Lorena Popescu

I grew up in Galanesti, Romania, before relocating to Piedmont, Italy. I studied at the University of Turin, where I developed a strong interest in econometrics and the social sciences, completing a Master's degree in Statistics with a specialisation in quantitative methods for economics. 

During my undergraduate and graduate years, I worked as a Junior Research Assistant at Collegio Carlo Alberto and the University of Turin, contributing to research projects on poverty, social inclusion, and household economics. 

I subsequently pursued a Ph.D. in Economics and Statistics at the University of Milan-Bicocca, where my doctoral research focused on the causal effects of air pollution exposure on hospitalisations and mortality in Italy and Southern Europe. As part of my doctoral training, I completed a visiting research period at VATT — the Government Institute for Economic Research in Helsinki, Finland — where I collaborated with the Environment and Energy research group. 

I am currently a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the University of Padua and ARERA (the Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment), where my research examines the mechanisms through which energy subsidies are activated and their effects on household consumption. I also serve as a Research Associate at OIPE, the Italian Observatory on Energy Poverty, contributing to applied research on energy access and affordability.