Brigitte Castañeda Rodríguez
Engineering Economic Analysis | Energy Systems | Climate Policy
Welcome! I am a Postdoctoral Assistant in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Universidad de los Andes. With a background in Engineering (B.S. and M.Sc. in Petroleum and Gas Engineering) and Economics (Ph.D.), my research develops data-driven frameworks and decision-support models to navigate the energy transition and manage climate-induced systemic risks.
My work bridges the gap between quantitative engineering models and macroeconomic policy. I combine statistical learning, causal inference, and stochastic modeling to evaluate capital investments in green infrastructure, carbon pricing mechanisms, and sustainable fiscal policies, with a special focus on the Global South.
Research Interests: Engineering Economic Analysis, Energy Systems Resilience, Climate Policy Evaluation, Causal Inference & Predictive Analytics.
Languages: Spanish (Native), English (Fluent), Russian (Fluent), French (Basic).
Teaching:
ANADEC (Análisis de Decisiones de Inversión / Engineering Economic Analysis): Undergraduate course focusing on capital budgeting, real options, and investment decision-making under uncertainty.
Current Research & Working Papers:
-
Can Growth Take Place While Reducing Emissions? The Role of Energy Mix (with Hernando Zuleta)
[PDF] -
Climate Policy and Structural Change: Evidence from Energy Transition in Latin America (with Hernando Zuleta)
[PDF] -
Spreading Jam Across the National Toast: Royalties and Local Fiscal Capacities (with Andrés Álvarez and Marc Hofstetter)
[PDF] -
An Ounce of Prevention, a Pound of Cure? The Impact of Natural Disasters and Preventive Investment in Colombian Municipalities (Funded by the Inter-American Development Bank - IDB)
Policy Impact & Applied Experience: I strongly believe in translating academic research into actionable engineering and public policy. I am currently leading a research grant funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Previously, I have worked as a Data Scientist and Economic Consultant for the World Bank, Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), supporting work on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, logistics optimization, and just energy transitions.
I am also an active member of the EfD Network through REES Colombia and the RESET Network.
Last updated: March 2026
News
| Sep 1, 2025 | Research Grant – Received an IDB grant for Fiscal Tools to Manage Climate-Induced Disaster Risk. |
| Sep 16, 2024 | Graduate of the Research Mentoring Programme (PMI) on Article 6 of the SPAR6C program with GGGI. |
| Apr 12, 2024 | Winner of the award for the best article of the Doctoral Workshop 2024 Faculty of Economics, Universidad de los Andes. |
| Nov 1, 2023 | With MCC and Uniandes, we received funding from EfD to conduct surveys in Colombia on fossil fuel subsidy reform and acceptability. |
| Jun 12, 2023 | Contractor, Doctoral, Temp on Inclusive-Just Transition at EDF. |
| Jan 10, 2023 | Worked for the World Bank as Short Term Consultant in Data Scientist. |
| Aug 10, 2020 | Degree with honors in the “Data Science for All” course, by the Colombian Ministry of Technology. |
| Aug 1, 2020 | Started PhD in economics at Univeristy of the Andes in Bogota, Colombia. |
| Nov 21, 2019 | First place in Paper Contest and second in the Poster Session at Oil and Gas Horizons Congress XI. |