Dr. Sebastian Sterl works as Senior Research Associate, Clean Energy Transition - Africa at the WRI Africa Regional office. He focuses on conducting analyses on Africa’s clean energy transition planning, and how it can be harmonized with the need for economic development, universal energy access, and rising living standards.

Prior to joining WRI, Sebastian worked at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as Associate Programme Officer on Energy Planning and Modelling in Africa. Here, he specialised in capacity building with ministries and government agencies across the African continent to support the clean energy transition.

His previous work experience includes roles as consultant, researcher, modeler & project manager in a range of fields: renewable energy, energy systems, renewables' grid integration, energy meteorology, energy/climate policy, emissions modeling, and NDC enhancement.

Sebastian holds a PhD degree in Engineering Science (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium) and Geography (KU Leuven, Belgium). He also holds a Master's degree in Applied Physics (University of Twente, Netherlands).

In his free time, Sebastian enjoys playing guitar, writing poetry, and road cycling.