Research Associate in Econometric Modelling for Energy and the Environment (Ref: )

Transcription

1 UCL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES Research Associate in Econometric Modelling for Energy and the Environment (Ref: ) UCL Energy Institute/ UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources Application Procedure Applicants should apply online through the UCL vacancies page: Select the vacancy and press the apply now button at the bottom of the page. If you have any difficulties applying online, please contact the HR ROME helpdesk, details can be found when you register/log in. If you have any queries regarding the vacancy or the application process please contact Rosanna Seels at or If you wish to discuss this appointment informally, please contact Dr Paolo Agnolucci at or Salary: 33,353-40,313 per annum, including London Allowance.

2 INTRODUCTION UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON (UCL) UCL is one of the UK s premier universities and is consistently ranked in the world s top 10. It was the top-rated university in the UK for research strength in the new Research Excellence Framework It is a world-class research and teaching institution based in London whose staff and former students have included 32 Nobel Prize winners. Today, UCL is an inspiring university in which to work and study and it continues to thrive on the diversity and creativity of its community. UCL is constitutionally a college within the federal University of London but with an annual turnover exceeding 600 million, it is in practice a university in its own right, financially and managerially independent of the University of London. UCL COMMUNITY UCL currently employs approximately 12,000 staff and includes academic units as diverse as the Slade School of Fine Art, the Mullard Space Science Laboratory and the Institute of Child Health, which is associated with Great Ormond Street Hospital. In total, there are 54 Academic Departments and Institutes whose activities span the following: arts and humanities, social and historical sciences, law, architecture and the built environment, engineering sciences, mathematical and physical sciences, life and clinical sciences, and medicine. UCL s academic and research staff is a truly international community with more than a quarter coming from 84 countries outside the UK. The UCL student community comprises 12,600 undergraduates and 8,500 graduate students, of whom over 30% come from 130 countries outside the UK. UCL currently offers 270 undergraduate programmes and more than 210 taught postgraduate programmes as well as the opportunity to carry out postgraduate research in all of its subjects. Approximately 40% of the student community is engaged in graduate studies, with about 37% of these graduate students pursuing research degrees. QUALITY OF UCL S RESEARCH Two measures of the current quality of UCL s teaching and research are the results of the external teaching quality assessment reviews and the periodic Research Excellence Framework (REF). UCL was rated in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) as the University in the UK with the greatest research power and research environment. The staff from the Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment were submitted in the 2014 REF to UOA 16 (Architecture and the Built Environment) which was rated as having 46% of its submission world leading (4*) with 94% of its staff submitted to the REF. Another measure of UCL s research excellence has been its success in bidding for external competitive funds from the Joint Infrastructure Fund (JIF) and the Science Research Investment Fund (SRIF). With the addition of required matching funds, JIF and SRIF are allowing UCL to invest more than 350 million into state-of-the-art infrastructure for cutting-edge research and teaching programmes. 2

