Senior Research Associate Yagyavalk Bhatt is a senior research associate at KAPSARC, where he has worked since 2017. His work focuses on supply-… Yagyavalk Bhatt is a senior research associate at KAPSARC, where he has worked since 2017. His work focuses on supply- and demand-side policies in the transportation sector and associated energy demand. His work also focuses on energy transition policies in India and Saudi Arabia. He has authored and contributed to numerous research papers and studies related to the transportation and electricity sectors. Yagyavalk has a master’s degree in renewable energy management and engineering and a bachelor’s degree in electronics and communication.​

Expertise

• Energy Sustainability
• Energy Economics
• India Clean Energy Transition
• Climate Policies
• Energy Policy Analysis and Renewable Energy

Senior Research Analyst Zlata leads The Future of Hydrocarbons in a Carbon-Managed World project, aimed at estimating the consequences of international carbon regulation… Zlata leads The Future of Hydrocarbons in a Carbon-Managed World project, aimed at estimating the consequences of international carbon regulation for hydrocarbon markets, with producers starting to offer carbon-neutral LNG and carbon-neutral oil cargos. Previously, Zlata worked in the Energy Center of the Skolkovo Business School, where she researched natural gas and LNG markets and organized the international Energy Summer School for several hundred participants from all over the world. Later, she joined the Business Strategy Department in NOVATEK, Russia’s leading independent gas producer, where her main focus was on strategic forecasting and international cooperation in LNG, hydrogen and CCUS. Since 2020, Zlata has also been a member of the Future Energy Leaders Programme of the World Energy Council.

Expertise

• Carbon-Neutral Trade of Hydrocarbons
• Energy Transition in Conventional Economies
• Energy Policy
• Hydrogen
• Natural Gas and LNG

Program Director Brian Efird is the program director for Policy and Decision Science and a senior research fellow. He manages a multidisciplinary,… Brian Efird is the program director for Policy and Decision Science and a senior research fellow. He manages a multidisciplinary, multinational team of researchers whose global program of work focuses on the nexus between geopolitics, domestic and local politics, and energy. Fundamentally, the team examines the non-economic factors that impact energy markets and energy policy. This includes quantitative models of collective decision-making processes (CDMP), geospatial information system (GIS) applications, the energy policymaking process, and country-specific studies. Dr. Efird is managing editor of the journal Energy Transitions. He was previously a senior research fellow at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.; a consultant on defense and international security matters in Washington; and a consultant applying quantitative models to support corporate, investment banking, and legal negotiations in New York. Dr. Efird received his M.A. in International Studies and Ph.D. in Political Science from Claremont Graduate University.

Expertise

• Geopolitics of Energy
• Behavioral Modeling
• Defense and National Security Studies
• Strategic Communication