Explore the Impact and Goals of my Research Centers
I am the faculty director of two MIT Centers and am the co-director of an additional research group. Here is a brief overview of each group’s work, objectives, and links to learn more about them.
Affiliated Research Centers Overview
Since 1977, CEEPR has been a focal point for social science research on energy and environmental policy at MIT. CEEPR promotes rigorous, objective research for improved decision making in government and the private sector.
Serves as MIT’s “front door” for local, state, federal, and international climate policymakers. Our mission is to serve as a trusted, non-partisan resource for policymakers who seek to advance evidence-based climate policy.
Convenes industry and academic experts to advance responsible, scalable strategies for the production, use, and stewardship of critical minerals, continuing to support essential global efforts in energy transition and deployment of advanced technologies.
MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research
Renewables and Electricity Affordability: Untangling Correlation from Causation
Fischer J. Espiritu Argosino and Christopher R. Knittel
December 2025
Are renewables to blame for the contemporary rise in American household electricity bills? We analyze the most recently available 25-years of data on residential electricity prices, state generation mixes, utility spending, and Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) to address this increasingly salient policy question.
Flexible Data Centers and the Grid: Lower Costs, Higher Emissions?
Christopher R. Knittel, Juan Ramon L. Senga, Shen Wang
July 2025
Data centers are rapidly growing electricity users, raising concerns about their impact on the grid and decarbonization. Their ability to shift workloads over time offers demand-side flexibility. We model power systems in the Mid-Atlantic, Texas, and WECC under varying data center flexibility levels to assess impacts on operations, investments, costs, and emissions.
MIT Climate Policy Center
MIT Climate Pathways Project
A collaborative effort of the MIT Climate Policy Center, MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative, and Climate Interactive, the MIT Climate Pathways Project is leveraging the C-ROADS and En-ROADS interactive simulations, as well as our research insights, to advance the adoption of evidence-based climate policy through leaders in the public and private sector.
Minerals Stewardship Consortium
Introducing the Minerals Stewardship Consortium at MIT
MIT News, December 16, 2025
The newly launched Minerals Stewardship Consortium (MSC) at MIT aims to inform mining companies as they navigate this complex landscape and effectively address the increasing need for more responsible mining practices while maintaining economic stability.
