Division of Applied Social Sciences faculty members Adrienne Ohler and Michael Sykuta are leveraging a $250,000 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to create a fellowship program to connect early-career energy economics researchers with energy industry partners while fostering more academics in the public utility policy analysis space.

“The goal is to create an ecosystem of people who are doing applied policy analysis work,” Sykuta said of the program.

The fellowship program, named the FRI Utility Policy Fellows program, is under the umbrella of CAFNR’s Financial Research Institute (FRI) and aims to bring four early-career energy economics scholars to campus for a weeklong research workshop in conjunction with FRI’s Regulated Utilities Leadership Institute. While at Mizzou, the Policy Fellows will work with industry leaders and attend a full agenda of sessions with topics like data resources, economics techniques and guest lectures by established energy policy scholars.

Following the week-long intensive, the scholars will continue to be mentored by Ohler and Sykuta over the next year as they conduct a research project, culminating in writing a research paper and preparing presentations for industry conferences. Scholars will be supported in these efforts through a stipend.

In addition to the research component, networking opportunities will be a focal part of the program.

“Even more than getting that research out, this is about building a new cohort of scholars and building relationships between industry folks and academics,” Sykuta said.

Additionally, Sykuta hopes the program will help spark interest in a new generation of students to help create a workforce of policy researchers for tomorrow. Research done by FRI helps drive public policy decisions in relation to public utilities and how they operate.

For more information about the FRI Utility Policy Fellows program, visit the program webpage.

FRI is one of CAFNR’s 12 Programs of Distinction. Programs of Distinction are a select collection of programs that exemplify CAFNR’s drive to distinction. Together with CAFNR’s academic programs, they define the college’s current impact on Missouri’s agriculture and natural resource economies, providing understanding for how CAFNR is addressing challenges facing Missouri agriculture and natural resources.

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation makes grants primarily to support original research and education related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics and economics. The Foundation believes that these fields — and the scholars and practitioners who work in them — are chief drivers of the nation’s health and prosperity.