Rutgers and the BPU pair doctoral degree-level experts with the Division of Clean Energy

NEW BRUNSWICK - More scientists are getting the opportunity to help guide state government on matters such as power grid management and energy efficiency, thanks to a partnership forged last year between the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU). 

Through the Eagleton Science and Politics Program, the institute offers a year-long, full-time fellowship for scientists, engineers and health care professionals in New Jersey government. Under Eagleton’s partnership with the Board of Public Utilities, the institute created a climate-action track for Eagleton science fellows.  

Kira Lawrence, a former Eagleton Science fellow, is a climate and ocean scientist who works as a senior policy adviser for the Board of Public Utilities. She was an academic for nearly 20 years before doing the fellowship while on sabbatical.  
 
“I wanted to focus my efforts on helping human societies to mitigate or adapt to the climate crisis,” Lawrence said. “I explored what New Jersey was doing on both fronts. It was clear BPU’s work was critical to climate mitigation efforts in New Jersey playing a central role in the fossil fuel to clean energy transition.” 

Since 2023, five scientists have served the Board of Public Utilities as Eagleton Science fellows. (Eagleton placed three additional scientists at the regulatory authority before the partnership.) 

Aileen Eagleton, a current Eagleton Science fellow, said she first learned about the fellowship on LinkedIn by chance. 

“I saw that it had the same name as my last name, which I thought was a happy coincidence, and I've been wanting to go into science policy,” said Eagleton, who is of no relation to Florence Peshine Eagleton, whom the institute is named after. 

“I really enjoy community organizing and being a part of the community and making things better, and I feel like I couldn't just do that in the lab,” said Eagleton, who holds a doctoral degree in materials chemistry from the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies at Dartmouth College. “So, I wanted to combine my passion for science and being a community organizer by going into science policy.” 

The Eagleton Science and Politics Fellowship gives doctorate-level scientists and engineers the opportunity to apply their expertise in the development and implementation of state policy. During the program, science fellows support state officials in making evidence-based decisions in public policy areas, including science, engineering and technology. In addition to the climate-action track, the program also has executive and legislative tracks.

Through the state-level fellowship, Eagleton provides “a lot of support and a lot of professional development opportunities” for the fellows throughout the year, said Anna Dulencin, director of the Eagleton Science and Politics Program, adding that there are eight science fellows in this year’s cohort in total.

“This is a fairly unique opportunity for scientists to experience contributing their knowledge to state government, to the design and implementation of policies,” Dulencin said. “It brings them closer to their work having an impact on local communities.”

“Adding a climate-action track to the Eagleton Science and Politics Program provides the NJBPU with access to subject-matter experts who can help advance New Jersey’s ambitious climate action goals,” said Angela Oberg, the senior director for the Office of Climate Action at Rutgers. “Because the program is a year long, fellows can engage deeply with our most pressing climate action issues. In several cases, fellows have gone on to become full-time staff members at NJBPU, making this program a significant contributor to developing a clean energy workforce in New Jersey.”

As a fellow, Aileen Eagleton, who chose a climate-action track in the fellowship, is stationed at the Office of Clean Energy Equity (within the Division of Clean Energy) in Trenton, where she has been working on a proposal for an urban heat island pilot program. 

“That's been my main focus over the past few weeks: Just trying to figure out where we can address heat effects in New Jersey based on a few different factors – mainly overburdened municipalities and communities where heat effects are felt the most,” said Eagleton, who added she’s “also looking at income levels and working with the community.” 
 
She said while the proposal is under development, “I think we can implement certain things that tie into lowering utility costs as well as cooling down buildings.” 

“Aileen brings a fresh and welcome perspective on clean energy equity, including a focus on community-level inclusion, engagement and outcomes that has the potential to have far-reaching benefits in all of the initiatives of the Office of Clean Energy Equity,” said Stacy Ho Richardson, deputy director of the Division of Clean Energy.

These fellowships can lead to employment with the state. 

Natalie Stuart, a 2023-2024 Eagleton Science fellow with the Division of Clean Energy, was hired by the NJBPU as a research scientist.  

Stuart said she was drawn to the fellowship for “the opportunity to impact and make effective change,” adding that she “always had an awareness of climate change.”

A scientist working to implement climate change policy and modernize the state’s electric grid, Stuart said much of government “involves predicting things and problem-solving" – and that “getting differing perspectives increases the effectiveness of problem-solving.”  
 
Stuart, who added that government officials gain a “research-based perspective” through the fellowship, said she learned about the program from an Eagleton fellowship alum, Joseph Gurrentz, who also was hired as a full-time BPU employee after his fellowship ended.  He is now the public affairs director for the New Jersey Utilities Association.
 
“He found out that I was finishing my doctorate and he asked me what my future plans were and I said, ‘Honestly, I'm not sure,’” said Stuart, who earned her doctoral degree in chemistry from Drexel University. “When I started my doctorate, I thought maybe academia, maybe going into industry. This alum really advocated for the Eagleton program.” 
 
She added, “I'm really grateful that he did to this day. I think he really changed the trajectory of where I headed with my degree.”