Shangwei Liu

Shangwei Liu

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School

Opportunities

Dr. Shangwei Liu will join the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the National University of Singapore as a tenure-track Presidential Fellow in Spring 2026. He is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. Dr. Liu uses interdisciplinary approaches that combine engineering modeling with policy and economic analysis to understand and accelerate clean-energy innovation and deployment. His research has been published in Nature, Nature Energy, Environmental Science & Technology, and other journals. He received his Ph.D. in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy from Princeton University and his bachelor’s degree from Beijing Normal University.

The research group conducts interdisciplinary research on climate and energy policy at both global and local levels. Our work focuses on: 1) how to decarbonize urban energy systems effectively and efficiently; 2) the consequences of various decarbonization strategies for individual costs and well-being; and 3) why some technologies succeed while others fail, and what drives cost reductions in clean-energy technologies.

We are recruiting 1 Ph.D. student, 1-2 postdocs, and 1-2 visiting students to join the group, with start dates in Spring or Fall 2026.

PhD Students

Candidates should apply through the Ph.D. program in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the National University of Singapore. Please review the application instructions at https://nusgs.nus.edu.sg/programmes/phd-civil-and-environmental-engineeringand mention your interest in working with our group in your application. Full tuition and a competitive stipend will be provided. Students interested in starting in 2026 are strongly encouraged to reach out early to discuss potential research fit and directions.

We are looking for self-motivated individuals who are:

  1. Strongly interested in interdisciplinary research in energy and climate policy;

  2. Committed to contributing to an inclusive, respectful, and productive research environment;

  3. Holders of a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a broadly relevant field (e.g., environmental studies, public policy, economics, business, electrical or industrial engineering, computer science, or mathematics);

  4. Experienced in relevant research (a plus) and proficient in programming/data analysis (preferred);

  5. Skilled in scientific writing and communication in English.

Interested candidates are welcome to email Dr. Shangwei Liu at shangwei_liu@hks.harvard.edu with the subject line “PhD – [Your Full Name] – 2026.” Include: a) your academic CV; b) a brief statement describing your research interests, prior research experience and skills, and career goals; c) contact information for recommenders (names, affiliations, and email addresses).

Postdocs

We are looking for postdoctoral researchers to join our growing lab starting Spring/Fall 2026, or at another mutually agreed time.

Qualifications:

  1. Ph.D. from a leading university (awarded or expected soon) in a relevant field.

  2. Strong quantitative skills in modeling and data analysis; proficiency in at least one programming language (R, Python, or MATLAB).

  3. Preferred research skills: integrated assessment modeling, energy systems modeling, industrial ecology methods, techno-economic analysis, econometrics, optimization, statistical analysis.

Interested candidates are welcome to email Dr. Shangwei Liu at shangwei_liu@hks.harvard.edu with the subject line “Postdoc – [Your Full Name] – 2026.” Include: a) your academic CV; b) a brief statement describing your research interests, prior research experience and skills, and career goals; c) contact information for recommenders (names, affiliations, and email addresses); d) one first-author paper.

Visiting Students/Scholars

Qualifications: Current PhD students in relevant fields or scholars with aligned research interests. Self-funded visitors are welcome. If you require support, please state your funding needs and potential sources in your materials.

Interested candidates are welcome to email Dr. Shangwei Liu at shangwei_liu@hks.harvard.eduwith the subject line “Visiting Students/Scholars – [Your Full Name] – 2026.” Include: a) your academic CV; b) a brief statement describing your research interests and plans during the visit; c) contact information for recommenders (names, affiliations, and email addresses).