Professional profile and contact

A Summer in Austria: Matthew’s Internship at the Energieinstitut

This summer, Matthew had the opportunity to live and work in Linz, Austria, as an intern with the Energy Institute at Johannes Kepler University Linz (Energieinstitut an der Johannes Kepler Universität Linz).

Working alongside Johannes Reichl, Andrea Kollman, and Benjamin Kirchler, Matthew analyzed an experiment involving Austrian households whose energy grid tariffs were altered to reduce peak consumption events, events that can put a strain on the energy grid.

His work centered on cleaning household electricity consumption data, establishing a methodological framework for the analysis, and estimating the impact of the novel grid tariff policy on household electricity consumption patterns.

For Matthew, the experience opened the door to a new kind of data. It was his first time working with household-level consumption data, and the exposure was eye-opening. The granularity of the data supported a wide variety of empirical approaches, including machine learning methods such as causal forests, which he had learned through his work with Klaus Moeltner, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

But Matthew wasn’t just learning. He was also able to contribute analytical results to the project and introduce these novel empirical tools to his colleagues at the Energieinstitut.

“The team at the Energieinstitut was incredibly helpful in every aspect,” he says, from arranging the logistics of his stay to helping him understand the context of energy policy in Austria and the literature surrounding experiments like the one he was analyzing.



And the work isn’t ending with the summer. Matthew plans to continue collaborating with his co-authors at the Energieinstitut to write a paper based on the analysis he conducted during his internship.

Beyond the research, the summer also gave Matthew something he had dreamed about for a long time: the experience of living in another country for an extended period of time.

From studying household energy consumption to exploring new empirical methods — and from contributing to an international research project to experiencing life in Austria — Matthew’s summer internship was an opportunity to learn, contribute, and build connections that will continue beyond the summer.

Two males pose on a street
Matthew Mair and AAEC professor Klaus Moeltner meet in Innsbruck, Austria, on June 11, 2026. Photo courtesy of Matthew Mair.

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