Economist Finley joins Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies

Jeff Falk
713-348-6775
jfalk@rice.edu

Economist Finley joins Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies

HOUSTON – (Sept. 3, 2019) – Mark Finley, an economist who has spent 35 years at the intersection of energy, economics and public policy, has been named fellow in energy and global oil in the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, the institute announced today.

MARK FINLEY

Finley will help lead a new CES initiative that will focus on understanding the continuing evolution of U.S. and global oil markets.

Prior to joining the Baker Institute, Finley was the senior U.S. economist at BP, where he led the production of the company’s “Statistical Review of World Energy,” the industry’s longest-running compilation of objective global energy data. He was also responsible for the company’s long- and short-term oil market analysis, and he led the global oil market and transportation sector analyses for the long-term “BP Energy Outlook.”

Before working at BP, Finley was an analyst and manager at the CIA, where he was responsible for assessing U.S. strategic interests related to global oil and other energy markets, as well as analyzing the policies of key oil-producing and consuming countries.

“Mark has a long history of analyzing energy markets and he will bring that experience to the CES,” said Ken Medlock, senior director of the CES. “His ability to assess a continually evolving oil market during this dynamic period in history is important for understanding a variety of issues ranging from regional conflict to foreign policy to the future role of oil in the energy mix. Mark’s data-driven analytical mindset is critical to the energy market and policy analysis that we do at the CES, and he complements the team incredibly well.”

Finley’s appointment is part of an ongoing expansion of the CES, which is ranked No. 1 among the world’s energy- and resource-policy research institutions according to the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program’s 2018 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report. The center provides policymakers, corporate leaders and the public with high-quality, data-driven analysis of issues that influence energy markets.

Finley is a senior fellow of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics, a recognition of his lifetime contributions to the profession. He has held leadership roles at the International Association for Energy Economics, the National Association for Business Economics and the Conference of Business Economists. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Finley received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, a master’s degree in economics from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in finance from George Washington University.

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For more information or to schedule an interview with Finley, contact Jeff Falk, associate director of national media relations at Rice, at jfalk@rice.edu or 713-348-6775.

Related materials:

Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies: www.bakerinstitute.org/center-for-energy-studies

Finley bio: www.bakerinstitute.org/experts/mark-finley

Follow the Baker Institute via Twitter @BakerInstitute.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Photo is courtesy of Finley.

Founded in 1993, Rice University’s Baker Institute ranks among the top three university-affiliated think tanks in the world. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute conducts research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows, Rice University faculty scholars and staff, coupled with its outreach to the Rice student body through fellow-taught classes — including a public policy course — and student leadership and internship programs. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blog.bakerinstitute.org.