The SSPG Research Group

Jessica Jones has close to a decade of experience working on environmental and social policies and programs. She is a third-year dual degree graduate student studying Community and Regional Planning and Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). While at UT Austin, she has served as a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) for Dr. Patrick Bixler since the Fall of 2019. As a Research Associate, Jessica is splitting her time with the City of Austin Office of Resilience and the SSPG research group conducting research on community and climate resilience and supported community engagement efforts for the City of Austin Resilience Hub strategy. She has a dual degree masters in Public Affairs and Community and Regional Planning from UT-Austin and a Bachelors of Science in Community and Regional Development with an emphasis in Environmental Policy from the University of California, Davis.

Jacquie’s focus is on energy research and analysis — specific to socially vulnerable communities. As an user-interface designer and now as an energy equity scholar, I have 20+ years of experience conducting research, leading creative projects, and producing visual materials. My signature trait is an ability to distill and explain complex information to others. I am skilled in scholarly research, writing, data analysis, mapping (GIS), and graphic design. I am personally dedicated to finding lasting solutions to clean energy for all, to ensure that people living in or near poverty participate and benefit in the energy transition.

Olivia is focused on improving environmental policy for a more sustainable planet. As a former educator, she is interested in how sustainability can be integrated more thoroughly into education with a particular focus climate curriculum. As a SSPG GRA, she supports research with Planet Texas 2050 and the Austin Area Sustainability Indicators. She has a BS in geology from Sul Ross University and a MS in Sustainability from Texas Tech University.

Sandeep Paul

Sandeep Paul is a is a ABD at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. His broader research interests include urban development, environment and climate change policy and development finance. Before joining the LBJ School, he worked as research associate at Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) an independent, not-for-profit think tank in New Delhi, India. Paul holds a master’s degree in development studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and a B.A. (Hons.) in economics from Hans Raj College, Delhi University.

Regina Buono is received her PhD from the LBJ School Spring of 2022. Her dissertation research examined the role of governance regimes in the implementation of nature-based solutions in urban settings, with a particular focus on the role of law. Prior to entering the Ph.D. program, she served as the Baker Botts Fellow in Energy and Environmental Regulatory Affairs at CES and practiced legislative and environmental law in Austin. From 2017 to 2020, Buono served as an advisor to NAIAD, a project funded by the EU to capitalize on the benefits of natural ecosystems for water-related risk mitigation by developing and testing concepts, tools and applications on demonstration sites across Europe. She currently works with Aither (https://aither.com.au/advisors-posts/regina-buono/), a water policy and strategy consulting firm.