Tristen's
Website
About Me
Hometown New Bern, North Carolina

I am an energy and climate policy researcher with a passion for turning complex data and participatory research methods into practical, people-focused solutions. I have experience in the federal sector, academic research space, and non-profit consulting, where I worked with organizations to tackle climate resilience and the energy transition through a mix of data analytics, storytelling, and strategy.

Expertise in data visualization, industry research, and stakeholder engagement. This website is hosted on GitHub Pages, where I applied significant customization using HTML and CSS. Please take a look through my website for a glimpse into my work and passions.

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Experience
Experience
Experience
May 2025 – Present

Co-Founder

Poli Plot Labs

Chapel Hill, NC

  • Co-founded a student-led policy think tank to translate complex datasets into clear, engaging visual stories, with an initial focus on effective communication surrounding topics of energy, public health, and other policy domains.
  • Built and launched a website on GitHub Pages using HTML, CSS and JavaScript to host policy briefs, data visualizations ,and interactive dashboards, bridging academic research with accessible, public-facing insights for broad audiences.
Jan 2025 – Jun 2025

Energy Policy Analyst [Graduate Capstone]

UNC Energy Transition Initiative

Chapel Hill, NC

  • Strategically designed and implemented a Q methodology study to assess how diverse NC energy professionals from utilities, community organizations, regulators, and nonprofits prioritize strategies for energy resilience.
  • Administered a pilot survey for 9 energy professionals and synthesized qualitative perspectives into a 50 statement Q set used for systematic analysis.
  • Led factor analysis in RStudio using principal components and varimax rotation to identify emergent perspectives integrating quantitative and qualitative findings.
  • Produced a final capstone report and policy brief that translated technical results into actionable recommendations for state policymakers and local partners.
Aug 2024 – May 2025

Graduate Teaching Instructor

UNC Data Literacy Lab - Department of Public Policy

Chapel Hill, NC

  • Supported instruction for data literacy labs serving nearly 360 first-year undergraduate students across multiple majors.
  • Facilitated skill-building in Excel, Tableau, and RStudio, emphasizing descriptive and inferential research methods.
  • Delivered feedback on 160+ weekly submissions to reinforce student understanding and improve data literacy skillsets.
May 2024 – Sep 2024

International Economist Trainee

United States International Trade Commission

Washington, DC

  • Lead international trade analyst on a 5-yr adequacy review conducting research on export markets and tariff treatments.
  • Assisted 17 analysts by cleaning energy data to assess GHG intensities of U.S.-produced steel and aluminum products.
  • Developed key figures and fact-finding summaries using trade atlas data for the public release of antidumping briefing.
Aug 2023 – Dec 2023

Environmental Policy Analyst [Undergraduate Capstone]

Coastal Carolina Riverwatch

Chapel Hill, NC

  • Partnered with a 5-member team to research wetland degradation and effects on water quality in Carteret County, NC.
  • Utilized ArcGIS for geospatial analysis of 7 land use categories, providing valuable insights to municipal policymakers.
  • Presented findings to peers and industry professionals at the 2024 UNC Public Policy Experiential Education Showcase.
May 2023 – Aug 2023

Risk Management Supervision Intern

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Raleigh, NC

  • Prepared written reports for capital market specialists on high-interest rate sensitivity for 200–400 basis point models.
  • Researched capital and asset quality compliance using quarterly call report and UBPR statistics for 6 component areas.
  • Actively participated in 3 executive-level board exit meetings and bank examinations at 4 complex financial institutions.
Education
Education
Education
Jan 2024 – Jun 2025

Master of Public Policy (MPP)

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

TrackPolicy Design & Impact Evaluation
Policy FieldEnergy & Climate Policy
Aug 2020 – May 2024

B.S. in Economics & Public Policy

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

ConcentrationMacroeconomics
ConcentrationInternational Economics
  • DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia — Stockholm, Sweden
  • Study Tour — Athens, Greece
Skills
Skills
Analytical & Research

  • Economic & Policy Analysis
  • Impact Evaluation (DiD, Panel)
  • Regulatory & Legislative Research
  • Stakeholder Data Collection
Technical

Tools and software that I have extensive experience using for statistical analysis, mapping, and visualization.

Stata R Tableau ArcGIS GitHub Excel
Communication

  • Policy briefs & executive summaries
  • Data storytelling & visual design
  • Public speaking & facilitation
  • Human-centered design
Certificates
Certificates
Certificates
May 2018

Microsoft Office Specialist: Access 2016

Microsoft

Advanced Excel data analysis and automation.

April 2018

Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel Expert 2016

Microsoft

Advanced Excel data analysis and automation.

March 2018

Microsoft Office Specialist: Excel 2016

Microsoft

Core Excel functions, charts, and data management.

Publications
Publications
Publications
Feb 2025

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Intensities of the U.S. Steel and Aluminum Industries at the Product Level

United States International Trade Commission

Special Assistance: Contributed to product-level emissions-intensity methodology and data support across Scope 1–3 for covered steel and aluminum products.

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Mar 2024

Food Stamp Recipiency on Household Food Expenditures & Food Sufficiency

Ceteris Paribus: The Undergraduate Journal of Economics at UNC

Lead Author: Difference-in-differences analysis of SNAP recipiency and food inflation (2021–2022), with IPW balancing and multinomial logit on self-reported sufficiency.

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Awards
Awards
Awards
May 2024

Carolina Research Scholar

Recognized with a “Carolina Research Scholar” designation on transcript for contributions to UNC’s intellectual and cultural climate.

March 2023

FDIC Academic Challenge National Finalist

Selected as 1 of 5 teams nationwide to compete in the FDIC’s Academic Challenge on “The Impacts of Higher Interest Rates on the Banking Sector.”

Read Selected Paper
February 2023

Adventures in Economics Grant Recipient

Received competitive UNC Economics Department funding to visit the Library of Congress & National Museum of American History, culminating in a reflective report to donors.

May 2020

ACT NCRC Platinum Certification

Earned Platinum certification for advanced applied math, graphic literacy, and workplace documents skills.