Dr Xiaoyi Mu
Lecturer in Energy Economics
Dr. Xiaoyi Mu is a lecturer in Energy Economics at the center. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Oklahoma in 2006. His research interest has evolved around the economics of energy industries. In his dissertation research, he studied firms' investment behavior in the US refining industry, the impact of weather on natural gas futures prices, and market power issues in Texas' deregulated electricity market.
Before joining CEPMLP in 2008, Dr. Mu was a senior consultant at Global Energy Decisions (now Ventyx Energy), a leading software and consulting firm based in Sacramento, California, USA. At that capacity, he provided consulting services in power-plant asset valuation, integrated resource planning, and stochastic analysis to clients in North America and Asia Pacific. From 1994 to 2001, he worked seven years at China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and PetroChina as a market analyst in refining and marketing and a planning manager in natural gas and pipelines. He also co-authored two books (in Chinese) on the restructuring of China's petroleum industry and petroleum marketing in China.
Dr. Mu is a member of International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) and won two Best Student Paper Awards (first places) in its international and North America Conferences.
Research
Dr. Mu's research interest focuses on:
- Industrial organization applied to energy industries
- Energy commodity pricing and risk management
- Economic regulation of public utilities and infrastructure industries
- Chinese energy market and policy
Teaching
Economics of Regulation and Restructuring of Energy Industries (On-Campus)
This course aims at introducing students to the concept of economic regulation of energy industries; economic rationale behind restructuring of energy industries and highlighting the tariff and other policy issues related to regulation and restructuring. The course is designed for an interdisciplinary audience and will not require background in economics.
Petroleum Policy and Economics (On-Campus)
The main aim is to equip the students with an understanding of how economic analysis can help inform and understand the international oil and gas industry. This requires the students to be familiar both with the relevant economic analysis and technical dimensions of the industry. In addition the course enables the student to become familiar with current issues in the industry.