Alex Smith is a Senior Technical Lead for Transmission and Markets working for the WRI U.S. Energy Center Polsky Center. Alex joined WRI in 2025 and has over 14 years of experience analyzing policy in the U.S. electric power sector. Prior to joining WRI, Alex worked as an economist analyzing policy reforms in U.S. wholesale power markets for the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Alex worked extensively on the Commission’s reforms to transmission line ratings, including Order No. 881 and the Dynamic Line Ratings proceedings. Alex also analyzed policy reforms in RTOs/ISOs energy and ancillary service markets, including new markets in the western and southeastern states. From 2018 to 2024, Alex organized and led an annual industry conference on the software innovations supporting wholesale electricity markets (the “FERC software conference”).

Alex also performed research and analysis of electric power policies at Georgia Institute of Technology’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy. Alex programmed advanced simulations to forecast the long-term economic impacts of major policy proposals like the US Clean Power Plan. Alex also analyzed the patenting incentives created by the US Department of Energy’s solid-state lighting research program and the publication outcomes of the National Science Foundation’s Energy Frontier Research Centers program. Further, Alex worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory analyzing public utility commission filings to estimate the costs of future advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) deployments.

Alex earned a PhD and Masters degree in Public Policy from Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor's degree in chemistry from Georgia College. He lives in Washington, DC.