FREE Research Fellow
Dr. Saeed Esfandi has an academic foundation in urban planning, having completed his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Tehran. He is currently a Research Fellow at the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy (CEEP), University of Delaware, where he is also pursuing a second Ph.D. in Energy and Environmental Policy.
Before his journey with CEEP, Dr. Esfandi contributed as a Research Assistant at the University of Tehran and a researcher at the Tehran Urban Research and Planning Center. His research interests include:
• Energy and climate justice
• Smart city
• Solar city
• Energy-resilient and energy-efficient urban spatial planning
• Visions of net-zero energy and carbon-neutral districts
• Nature-based solutions to enhance urban energy and climate resilience
Dr. Esfandi’s doctoral research focuses on the impact of smart city initiatives on urban energy transitions, underscoring the pivotal role of policy, planning and regulation in steering cities towards low energy, zero energy, and ultimately positive energy ones. He recently won a Doctoral Fellowship from FREE, and is participating in multiple projects on energy and climate justice.