UCI scientists tackle the hidden workforce challenge threatening America's electric grid

Sloan Foundation grant targets gaps in the nation's evolving energy system

Sept. 21, 2026 - UC Irvine researchers are playing a key role in a new $1 million collaborative project aimed at expanding the future energy workforce, an overlooked vulnerability of the nation's electric grid.

The project, "Bridging the Canyons: Exploring Workforce Transitions in Power Generation for Energy Resilience," was recently awarded $1 million by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The interdisciplinary effort brings together researchers from UCI, Penn State University, and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to study how workforce transitions and climate-related risks could affect long-term grid reliability.

Serving as project leads from UCI are Natascha Buswell, an associate professor of teaching in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Kate Forrest, a senior scientist in UCI's Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP).

"As the grid evolves to meet the demands of a low-carbon future, we need to think carefully about whether the right workforce will be in place to support that transition," Forrest said. "This project gives us the tools to forecast those needs before gaps become crises."

"Students entering the energy sector today will be managing a fundamentally different grid than the one that exists now," Buswell said. "Our goal is to make sure they are prepared — and that current workers have the training and support they need to adapt alongside it."

The research team will conduct surveys and interviews with utility workers, analyze power plant case studies and develop the VOLT Nexus Model. This computational tool is designed to forecast future workforce and energy needs across selected states. The model will allow stakeholders to examine how different electricity demand scenarios and generation mixes could affect grid resilience over the next five to ten years.

Drawing upon Buswell's expertise in engineering education and Forrest's deep background in energy systems research, the project will also produce educational and training materials to strengthen the pipeline of graduates entering the energy workforce and upskill current utility employees.

- Paul McQuiston
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