3 OUR LOCATION Based in Bloomsbury, UCL is a welcoming, inclusive university situated at the heart of one of the world s greatest cities. UCL s central campus is within easy reach of several mainland stations (Euston, Kings Cross and Marylebone), the Eurostar terminal at St. Pancras and several Underground stations (Euston Square, Warren Street, Goodge Street and Russell Square). Road connections to the M1 and M40 motorways give easy access to the north and west road networks. There are also good public transport links to Heathrow airport and Gatwick airport. THE BARTLETT SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND RESOURCES (BSEER) The UCL Energy Institute (UCL-Energy) and UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources (UCL ISR) are located within BSEER, which is in turn part of The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment. BSEER, formed in 2014, contains four Institutes: UCL-Energy, UCL ISR, The Institute for Sustainable Heritage (ISH) and the Institute of Environmental Design and Engineering (IEDE). These parts of the Faculty are devoted to the study and design of the built world, while the research areas of UCL-Energy and UCL ISR go beyond this. Teaching and research at the Bartlett are acknowledged internationally for their excellence. OUR RESEARCH Located in the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources (UCL ISR) but also collaborating with projects from our sister institute, UCL Energy Institute (UCL-Energy). UCL-ISR is a relatively new UCL Institute, directed by Prof. Paul Ekins, who is Professor of Resources and Environmental Policy, established with the help of a grant from BHP Billiton Sustainable Communities. Its mission is to generate knowledge to promote the globally sustainable use of natural resources. It does this by employing its own staff, including the BHP Billiton Chair in Sustainable Global Resources (Prof Raimund Bleischwitz), who is also UCL-ISR s Deputy Director, a Professor of International Energy and Climate Change Policy (Prof Michael Grubb) and a Senior Lecturer in Resource and Environmental Economics (Dr Paolo Agnolucci). The Institute runs a substantial PhD Programme in the Sustainable Use of Resources and the Environment (SURE) with 20 PhD students, and also acts as a forum and a coordination mechanism for UCL staff in different departments working on resource and environment issues to bring together multidisciplinary teams and provide critical mass for large projects. UCL-ISR has very established funding streams, including UK Energy Research Centre Phase III, of which Prof Paul Ekins is Deputy Director, as well as projects focused on - the impacts of energy systems, e.g. SPLiCE (funded jointly by NERC and Defra) and ADVENT (funded by NERC); - the Green Economy, e.g. SINCERE (jointly funded by ESRC and other 5 international research councils), Green.EU (funded by the European Commission Horizon 2020 programme);emininn (funded by the European Commission FP7 Programme); - resource efficiency, e.g. POLFREE and RECREATE (funded by the European Commission s FP7 Programme), - impacts of climate Change and climate of policy, e.g. CECILIA2050 (funded by the European Commission FP7 Programme), the Lancet Commission on Human Health, and the The Impacts the Climate Change on Global Food Production (CC-FOOD), funded by the Grantham Foundation 3

4 - Impact of Biomass, Energy Storage and hydrogen in the energy system, e.g. Bioenergy value chains and HYVE (both funded by EPSRC). UCL-Energy ( is a multidisciplinary school within the Bartlett Faculty, with around 70 faculty and staff and 60 PhD students. The UCL Energy Institute develops and undertakes research in the areas of energy-demand reduction and energy systems, to improve energy security and facilitate a transition to a low-carbon economy. The UCL Energy Institute's core research focuses on six main areas: buildings, energy systems, people and energy, policy and law, smart energy and transport. UCL-Energy is also the University s mechanism for bringing together a wide range of perspectives, understandings and procedures in energy research, transcending the boundaries between academic disciplines. UCL-Energy includes the UK Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) in Energy Demand Reduction and the Built Environment ( a collaboration between the UCL Energy Institute and Loughborough University. OUR GRADUATE PROGRAMMES UCL-ISR and UCL Energy Institute are jointly delivering a Masters in Economics and Policy of Energy and the Environment (EPEE), which began in September This has quickly developed to be the leading programme for graduates to develop their careers in the energy and environment fields. The programme will recruit 70 students in its third year. A Masters in Sustainable Resources is under development and expected to start in 2016/17. 4

