Dr. Poushali Maji is a Program Scientist at Schmidt Sciences, where she is developing a scientific program focused on supporting computational modeling of energy and decarbonization pathways. Through this program, Poushali aims to identify innovative methods that capture complex energy system interactions and provide insights into energy transitions across scales and sectors.

Poushali has a strongly interdisciplinary background in energy systems and systems analysis. Her doctoral and postdoctoral research focused on using statistical analysis, atmospheric transport models and systems models to evaluate strategies that address rising carbon emissions along with other pressing challenges such as air pollution and resource depletion. Prior to joining Schmidt Sciences, she was an Impact Fellow at MIT’s Climate & Sustainability Consortium where she led the circular economy workstream. In this role, she collaborated with industry partners on projects related to understanding challenges in material recovery from waste streams and analyzing strategies to enhance it. Additionally, as a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT’s Institute for Data Systems & Society, Poushali co-led the Research to Policy Engagement Initiative which aimed to bridge scientific research with on-the-ground action and communities of practice. Poushali has worked with public stakeholders, through the Sustainability Scholars program at the City of Vancouver (British Columbia), and in the private sector as a wind energy consultant with Oldbaum Services (Scotland).

Poushali holds a B.Sc. in Physics from St. Stephen’s College (University of Delhi), an M.Sc. in Sustainable Energy Systems from University of Edinburgh and a Ph.D. in Resource Management, Environment & Sustainability from University of British Columbia.