Emily Grubert

Emily Grubert serves as Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy Policy at the Keough School of Global Affairs and Concurrent Associate Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at the University of Notre Dame. Her interdisciplinary work integrates civil engineering and environmental sociology to advance justice-centered decarbonization of the US energy system through life cycle socioenvironmental impact assessment and multicriteria decision support.

Education

• Ph.D. in Environment and Resources, Stanford University (2017)
• M.S. in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering, University of Texas at Austin (2011)
• M.A. in Energy and Earth Resources, University of Texas at Austin (2010)
• B.S. in Mathematics and Atmosphere/Energy Engineering, Stanford University (2009)

Research Focus

Professor Grubert's research centers on decarbonization, just transition, life cycle assessment, and macro-energy systems. She employs scenario analysis, life cycle assessment, survey and interview research, and text mining to evaluate socioenvironmental impacts of energy infrastructure decisions. Her work emphasizes incorporating community and societal priorities into policy and project decisions, particularly during the mid-transition phase of energy system transformation where embodied impacts dominate and design-oriented decision support becomes critical.

Publication Trends

Her recent publications reveal concentrated efforts on medium-term US decarbonization challenges, including fossil electricity retirement deadlines, emissions projections through 2050, and paradigm shifts in environmental assessment. A dominant theme addresses the emerging dominance of embodied impacts in decarbonizing systems, coupled with development of justice-centered decision support tools that integrate socioenvironmental considerations across energy-water-carbon domains.

Professional Engagement

Grubert is a core faculty affiliate of the Keough School's Pulte Institute for Global Development. Prior to Notre Dame, she served as assistant professor at Georgia Tech and deputy assistant secretary for carbon management at the US Department of Energy. Her research has received extensive media coverage in major outlets including The New York Times, MIT Technology Review, and Bloomberg, demonstrating significant policy impact and societal relevance.