Chelsea Petrenko GR'15 is a Lecturer in the Irving Institute's Master of Energy Transition degree program, where she teaches "Energy Markets and Economics" and contributes to curriculum development on energy systems and decarbonization strategy. Chelsea Petrenko is also an Associate Director at Energy and Environmental Economics (E3), where she leads applied research at the intersection of energy economics, decarbonization modeling, and public policy.
Chelsea's research portfolio spans technoeconomic modeling, energy affordability and rate design, distributed energy resource adoption, and geospatial forecasting of electrification. Chelsea has led multi-state energy and climate planning efforts, including New Jersey's 2024 Energy Master Plan and Rhode Island's 2025 Climate Action Strategy; directed analyses of transportation electrification for the Long Island Power Authority; and contributed to deep-decarbonization studies in Illinois and New York. She regularly presents technical findings to policymakers, utilities, and large stakeholder audiences.
Chelsea received her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Dartmouth College, where she was a National Science Foundation IGERT Trainee with the Institute of Arctic Studies and conducted field research in Greenland and Antarctica. She holds a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from the University of New Hampshire. Her academic research examined greenhouse gas emissions, climate feedbacks, and ecosystem dynamics, and she has authored peer-reviewed publications and technical reports spanning soil biogeochemistry, biofuels, and decarbonization pathways. She also serves as a mentor for early-career professionals in energy and climate analytics.