The Center for Renewable Energy provides a wide range of research and expertise in the development, implementation, and evaluation of energy policy and economics. Our faculty are experts in labor, energy, environmental and occupational health, as well as economics and policy. UMass Lowell’s Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy is well-connected with community policy and economic development, and our center faculty work alongside the Climate Change Initiative.  

Faculty support the research and development of model long-term chemicals policies and the application of the precautionary principle in environmental science and policy. Additionally, engineering faculty support the development of techno-economic modeling of the manufacturing of energy systems and support the development of nuclear codes (MCNP, MCNPX, PHITS) for model nuclear systems, control and management of nuclear materials (ORIGEN, HELIOS, NJOY), and cyber-security assessments.

  • The Integrated Nuclear Security and Safeguards Laboratory (INSSL) aims to promote the development of research, education and training tools that support a wide range of global nuclear security and safeguards objectives. There are only a few universities that have nuclear science and engineering programs in conjunction with a nuclear policy program such as, the UMass Lowell’s Center for Terrorism and Security Studies (CTSS). At UMass Lowell, the NS&E programs in collaboration with CTSS and the Radiation Laboratory are establishing research, education, and training programs that holistically capture these three elements: safety, safeguards and security.
  • The New England Consortium - Civil Service Employees Association (TNEC-CSEA) is a successful hazardous waste worker, emergency responder health and safety training program that has been delivering high-quality training that is grounded in adult education principles and practices since 1988.

  • Sukesh Aghara - energy technology modeling using market price data to design energy portfolio from grid scale energy generation and storage technologies.  
  • Kelly Hellman - evaluation of costs and benefits of energy policies intended address climate change
  • David Kingsley - the role of cultural norms and distributive preferences; the establishment and operation of institutions to enable cooperation and efficiency in clean energy markets
  • Supriya Lahiri - interactions of energy use, environment and the economy, cost effectiveness and computable equilibrium models
  • Samson Mil'shtein - economy of solar cell manufacturing
  • Aaron Smith-Walter - policy processes in the United States, cultural orientations toward energy generation and delivery, public transportation organizations and management
  • Joel Tickner - transitioning the petrochemical industry to reduce its climate, waste, and toxics impacts; alternatives assessment to ensure that sustainable energy sources do not lead to regrettable toxicity substitutions
  • David Turcotte - workforce safety training, labor & union operations of utility sector