Jennifer Baka

I am an energy geographer that studies how material, political and environmental processes interconnect and with what effects in the context of energy development. I work on unconventional and renewable energy systems in both domestic and international contexts. The main theoretical lens I employ in my research is political-industrial ecology, an emerging sub-field of geography that aims to embed resources flows within their broader historic, economic and political contexts. An overarching goal of my research, teaching and service is to develop strategies for reducing environmental inequities in energy systems.

Currently, I am working on three main research projects:

1. Evaluating the political-industrial ecology of the emerging petrochemical corridor in the Ohio River Valley, funded by an NSF CAREER grant (Award number 2144426);
2. Examining community and geoscientific perceptions of potential water contamination from unconventional energy development in southwestern Pennsylvania, funded by HEI-Energy;
3. Studying pathways and policy mechanisms for just energy transitions, funded by the Sloan Foundation.

Prior to joining Penn State, I was an Assistant Professor of Geography and Environment at the London School of Economics from 2013–16. I earned a PhD in Environmental Studies from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (2012), a Master's in Public Policy from UC Berkeley (2007) and a BS in Economics from The George Washington University (2000). Prior to graduate school, I worked in the energy industry for numerous years first as an economic consultant in Washington, DC, and second as a consultant for the United Nations Environment Programme in Paris, France. I am originally from the anthracite coal mining region of Scranton, PA and am proud to be a coal miner’s granddaughter.

I have recently been appointed to the Environmental Justice Advisory Board for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

I am currently accepting graduate students and would be happy to talk to prospective applicants about our Master’s and PhD programs in geography at Penn State.