Rachel Mural is a research associate at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Her work focuses on the intersection of energy technology and policy.
Rachel Mural is a research associate at the Environment and Natural Resources Program (ENRP) and Science Technology and Public Policy Program (STPP) at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
As a research associate, Rachel manages a research portfolio of energy policy and energy technology topics relating to renewable energy, industrial energy efficiency, emerging alternative fuels (such as sustainable aviation fuel and green hydrogen), and artificial intelligence. She also manages a cohort of 2-6 student research assistants per semester and coordinates research collaborations both domestically and abroad.
Prior to joining the Belfer Center, Rachel worked as a research associate at the Digital, Data, and Design Institute at Harvard University (D³). As a member of the Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard, she worked with Professor Kyle Myers (Harvard Business School) to study research productivity and the science of science. By examining how professors approach research, evaluate risk, and weigh trade-offs, Rachel worked to illuminate academic processes in an increasingly complex, fast-paced world.
Rachel’s personal research interests center on the intersection of climate change, green technologies, and artificial intelligence. An interdisciplinary scholar, she hopes to shed light on how emerging technologies impact the ways in which policymakers and the public approach sustainability issues.
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Research Associate
2023 – Current
Laboratory for Innovation Science at Harvard
Research Associate
2021 – 2023
Assisted with the design, distribution, and analysis of a large-scale panel survey of academics at the top 150 funded universities in the United States.
Performed data analysis using R to evaluate survey results and performed Natural Language Processing on free entry responses.
Researched and wrote literature reviews on topics including research productivity, artificial intelligence, and Web 3.0.
Edited coworkers’ papers prior to publication to ensure grammatical accuracy and logical flow.
Managed freelancers as they compiled data from a number of sources across the internet and ensured collected information was accurate and complete. The data set included ~350,000 rows.
Previous Research Experience
2017 – Current
Manage the energy technology research portfolio for the Energy and Natural Resources Program (ENRP) and Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program (STPP).
Conduct primary research through qualitative studies and first-hand interviews in order to better understand the current energy landscape.
Write research briefs and policy memos on topics including industrial energy efficiency; oil and gas activities in the clean energy space; artificial intelligence; international energy and climate cooperation; and green hydrogen systems.
Manage and coordinate ENRP/STPP fellows to facilitate research goals and publications.
Strengthen international partnerships across China and Europe by planning research symposiums, drafting research proposals, and liaising with international collaborators.
Seek collaborative opportunities by networking with potential funders and collaborators across a wide array of industries and sectors.
Freelance Research Editing (2022-Current)
Environmental Law Institute - Environmental Peacebuilding (2020-2021)
Center for American Politics and Citizenship (CAPC) (2018)
Research Publication - Global Americans: China Finds Partners (and Power) in Latin American Space Development (2018)
University of Cambridge
M.Phil. Environmental Policy
2019–2020
Primary Coursework: Environmental Economics and Policy; International Environmental Law
Secondary Coursework: International Development, Energy and Climate Change, Research Methods/Spatial Analysis
Thesis: "Assessing the Impact of Environmental Quality Perceptions on Self-Reported Life Satisfaction: A Cross-Country Analysis"
Using STATA to conduct ordered probit regressions, this study evaluated the association between perceived environmental quality and life satisfaction across three regions and two time periods. The paper received a "Distinguished" mark.