UC Berkeley’s New Energy Analytics Course Bridges Data, Engineering and Policy

The Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at University of California, Berkeley has launched a new graduate course this spring focused on the expanding role of analytics in the global energy sector.

Offered as IND ENG 290, Energy Analytics introduces students to how quantitative methods are applied in energy markets, infrastructure planning and system operations. The course is taught by Todd Strauss, a member of the IEOR Advisory Board and a Berkeley alumnus who earned his doctorate in the department.

Designed as an applied course, Energy Analytics combines foundational energy-sector concepts with tools drawn from optimization, probabilistic modeling and data analysis. The curriculum is organized around themes including economics, reliability, sustainability, safety and system integration, with topics ranging from demand and supply forecasting to market operations, risk management and decarbonization strategies.

Students complete a semester-long project centered on a real-world energy problem, developing and presenting an applied analytics solution informed by industry practice. Optional field trips to energy facilities and control centers further connect coursework to operational settings.
Strauss brings more than 30 years of experience across academia and industry. After serving on the faculty at Yale School of Management, he spent two decades at Pacific Gas and Electric Company, where he led analytics, innovation and strategy initiatives spanning infrastructure planning, risk management and greenhouse gas regulation. He now works as an independent consultant and as chief product officer for a startup focused on battery energy storage analytics.

“There is a growing demand for analysts who can connect rigorous quantitative methods with real-world energy applications,” Strauss said. “By integrating academic foundations with industry practice, Energy Analytics is designed to prepare students for careers at the intersection of data, engineering and energy policy.”