Kyle Meng

Kyle Meng is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). He also serves as the Director of the Climate & Energy Program at the Environmental Markets Solutions Lab (emLab), a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), and a former Senior Climate Economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. His research focuses on environmental and resource economics, particularly the equity and efficiency of climate policies, energy transitions, and environmental markets.

Dr. Meng holds a PhD in Sustainable Development from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Princeton University. He is a recipient of the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. His work has been published in leading journals such as the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, Nature, and Science.

Recent research highlights include studies on the social cost of lobbying over climate policy, the paradox of marine reserve overfishing, and the global climate feedback from energy-based adaptation. Meng actively engages with policy through emLab’s analyses of cap-and-trade systems and energy affordability in California.

Awards include recognition for his contributions to environmental and climate policy research. His affiliations extend to the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).