Join CRB Nexus: Where Policy Meets Research for a live virtual discussion featuring Bruce Cain Najmedin Meshkati, and Nyakundi Michieka as they discuss Utilities and Energy in policy and practice on Thursday, September 26, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM! 

In support of a vibrant community of practice, this event will NOT be recorded. See you there!

CRB Nexus is a community of California researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and organizations committed to public policy solutions informed by data-driven research. We come together to connect, build professional relationships, and share information. Together we translate evidence into action and foster the next generation of public scholarship aimed at identifying and solving policy issues.

Come meet like-minded Californians as we build a research to policy community of practice!

Utilities and energy panelists and special guests:

Bruce Cain, Ph.D., is an expert in U.S. politics, particularly the politics of California and the American West.  His areas of expertise include political regulation, applied democratic theory, representation and state politics.  He is currently working on state regulatory processes and stakeholder involvement in the areas of water, energy and the environment. Prior to joining Stanford, Professor Cain was director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley and executive director of the UC Washington Center. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has won awards for his research, teaching and public service.

Najmedin (Najm) Meshkati, Ph.D., is a tenured, full Professor of Civil/Environmental Engineering and a Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California (USC). For the past 25 years, he has been teaching and conducting research on risk reduction and reliability enhancement of complex technological systems, including nuclear power, aviation, and petrochemical and transportation industries. He was a Jefferson Science Fellow, and a Senior Science and Engineering Advisor, Office of Science and Technology Adviser to the Secretary of State, Washington, DC. He is a member of the Global Advisory Council of the Civilian Research and Development Foundation Global, chaired by Ambassador Thomas Pickering.

Nyakundi Michieka, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the department of Economics at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB). He also serves as the Director for the Center for Economic Education and Research at CSUB. His primary research involves Energy, Environmental Economics and Regional Economics. Nyakundi has presented his work at various conferences and has more than 30 research publications, two book chapters, and several working papers. Dr. Michieka's current work looks at the long- and short run effects of oil prices on Kern County's economy. Other research areas focus on the energy-water nexus. He also reports on current economic trends in Kern County in CSUB's Kern Economic Journal.

Our policy guest is Sarah Brady, Ph.D., Director, Office of Governmental and International Affairs, CA Energy Commission,