Economist Nafisa Lohawala Joins Resources for the Future’s Research Team
Lohawala, who recently earned her PhD in economics from the University of Michigan, joined RFF this week as a fellow to study transportation-related issues.
Resources for the Future (RFF) is pleased to announce that Nafisa Lohawala, who recently earned her PhD in economics from the University of Michigan, has joined the organization as a research fellow. At RFF, Lohawala will study transportation-related issues, focusing specifically on decarbonization strategies for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
“RFF’s rigorous and policy-relevant work constantly inspired me during my PhD,” Lohawala said. “I’m thrilled to join this terrific group of like-minded researchers and look forward to many years of collaboration.”
Lohawala’s expertise lies at the intersection of industrial organization, energy economics, and public finance. Her dissertation at the University of Michigan examined the role of government policies on environmental and safety externalities generated by the transportation sector, with a focus on light-duty vehicles in the United States. Before earning her PhD, Lohawala received a dual Bachelor of Science–Master of Science degree in economics with a minor in computer science and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. Until recently, she was a predoctoral fellow in energy economics at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
“We’re so pleased to have Nafisa on our team,” said Beia Spiller, director of RFF’s Transportation Program. “Nafisa’s rich academic career in economics and impressive list of fellowships and teaching experiences are sure to inform new ideas and policy solutions at RFF. Transportation accounts for approximately 30 percent of US emissions—if the country wants to reach its net-zero goals, research from scholars like Nafisa will be incredibly important to get us there. I’m happy that she’s chosen to work on these important issues here at RFF.”
You can read more about Lohawala and her work on her profile page.
RFF continues to recruit new research and policy engagement staff for many of its programs and initiatives. For more information on RFF’s research priorities, publications, events, editorial resources, and more, please visit rff.org.
Resources for the Future (RFF) is an independent, nonprofit research institution in Washington, DC. Its mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement. RFF is committed to being the most widely trusted source of research insights and policy solutions leading to a healthy environment and a thriving economy.
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