Teaching overview

Courses focus on technological innovation, sustainability, and energy systems, and combines theory with practical challenges. They integrate conceptual frameworks, quantitative methods, and empirical analysis, while emphasizing project-based learning and original dataset creation.

johns hopkins university

drivers of technological change (FALL)

This course introduces theories and models of technological change and examines how innovations emerge, improve, and become widely adopted. Through case studies in energy, transportation, artificial intelligence, and other infrastructure systems, students explore the factors shaping technological progress and its implications for engineering, entrepreneurship, and public policy. The course culminates in an independent research project based on literature review, data collection, and empirical analysis.

analytical approaches for sustainable systems (SPriNG)

This course introduces analytical approaches for evaluating sustainability challenges in energy, infrastructure, and climate mitigation, along with their foundations in sustainable development and systems thinking. Students develop skills in life-cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, scenario development, and policy evaluation, while examining how these complementary methods can be integrated to inform engineering and policy decisions. The course culminates in an independent research project applying these approaches to a contemporary sustainability challenge.

hong kong university of science and Technology

Energy Policy. This course examines why and how governments intervene in energy markets and the implications of these decisions for the economic, environmental, and social performance of energy systems. Topics include climate change and environmental degradation, energy poverty and equity, global resource competition, and barriers to sustainable energy use and technology innovation. Students explore the role of data, models, and uncertainty in energy policy analysis, as well as the interactions between energy, climate, and technology policy, through international case studies with examples from Asia, North America, and Europe. Syllabus (PDF)

Policy Analysis and Design for Sustainable Development. This course explores three questions: What are the main conceptions of sustainable development and their implications for policy design? What are the principal challenges in pursuing sustainable development goals? Which concepts and analytical tools are most useful for analyzing policies for sustainable development? The course begins with an overview of sustainable development concepts and challenges before introducing selected analytical approaches for policy analysis. The emphasis is on methodological literacy and matching analytical methods to policy problems, rather than in-depth applications. Syllabus (PDF)

Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Management. This course examines the design and evaluation of environmental policy to address pollution, resource use, and sustainability challenges. Students explore the economic foundations of environmental policy, including market failures, environmental valuation, and policy evaluation, while examining the role of data, models, and uncertainty in policy analysis. International case studies, including air pollution in China, the Paris Agreement, and global mercury pollution, illustrate the opportunities and challenges of environmental policymaking. Syllabus (PDF)