Jordan Kern
Assistant Professor
- Phone: 919.513.3954
- Email: jkern@ncsu.edu
- Office: 4173 Fitts-Woolard Hall
- Website: http://kern.wordpress.ncsu.edu
Since starting at NC State, Jordan Kern’s group has been funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Bezos Earth Fund, and the State of North Carolina. In 2022, he was awarded the NSF CAREER award.
Kern has served as an expert witness for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security, and served as an expert on a White House Office of Science and Technology Policy panel concerning the potential role of artificial intelligence in managing energy systems. His group’s research has been featured in national media (NPR, LA Times, TIME, Vox, the Hill, Wired, and the Guardian).
Research Interests
Kern’s research tries to advance optimal design and management of energy systems, with a special focus on: 1) building high-fidelity models of bulk electric power systems; 2) simulating system dynamics under uncertainty and stress (e.g., extreme weather and/or physical attack); and 3) informing optimal decision making around capital investment and short-term operations to meet cost and reliability objectives. Much of Kern’s work is aimed at supporting real-world decision-making, and his group frequently interacts and collaborates with stakeholders (e.g., electric power utilities).
Education
| Degree | Program | School | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ph.D. | Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Sciences and Engineering | UNC-Chapel Hill | 2014 |
| MSESE | Master of Science in Environmental Sciences and Engineering | UNC-Chapel Hill | 2010 |
| BSES | Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences | UNC-Chapel Hill | 2007 |
Discover more about Jordan Kern
Publications
- Capturing Dynamic Hydropower Performance in Long-Term Energy Planning
- Yildiz, V., Akdemir, E., Karadi, S., Kern, J., Voisin, N., & Zaniolo, M. (2026, March 14). , (Vol. 3). Vol. 3. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-13802
- Electricity Demand Prediction for the DUK Balancing Authority
- Pham, D.-H., & Kern, J. (2026), Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19198894
- Electricity Demand Prediction for the DUK Balancing Authority
- Pham, D.-H., & Kern, J. (2026), Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19198893
- How Hydropower Operations Mitigate Flow Forecast Uncertainties to Maintain Grid Services in the Western U.S.
- Broman, D., Voisin, N., Steinschneider, S., Kern, J., Ssembatya, H., & Wi, S. (2026, February 1), Water Resources Research, Vol. 2. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025wr040943
- The relative influences of hydrologic information and dams’ hydropower scheduling decisions on electricity price forecasts
- Ssembatya, H., Kern, J. D., Voisin, N., Steinschneider, S., & Broman, D. (2026, March 12), Energy Reports, Vol. 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2026.109203
- A composite index-based insurance instrument for managing the financial risk of variable hydrometeorology for electric utilities
- Amonkar, Y., Pahel-Short, C., Zeighami, A., Su, Y., Kern, J. D., & Characklis, G. W. (2025, July 16), Environmental Research Energy, Vol. 7. https://doi.org/10.1088/2753-3751/adf072
- Comparing Alternatives for Managing Hydrometeorological Financial Risk for Hydropower Suppliers
- Cuppari, R. I., Denaro, S., Su, Y., Kern, J. D., & Characklis, G. W. (2025, August 30), Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, Vol. 151. https://doi.org/10.1061/JWRMD5.WRENG-6573
- Evaluating grid stress and reliability in future electricity grids across a range of demand, generation mix, and weather trends
- Akdemir, K. Z., Mongird, K., Bracken, C., Burleyson, C. D., Kern, J. D., Oikonomou, K., … Rice, J. S. (2025, October 19), Advances in Applied Energy, Vol. 10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adapen.2025.100249
- IM3 Projected U.S. Western Interconnection Grid Stress Dataset
- Akdemir, K. Z., Mongird, K., Bracken, C., Burleyson, C., Kern, J., Oikonomou, K., … Rice, J. (2025, January 1), OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information), Vol. 1. https://doi.org/10.57931/2497839
- Multi-objective optimization of sustainable aviation fuel production pathways in the U.S. Corn Belt
- Akdemir, E. A., Kern, J., Smith, J. P., Limb, B. J., Quinn, J. C., Field, J. L., & Pack, T. (2025, January 9), Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.107590
