International Spotlight: Kaushik Deb, Senior Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy, SIPA

Which program/department are you in?

SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy.

What is your primary area of study or research?

The role of oil and gas in the energy transition in developing countries, particularly in Asia and the Middle East.

Which country (or countries) do you come from?

I am a citizen of India and spent three years in Saudi Arabia before coming here.

How long have you been in the U.S.?

In New York since July 2021.

Tell us about your experience in NYC thus far.

I am still finding my way around the University and the City. The people are fantastic, the bureaucracy exasperating, and the city itself is spectacular! We've yet to spend an entire day indoors and have had many meals and met many people from so many places around the world, just within our neighborhood. I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity!

Is there anything you’d like to share about your research or projects?

My academic background is quite varied and I have worked on sustainability issues in a number of sectors and countries. My focus now is on growing energy consumers in the developing world and the countries that will meet that demand. 

My current research focuses on energy sector priorities in developing countries, in particular in South Asia and the Middle East, and the role of natural gas in the consumption basket, and oil in the export portfolio. The central research question for me is, what does a transition to a low carbon energy sector mean in such contexts, and the role that fairly well-developed global oil and gas markets can play in these regions. A secondary question is whether national and local energy sector priorities of countries in these regions align with the global need to achieve a low carbon world, and what that implies for an equitable energy consumption basket and global carbon budget.

To me, the importance of this research agenda is two-fold. First, to help inform the global narrative on energy transition on where these developing countries are likely to trend, and second, help developing countries in preparing for an energy transition that is efficient as well as promotes local growth and development.

What do you like best about living in the U.S.?

The U.S. is a remarkable country where such a young society has such a long democratic tradition, and where the freedom of speech is so central to everything. It is exciting to experience the vibrancy and variety of this country, and the spectacular colors of a city like New York. 

What is the hardest thing about living here?

Finding the time to do everything that one would like to do is a challenge, even in a city that never sleeps and sometimes doesn’t let you sleep! And I am still finding my way around the U.S. tax system!

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