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. 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. 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

Acting Head of Research Strategy Management Office Imtenan Al-Mubarak is the acting head of KAPSARC’s Research Strategy Management Office. She was previously a research fellow at KAPSARC,… Imtenan Al-Mubarak is the acting head of KAPSARC’s Research Strategy Management Office. She was previously a research fellow at KAPSARC, focusing on policy research with an emphasis on data science and machine learning. Before joining KAPSARC, Imtenan worked at several companies in Chicago, and at Electronia in Dammam and Saudi Aramco in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. She holds a master’s degree with distinction from DePaul University, Chicago, for which she was awarded the Golden Key International Honor. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and a member of several professional organizations. She is a Future Energy Leader at the World Energy Council in London and a board member at a non-profit organization in San Francisco. She also holds a patent in the United States (issued November 8, 2016).

Expertise

• Data science
• Machine learning
• Industry and entrepreneurship
• Game theory
• Bargaining models
• Behavioral analysis
• Policy assessment
• Geopolitics
• GCC energy policies and economics
• Transition management.

Senior Research Analyst Lama is a software developer and senior research analyst in KAPSARC’s Policy and Decision Science program. She is one of… Lama is a software developer and senior research analyst in KAPSARC’s Policy and Decision Science program. She is one of the main contributors to the KAPSARC Toolkit for Behavioral Analysis (KTAB). Lama is also working on a project examining renewable energy policies in the GCC, which identifies effective policies to promote deployment of renewable energy. In addition, she is developing a project on energy access in humanitarian assistance missions, which aims to provide a better understanding of basic energy demand in displaced communities.

Expertise

• Research tool development
• Modeling collective descision making processes
• GCC cooperation
• Energy access for humanitarian assistance.