Sanya Carley
O'Neill Professor - 2021 - 2023
Sanya Carley earned a B.A. in economics and a B.A. in sustainable development from Swarthmore College in 2003. She later earned her M.S. in urban and regional planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2006 and her Ph.D. in public policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2010. Upon graduation, she began her professional teaching career at Indiana University’s (IU) Paul O’Neill School as an assistant professor. She was promoted to associate professor in 2014, full professor in 2019, and O’Neill professor in 2021. At the O’Neill School, Sanya has also served as the chair of the Policy Analysis and Public Finance Department from 2016 to 2019 and began serving as the director of the Master of Public Affairs Programs in 2019.
Carley's research focuses on energy justice as well as on policies aimed at advancing the innovation of low-carbon and efficient energy technologies in both the electricity and transportation sectors. In her most recent projects, she and collaborators study the incidence of energy insecurity among U.S. households and the equity and justice dimensions of the U.S. energy transition.
In other work, she evaluates the effects, design, and unintended consequences of renewable portfolio standards, corporate average fuel economy standards, and net energy metering standards. Ongoing research also focuses on public perceptions of energy technology and infrastructure, energy-based economic development, policy diffusion, and sustainability in industry. She was recently honored with the Association of Public Policy and Management’s David N. Kershaw Award, for making distinguished research contributions toward public policy and management.
Carley’s demonstrated commitment to teaching and service has been recognized with multiple awards, including the IU Trustees Teaching Award, the Outstanding Junior Faculty Award, the Most Personable Faculty Member Student Choice Award, and the Campus Catalyst Award for Excellence in Teaching, among others. She has also served as a consultant for the Environmental Protection Agency, the World Bank Group, the Institute for International Business, Nicholas Institute for the Environment, and RTI International.