Mary Jean Bürer

Lecturer
Fields of expertise
Green Economy policy-making (international scope)
Energy Transition and Innovation Ecosystems
The interplay between new business models, corporate and public-private strategic alliances and green economy policies
Current work
- green economy transition - the energy transition - measures for the green economy at the national and global level - policies and regulatory changes for a transition towards sustainable consumption and production among key sectors - soft and hard law relevant to making the financial sector more sustainable via their investments - policies and their impacts on new business models in the smart grid and e-mobility innovation ecosystemsBiography
Dr. Van Vliet-Bürer is an expert in emissions trading, climate and energy policy as she has worked in the field of sustainability with a focus on climate and energy issues at the intersection of technology, policy, and economics since 1998. She started her career working on emissions trading for several organizations, including the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA). After that, she became a Transportation Policy Analyst at the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) where she helped ensure the passing of vehicle CO2 standards in California. She later obtained her PhD in Economics in 2008 from the University of St. Gallen and worked in the area of sustainable finance when she joined the Investor Network for Climate Risk (INCR). In 2009 she also became a Scientific Officer for the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Dr. Van Vliet-Bürer holds a PhD in Economics from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and a Master of Engineering from UCLA. Currently Dr. Bürer serves as Senior Research Fellow at EPFL under the College of Management of Technology. She joined the Chair of Corporate Strategy and Innovation (CSI) in 2014 and then joined EPFL’s Green Economy and Resource Governance (GERG) Chair in 2016 where she now focuses her research there on policies for a green economy transition and the economic impacts of such a transition. Meanwhile at the Corporate Strategy and Innovation (CSI) Chair she is working on the energy transition in particular, and specifically the effect of policies in stimulating (or acting as a barrier) to new business models among new entrants or incumbents in energy sector.Education
PhD
Management and Economics - Policy and Venture Capital Investment in Clean Energy Technology
University of St. Gallen
2002-2008
Master of Engineering
Integrated Manufacturing Engineering for Advanced Transportation Systems
UCLA
1996-1997
B.A.
Environment, Economics and Politics
Claremont McKenna College
1993-1996
Publications
Selected publications
R Wüstenhagen, M Wolsink, MJ Bürer Energy policy 35 (5), 2683-2691, 2007 |
Social acceptance of renewable energy innovation: An introduction to the concept |
MJ Bürer, R Wüstenhagen Energy Policy 37 (12), 4997-5006, 2009 |
Which renewable energy policy is a venture capitalist's best friend? Empirical evidence from a survey of international cleantech investors |
MJ Bürer, R Wüstenhagen Wüstenhagen et al.(Ed.), Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2008 |
Cleantech venture investors and energy policy risk: an exploratory analysis of regulatory risk management strategies |
Rolf Wüstenhagen, Robert Wuebker, Mary Jean Bürer, Dale Goddard Innovation, Markets, and Sustainable Energy: The Challenge of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham (UK) and Lyme (US), 2009 |
Financing fuel cell market development: exploring the role of expectation dynamics in venture capital investment |
P Bertoldi, S Rezessy, MJ Bürer Summer study on efficiency in industry of the American Council for Energy Efficient Economy. New York, 2005 |
Will emission trading promote end-use energy efficiency and renewable energy projects |
P duVair, D Wickizer, MJ Burer The Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Transportation, 2003 |
Climate change and the potential implications for California's transportation system |
M Bürer, D Goldstein, J Holtzclaw Proceedings, 2004 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, 2004 |
Location efficiency as the missing piece of the energy puzzle: how smart growth can unlock trillion dollar consumer cost savings |
MJ Burer University of St. Gallen, PhD thesis in Economics, 2008 |
Public policy and clean energy private equity investment |
Teaching & PhD
Teaching
Management of Technology
Courses
D. Thinking: real problems, human-focused solutions
This course aims to engage students into multidisciplinary collaboration to tackle real world problems with a human centered approach. It will also provide knowledge about the role of design in innovation.