Erkinai is a research fellow at AMS Institute and a postdoctoral researcher at WUR. Her work focuses on urban energy transition, particularly on developing Positive Energy Districts. Her expertise and research interests include, but are not limited to, households’ technology adoption decision-making, energy transition business models, energy poverty and justice, energy communities, electric mobility, agent-based modeling, and complex adaptive systems.
Erkinai obtained her Ph.D. degree in Urban Economics from Wageningen University and Research (WUR) in 2023. In her Ph.D. work, she investigated potential pathways toward urban energy transition by 2050, accounting for area contextual factors and outlining tailored policies for the city of Amsterdam and the Netherlands in general. Currently, Erkinai is focusing on spatial analysis of solar panel adoption dynamics in Amsterdam and exploring the scalability of Positive Energy Districts.
Erkinai finds it exciting to be part of the AMS Institute because it provides a platform for interdisciplinary research focused on city problems and applied solutions.
“Energy transition is not only an urgent global imperative but also a transformative opportunity for cities, fostering healthier, more prosperous, and resilient communities. It is surely a complex process that involves many players and requires their interactions and collective actions”