What do you remember most from your educational journey and how has that shaped your teaching?

I started my undergraduate career in business school as a very traditional finance major and always figured that would be my career path. Then I took a decision sciences course one year, fell in love with it, and that changed everything. I added decision sciences as a second major and eventually went on to obtain a Ph.D. in it. But I never abandoned my love for finance and business in the process. I learned, in fact, that the two fields complemented each other nicely, and that’s something that I think is important for students to appreciate. CMU is renowned for its multidisciplinary approach to learning, and I love being able to show how the decision sciences can help tackle problems in other fields. Being able to look at problems from multiple perspectives and make those connections is a huge advantage.

What are your current research interests?

The academic side of me is focused on the intersection of finance and decision sciences, but I also worked in the private sector for 16 years on financing energy infrastructure projects. My research interests tend to combine those areas. I’m currently involved in research on building better models of reliability risks for zero-carbon power systems, developing policy solutions to improve the financing and development of carbon-capture projects, and evaluating biases in how government regulators set rates of return for power generation assets.

What one piece of advice would you give your students?

Ask questions. I know participating in class can be intimidating, but your professors love getting questions. Come talk to us! We were you once, and finding that one professor who can really spark your interest can make all the difference.