5 JOB DESCRIPTION Post: Research Associate in Econometric Modelling for Energy and the Environment (Ref: ) Department: UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources / UCL Energy Institute Salary: 33,353-40,313 per annum, including London Allowance Grade: 7 Reporting to: Dr Paolo Agnolucci Role: Implement econometric modelling, mainly focused on macro-econometric approaches, to asses drivers of a number of environmental or resource-related variables. Generate insights into possible developments relating to a Green Economy and impacts of the drivers. Appointment: 2 years in the first instance, which is expected to be extended if further funding becomes available Responsible for: Extension and application of a state-of-the-art econometric modelling suitable for generating insights into the green economy, drivers of impacts and stressors, resources and environmental sustainability Location: UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, Central House, 14 Upper Woburn Place, London WC1H 0NN Main purpose of the job This post is created to augment UCL ISR econometric expertise. The work will be focused on macroeconometric time series and panel data models. The post holder will be expected to be fluent or become fluent with topics such as Structural Vector Autoregression models, Instrumental Variables, and dynamic and heterogeneous panel models. When possible, the role will deal with unstable parameter estimation either as a consequence of slowly evolving or sudden changes in the system under analysis. Other more long-term work could include program evaluation econometrics, including Bayesian Networks and Structural Equation Modelling. Therefore, an interest in causality is very desirable. A passion for data analysis, programming and conducting research is essential. Fluency with R and Python is preferable. The post is strictly related to three research projects: SINCERE, CC-FOOD and ADVENT. - In SINCERE you will be exploring the relationship between resource consumption and productivity and a number of drivers including economic growth, and trade. You will need to implement and contribute to a strategy to estimate robust causal relationships among the variables based on panel models while tackling lagged effects (observed and unobserved), heterogeneity and limitations in the available datasets; - In CC-FOOD you will implement a model to assess drivers of food prices for a number of markets and/or commodities. You will be looking at structural long-term models rather than short-term volatility models. Work done by Gillian and co-authors for the oil price has been identified as a fruitful point of departure. - In ADVENT you will explore the nexus between energy, land and water including trade-offs and synergies. Working with partners such as the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the University of Aberdeen (UoA) you will identify applications (based on data availability) of Bayesian Networks and econometric analysis to interface existing models of ecosystem services and land-use. The chosen approach may vary depending on your background. Staff at the institute have worked on several evaluations funded by Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), such as Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme, Warm Home 5

6 Discount Scheme and Warm Front. The institute is part of several framework contracts with European and British institutions. Although this component of the work is difficult to foresee you will have the possibility to contribute to this if you have an interest in applying program evaluation econometrics to real and tangible policies. Your duties and responsibilities - Apply a number of econometric approaches building on work that is already underway; - Estimate the models and produce relevant outputs for the academic community, funders and stakeholders; - Be visible through excellent publications; - Proactively engage with other researchers in UCL-ISR and UCL-Energy, other UCL staff and external researchers; - Support research development through proposals (in due course) - Support econometric lecturing at MSc level 6

7 PERSON SPECIFICATION Qualifications Essential: Skills Essential: Desirable: A first degree in economics, statistics or other data analysis discipline, e.g. machine learning A PhD with a focus on econometrics, statistics or other data analysis discipline, e.g. machine learning (or commensurate experience) Ability to deploy several econometric techniques Ability to apply a wide rage if techniques to real-world problems, interpret the output and raw implications Ability to work empirically, preferably with big data (both in and out of memory data) and a variety of databases Ability to describe output from econometric models to a non-scientific audience (clients and stakeholders) Expert knowledge of relevant statistical software or programming languages (such as R, Python, Stata and Eviews). The ideal candidate will be comfortable using several programing languages and statistical software packages Ability to use own initiative Ability to prioritise workload Good interpersonal and communication skills (oral and written) Ability to engage with colleagues and students from different disciplines, cultures and backgrounds To be fluent or become fluent with topics such as Structural Vector Autoregression models, Instrumental Variables, and Dynamic and Heterogeneous Panel Models Ability to network, listen and negotiate Aptitude for coordination and teamwork Ability to deal with different personalities Previous experience Essential: Desirable: Experience of practical estimation of econometric models Background in model application and interpretation Aptitude for working in a multi-disciplinary team Commitment to developing and improving econometric models and research Successful collaboration with other research teams and institutions Growing reputation in the field with proven ability to publish in international journals 7

8 Personal qualities Essential: Desirable: Passionate about data analysis, modelling, programming and conducting research Strong desire to learn new techniques and modelling approaches Desire to succeed and push the envelope of applied econometric modelling in the energy and environment areas Ability to think outside the box and your disciplinary training Ability to think on the spot and deliver under pressure Quick learner and problem-solver Commitment to high quality academic research Commitment to UCL s policy for equal opportunity Articulate, organised and efficient Interest in environmental and energy policy Interest in natural resources and the environment Commitment to the vision and values of UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources and UCL Energy Institute 8