David Hart, PhD

Research Focus

I have two overlapping areas of specialization. One is technology, science, and innovation policy. I am interested in the sources and implications of discoveries and inventions of all sorts, past and present. The other area is governance, at the regional, national, and global levels. I want to understand the processes by which policy-makers decide what to do. The two areas come together as I seek to comprehend how states, markets, individuals, and social groups interact to produce decisions about important new technological capabilities.

Current Projects

■ I am studying the federal government’s efforts to stimulate low-carbon energy innovation, with a particular focus on energy storage.

■ I am studying how the US government manages energy technology demonstration projects.

■ I am participating in the public discourse about energy and climate policy and politics.

■ I am working with colleagues to build out a policy agenda for federal funding of RD&D for deep decarbonization.

Select Publications

■ Hart, D. Making beyond lithium a reality: fostering innovation in long-duration grid storage. Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, November 28, 2018.

■ Sivaram, V., et al. (2018). The need for continued innovation in solar, wind, and energy storage. Joule, 2(9), 1639-1642.

■ Hart, D. Beyond the technology pork barrel? An assessment of the Obama administration’s energy demonstration projects. Energy Policy, 119, 367-376.F (2018).

■ Hart, D., & Kearney, M. ARPA-E: versatile catalyst of US energy innovation. Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, November 2017.