From Civil Engineer to Decision Sciences Professor

February 21, 2023

The career path of alum Edmundo Molina-Pérez (cohort ’14) is a fantastic example of how fluid interests and experiences can lead to success. A fine arts enthusiast as long as he can remember, Edmundo once considered becoming an architect or a writer, but his deep interests in math and programming led him to a completely different path. He pursued a B.S. in civil engineering at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and then an M.S. in engineering and policy analysis in the Delft University of Technology before pursuing his Ph.D. in at Pardee RAND.

Born and raised in Mexico City, Edmundo is now a research associate professor at the School of Government and Public Transformation at Mexico’s Tecnológico de Monterrey, where he focuses on developing new computational and experimental methods for studying decision making under deep uncertainty. In addition, he leads applied research work on Latin America’s water and energy sectors and has co-led several applied policy research initiatives on climate change in Latin American countries in partnership with RAND, including the ongoing effort of developing net-beneficial decarbonization pathways for every country in the region.

Interviewed by Fernando Esteves (cohort '21), Edmundo eagerly shared details about his journey and how his time at Pardee RAND contributed to accomplishing his professional goals.

It is unusual to see civil engineering professionals migrate to public policy research careers. What motivated you to choose this career path, and why did you choose Pardee RAND?

My first work experiences at a strategy consulting firm and the Central Bank (Banxico) in Mexico made me interested in in engineering economic analysis, which influenced my decision to pursue an M.S. in engineering and policy analysis at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. At the time, RAND Europe's first office was collocated with the Delft Faculty of Technology, Policy, and Management, which put me in contact with many RANDites and the extensive work produced by RAND. I was fascinated with the idea of working with talented researchers such as Robert Lempert, Steven W. Popper and David Groves, so choosing to apply to the Pardee RAND Ph.D. program was a straightforward decision.

You are now a research associate professor in one of the most respected research institutes in Latin America. How did your Pardee RAND experience prepare you for this role? And what advice would you give to students interested in pursuing a similar career?

In my opinion, one of the most valuable experiences is related to engagement in research projects. As students are required to pursue OJT (on-the-job training) opportunities from their first year, I was exposed to a diversity of experiences and ideas, received unique training from senior researchers, and was called to share my perspective about how to solve issues related to the research. Of course, it is quite challenging managing classes and work, especially as a first-year student, but the skills and knowledge I acquired on this journey were very useful for my career.

Among the many pieces of advice I could list for those interested in pursuing a career in academia, the main one would be to have at least one scientific publication published in a peer-reviewed journal before graduating. In case this is not possible, writing articles and becoming familiarized with the peer-review process are skills that should be mastered as early as possible.

Tell us how you prepared for the job market after graduating and your interview for your current position. What can be improved?

One of the aspects that make Pardee RAND and RAND so special is the availability of and access to bright people in many fields of expertise. When I was preparing for the job market and later for my current job interview, I followed the advice once given by a junior researcher and my dissertation advisor: before the presentations, I invited RAND’s most rigorous and competent researchers of my paper’s area of expertise, bought them lunch, and presented my work. I won’t say it was easy to hear all the critics, these were rough, but it was a real game-changer as I was able to predict many of the hairy questions asked during my job market and job interview presentations.

That said, Pardee RAND has space to improve in helping students be better prepared for the academic job market by encouraging students to be more active in public policy forums such as the Association for Public Policy and Management (APPAM), the American Economic Association and the American Political Science Association (APSA), going to the annual meetings of these societies and participating on these job markets is a formative experience that I recommend to all students that near graduation.

Pardee RAND offers its students a combination of core analytic and methodological classes and work experience from the very beginning of their program, a unique feature compared to other standard Ph.D. programs in the United States. What do you consider to be the main strengths of Pardee RAND?

As previously mentioned, Pardee RAND and RAND are privileged to have such an extensive pool of talented researchers, faculty, and students with diverse backgrounds and experience, and each one contributed in a very special way to my education. I can say the work experience on projects and the professional network within RAND were surely valuable to my journey and stimulated me to improve during my five years in the program and after graduation. For instance, I had the opportunity to keep working with RAND’s researchers and co-led Costa Rica's National Decarbonization Plan report exploring the major net benefits of decarbonizing the country’s economy.

I’d say the Pardee community holds a special place in my heart. As an international student, upper-years and faculty were my main source of guidance during the program and the people from whom I learned the most. The friendships and connections made, specially with my mentors, are among the most valuable things I took from my time as a graduate student.

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