Research Associate Yagyavalk Bhatt is a research associate in the Transport and Urban Infrastructure program. His ongoing research portfolio at KAPSARC covers… Yagyavalk Bhatt is a research associate in the Transport and Urban Infrastructure program. His ongoing research portfolio at KAPSARC covers various projects related to economic research and analysis. These include examining the cost-benefit of rail electrification in Saudi Arabia and the potential impact and cost-effectiveness of the supply- and demand-side policies on the adoption of fuel-efficient vehicles and associated energy demand in India. His work also includes electricity market integration within the GCC and wider MENA region. 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

• Road Transport
• Rail
• Plug-In Electric Vehicles
• Oil & Gas
• Renewable Energy
• Clean Energy Fuels

Senior Research Analyst Zlata became interested in energy in 2013, when she established a student energy club in her university, Higher School of… Zlata became interested in energy in 2013, when she established a student energy club in her university, Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Russia. After graduation as a political analyst, Zlata started working in the Energy Center of the Skolkovo Business School, where she was researching natural gas and LNG markets and organizing the international Energy Summer School for several hundred participants all over the world. Later, she joined the Business Strategy Department in NOVATEK, the leading independent gas producer in Russia, 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

• Policy Decision-Making
• Energy Transition in Conventional Economies
• 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