STUDENT FELLOWS

Michael Davidson is a PhD candidate in engineering systems at the MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, and a researcher with the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change. Michael studies the engineering implications and institutional conflicts inherent in deploying renewable energy at scale, particularly in systems with emerging electricity markets.

His dissertation project focuses on integration challenges in China’s wind sector, using a combination of engineering-economic modeling and qualitative process-tracing to understand the impact (both economic and environmental) and mechanisms of market transitions. He is expanding his regional focus to India, which is trying to meet high renewable energy targets through market mechanisms. Michael holds an S.M. in technology and policy from MIT, and a B.S. in mathematics and physics and B.A. in Japanese studies from Case Western Reserve University.