Spencer Nelson

Managing Director – Research and New Initiatives

Biography

Spencer Nelson is Managing Director of Research and New Initiatives at ClearPath. He leads ClearPath’s research on the cheapest path to energy system decarbonization. Spencer works with industry, national labs and other stakeholders to develop insights that guide both ClearPath’s work and broader carbon mitigation advocacy efforts.

Prior to this role, Spencer worked for Chairman Lisa Murkowski on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where he was the lead on all the Committee’s clean energy and climate activities. He was a lead architect of the Energy Act of 2020, which is the first comprehensive energy legislation enacted in over a decade and comprises over 40 different clean energy bills.

Before his stint on the Hill, Spencer worked at ClearPath for four years during which he held multiple roles. Most significantly, he managed ClearPath’s work on nuclear energy, energy innovation, and international engagement as a Policy Program Director.

Before that, Spencer worked on state-level solar policy and conducted environmental genetics research at both UNC Chapel Hill and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Education

B.S. in Energy and Sustainability from UNC Chapel Hill, B.S. in Quantitative Biology from UNC Chapel Hill, MPP Candidate at George Washington University

Area of Expertise

Energy Innovation, Decarbonization, Energy Analysis

Featured Content from Spencer

Spencer In The News