Sam Pickard is a Research Associate who brings a technical research background to analysis of wider economic and political issues surrounding sustainable development. His interests include energy transitions, energy poverty/access, and decarbonising development, among others.

With a Master's degree in chemical engineering and a PhD in low-carbon technologies, Sam is an experienced researcher who has worked with academia, industry, and government. Sam spent most of 2017 in Central America working with a local university's renewable energy department, and with a number of rural development NGOs.

Sam's research with ODI has covered many countries and a broad range of issues that range from fossil fuel subsidies and geoengineering, to sustainable development pathways and government policies to combat energy poverty.