Jordan Kern
Assistant Professor
- Phone: 919.513.3954
- Email: jkern@ncsu.edu
- Office: 4173 Fitts-Woolard Hall
- Website: http://kern.wordpress.ncsu.edu
Since starting at NC State, Jordan Kern’s group has been funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Bezos Earth Fund, and the State of North Carolina. In 2022, he was awarded the NSF CAREER award.
Kern has served as an expert witness for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security, and served as an expert on a White House Office of Science and Technology Policy panel concerning the potential role of artificial intelligence in managing energy systems. His group’s research has been featured in national media (NPR, LA Times, TIME, Vox, the Hill, Wired, and the Guardian).
Research Interests
Kern’s research tries to advance optimal design and management of energy systems, with a special focus on: 1) building high-fidelity models of bulk electric power systems; 2) simulating system dynamics under uncertainty and stress (e.g., extreme weather and/or physical attack); and 3) informing optimal decision making around capital investment and short-term operations to meet cost and reliability objectives. Much of Kern’s work is aimed at supporting real-world decision-making, and his group frequently interacts and collaborates with stakeholders (e.g., electric power utilities).
Education
| Degree | Program | School | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ph.D. | Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Sciences and Engineering | UNC-Chapel Hill | 2014 |
| MSESE | Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Engineering | UNC-Chapel Hill | 2010 |
| BSES | Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences | UNC-Chapel Hill | 2007 |
Discover more about Jordan Kern
Publications
- Dual Impacts of Space Heating Electrification and Climate Change Increase Uncertainties in Peak Load Behavior and Grid Capacity Requirements in Texas
- Ssembatya, H., Kern, J. D., Oikonomou, K., Voisin, N., Burleyson, C. D., & Akdemir, K. Z. (2024), Earth's Future, 12(6). https://doi.org/10.1029/2024EF004443
- Exploring the benefits of integrated energy-water management in reducing economic and environmental tradeoffs
- Singh, S., Quinn, J., Kern, J., Cuppari, R., & Characklis, G. (2024), Environmental Research: Energy, 1(3), 035010. https://doi.org/10.1088/2753-3751/ad713d
- Green hydrogen exports in New Zealand and Chile can improve electricity supply security if configured as local energy insurance
- Alvear, C., Haas, J., Palma-Behnke, R., Peer, R., Medina, J. P., & Kern, J. D. (2024), Energy, 304, 131930. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2024.131930
- High-resolution, open-source modeling of inland flooding impacts on the North Carolina bulk electric power grid
- Prieto-Miranda, L., & Kern, J. D. (2024), Environmental Research: Energy, 1(1), 015005. https://doi.org/10.1088/2753-3751/ad3558
- Investigating the effects of cooperative transmission expansion planning on grid performance during heat waves with varying spatial scales
- Akdemir, K. Z., Mongird, K., Kern, J. D., Oikonomou, K., Voisin, N., Burleyson, C. D., … Vernon, C. (2025), APPLIED ENERGY, 378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.124825
- Utilities Are Planning for the Wrong Kind of Hurricane
- Kern, J. (2024, October), Heatmap News.
- An open-source framework for balancing computational speed and fidelity in production cost models
- Akdemir, K. Z., Oikonomou, K., Kern, J. D., Voisin, N., Ssembatya, H., & Qian, J. (2024), Environmental Research: Energy, 1(1), 015003. https://doi.org/10.1088/2753-3751/ad1751
- Blackouts experienced during low temps last month are bound to happen again
- Kern, J. (2023, January), The Post and Courier.
- Droughts and heat waves could worsen air pollution for vulnerable communities
- Kern, J. (2023, March), L.A.Times.
- Opportunities for wave energy in bulk power system operations
- Akdemir, K. Z., Robertson, B., Oikonomou, K., Kern, J., Voisin, N., Hanif, S., & Bhattacharya, S. (2023), APPLIED ENERGY, 352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.121845
