I’m Mahelet G. Fikru, a Professor of Economics at Missouri University of Science and Technology. My research covers the economics of the energy transition, critical minerals, barriers to decarbonization, and public preferences for energy technologies and environmental policy. I have taught economics for nearly fifteen years.

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Technology is reshaping markets, energy systems, education, and society. Understanding these changes requires more than headlines. It requires understanding the economics behind them.

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What you’ll find here:

• Research Insights: what my research and public data show about how energy, critical minerals, AI, and emerging technologies shape markets and society. Every subscriber receives these.

• Teaching in the AI Era: how AI is changing learning, with classroom evidence, course redesigns, and my LIFT framework for teaching with AI. Join this section here.

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Start here:

• When Innovation Walks into the House: Imagining Life With a Household Robot

• Virginia Gave Data Centers A Carrot. Now It’s Reaching For The Stick.

• The U.S. Needs Better Rare Earth Policy Tools Than a National Champion Approach

• What if EV buyers cared where the battery minerals come from?

Elsewhere: Faculty website · Google Scholar · ORCID

My goal is to make complex economic issues accessible, relevant, and thought-provoking. Thank you for reading and being part of the conversation.

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