they routinely take leading roles in the IPCC processes), they were able to help me design my research in a way that it would relate to these international scientific processes. After the YSSP program, I went on to work at the International Energy Agency (IEA) on designing and measuring energy security for IEA member countries before returning to IIASA in 2011. I continue to love IIASA for its ability to combine great science with engagement in international policy."
Jessica Jewell is currently a research scholar in the energy program where she works on energy security, nuclear energy and the political economy of energy transitions. At IIASA, her research focuses on incorporating insights on the institutional constraints and drivers of energy policies into energy modeling. She has published on energy security under decarbonization scenarios, nuclear energy prospects and global energy governance in journals such as Energy Policy, Climatic Change and Nature Climate Change as well as popular-press pieces on the politics of energy in the Economist and other outlets.
Dr. Jewell was a contributing author in the IPCC WGIII fifth assessment report, a lead author in the Global Energy Assessment and a lead author of a report by the UN Secretary General's Task Force on the SE4All renewables and efficiency targets. She also serves on the editorial board of Energy Research and Social Science. Before joining IIASA, she worked at the IEA on developing a model of short-term energy security (MOSES). She holds a PhD from Central European University where she won a University-wide best dissertation award and an MSc in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management (MESPOM) from a joint program between Central European University, University of Manchester and Lund University. Her first degree was from Brown University in Geology.
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