Yu Cao (she/her)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Email: ycao6@alaska.edu
Expertise
- Energy Access and Justice
- Policy and Global Application
BIO
Yu Cao is a postdoctoral fellow, specializing in energy equity and justice.
Cao is currently working on a project “Environmental Justice and Equity Framework for Siting Nuclear Energy in America’s Arctic,” funded by Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP). The project aims to create an environmental justice framework for future nuclear energy deployment in Arctic communities and other historically underserved populations in the U.S.
Cao is also working on Community Appropriate Sustainable Energy Security (CASES) projects. CASES’s goals include developing and applying tools for energy planning to help northern communities enhance values and long-term capacity, and strengthen community energy sovereignty. Cao engages with CASES Alaska communities, coordinating Alaska input into international comparative analyses.
Cao holds an M.A. in Arctic and Northern studies from UAF and a Ph.D. in political science from Northern Arizona University. Her doctoral dissertation evaluated multinational mining companies’ corporate social responsibilities (CSR).
Cao’s pastimes include reading detective fiction and cooking.
Current Projects