Seth Blumsack

Seth Blumsack is a Professor of Energy Policy and Economics at the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, Pennsylvania State University. He serves as Director of the Center for Energy Law and Policy and holds the MICASU Faculty Fellowship. His research spans electricity and natural gas systems, focusing on regulation, infrastructure resilience, and complex network dynamics.

• Education: Not explicitly stated

Blumsack’s research explores:

• Interdependencies between natural gas and electric power systems
• Governance of Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs)
• Smart grid consumer behavior and market dynamics
• Grid reliability through network topology analysis
• Antitrust economics in energy markets

His recent publications examine cross-sector infrastructure coupling, renewable integration economics, and market design. Key funding sources include the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and Environmental Protection Agency.

Scientific awards:

• Best paper award, Hawai’i International Conference on System Sciences (2011)
• John T. Ryan, Jr. Fellowship (2011-17)

Blumsack has advised students in projects on wind/solar portfolio optimization, transmission planning, and energy-water nexus analysis. His work informs policy decisions for electric grids and natural gas pipelines.