Luke Lavin ’13 is a senior research engineer in the Grid Planning and Analysis Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. He develops modeling tools, data, and analyses for valuing the contributions of electricity technologies and uses to future electric power systems. His recent work has focused on developing wind resource datasets, managing electric vehicle charging, valuing transmission expansion, and modeling power system response to extreme weather events.
Luke holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Physics from Amherst College.
Was there an “aha” or “eureka” moment at Amherst after which you knew the career to pursue?
I took a small research seminar course taught by Chris Dole entitled, I believe, “Inquiries into the Catastrophic.” That course showed me an overlap in my interests in scientific and social science research in the nuclear energy space, particularly given this was just after the high-profile Fukushima event. From there, I did a senior thesis on debates over the continued operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant (now closed), which turned my interest to electricity markets and regulation given its crucial role in those decisions. I guess that’s more or less what I’ve worked on since!