2026 Shultz Energy Fellowships: California Public Utilities Commission, Safety Policy Division
Regional-, state-, and city-level efforts are essential in our fight against climate change, especially in the field of energy. Stanford University is committed to helping by integrating its students into energy and climate ecosystems in the West through the Shultz Energy Fellowships program, an energy-related summer fellowship program for undergraduate and graduate students.
Named in honor of former Secretary of State George P. Shultz, one of the most widely admired American public servants of the past half-century, the program offers a suite of paid, energy-related public service fellowships for Stanford students in California, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah during the summer.
The fellowships run from Monday, June 22 to Friday, August 28, 2026.
Organization/Agency mission or role in state government
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) regulates privately owned electric, natural gas, telecommunications, water, railroad, rail transit, and passenger transportation companies, in addition to authorizing video franchises.
The CPUC's five Governor-appointed Commissioners, as well as its staff, are dedicated to ensuring that consumers have safe, reliable utility service at reasonable rates, protecting against fraud, and promoting the health of California's economy.
Assignment
The Safety Policy Division provides advisory support to the CPUC on policy and regulation to advance delivery of safe, reliable services by utilities subject to the CPUC’s jurisdiction and oversight.
The fellow may support one or more of the following tasks, depending on priorities during the fellowship period:
- Reviewing and comparing wildfire risk modeling methodologies submitted by utilities across different CPUC proceedings, filings, and regulatory frameworks.
- Conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses of utility risk models, including assumptions, inputs, outputs, and approaches (e.g., stochastic, and deterministic).
- Performing analytical assessments of modeling transparency, consistency, and alignment with CPUC guidance and policy objectives.
- Researching prior wildfire risk modeling approaches used by utilities or peer agencies, to identify potential best practices or gaps.
- Supporting the development of technical summaries and comparative analyses.
Potential Mentor
- Amin Emrani, PhD, Senior Utilities Engineer
Work Environment
This is a remote opportunity.
- Strong foundation in mathematics, statistics, and data analytics, with an interest in risk modeling and utility applications.
All Shultz fellows must be enrolled in the spring quarter before their fellowship.
All Shultz fellows must take a one-unit spring workshop course, 'Energy Policy in California and the West' that will provide an in-depth analysis of the role of California state agencies, the Western Interstate Energy Board, and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council in driving energy policy development, technology innovation, and market structures. Course number is CEE 263G / POLISCI 73 / PUBLPOL 73 / ENERGY 73. Schedule: Wednesdays from 1:30 pm - 2:50 pm.
