Faculty and Staff Profile

Chien-fei Chen

Educational Background

Washington State University, Ph.D. in Sociology

Washington State University, MA in Communication

National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, B.A. in English Language and Literature

Courses Taught

Grant Writing and Collaboration (SOC 8920)
Environmental Sociology (SOC 8360)
Creative Inquiry: Social Dimension of AI (SOC 4860)

Profile

Dr. Chien-fei Chen is a Professor of Sociology at Clemson University. She previously served as the Energy and Environmental Director at the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment and as the Director of Education, Diversity, and Inclusion at the NSF-DOE Center for Ultra-Wide-Area Resilient Electrical Energy Transmission Networks (CURENT), University of Tennessee. Dr. Chen’s research focuses on environmental sociology, climate change, energy and environmental justice, social determinants of health, renewable energy technology adoption, and community engagement. Her current research aims to integrate social and technological aspects to improve grid and community resilience, building efficiency, sustainability, and energy affordability. Her work provides valuable insights for academics, communities, utilities, and policymakers. Dr. Chen is widely published in interdisciplinary journals across social science, policy and engineering disciplines, including Building and Environment, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Environmental Sociology, Energy, Energy and Buildings, Energy Policy, Journal of Environmental Psychology, IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, and Electric Power Systems Research. Actively involved in several international and interdisciplinary networks, Dr. Chen has secured over $10 million in grants as either a Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator from the National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, Wellcome Trust, and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. She was also honored with the 2019-2020 Fulbright U.S. and U.K. Global Scholar Awards for her work in energy and environmental issues.

Research Interests

Environmental Sociology, Social-Psychology, Energy and Environmental Justice and Policy, Socio-technological Integration, Resilience, Community Engagement, Environmental Health, Survey Design, and Mixed Methods

Research Publications

Selected Publications : *Graduate/undergraduates or Post-docs
1. Ayinla*, P., Tsykalova, L., & Chen, C. F. (2025). Regional dynamics in U.S. public attitudes: Analyzing climate policy, energy transition, and regulatory strategies. Energy Research & Social Science, 127, 104291.
2. Roberts, S., Krykoniuk, K., Handford, M., Zhou, Y., Wu, J., & Chen, C. F. (2025). The energy trilemma COP-out: Accessibility is under-reported in international English language media coverage of United Nations Climate Change Conferences. Energy Research & Social Science. (In Press).
3. Jones, G. Jr.*, Chen, C-F., Chen, W-A*, Lovingood, L. & Li, X. (2025). Intersectionality in residential solar adoption: Examining socio-demographics, racial diversity, geography, solar suitability, and policy in the United States. Energy Strategy Reviews, 58,101648.
4. Herman, K. S., C-F. Chen, & Sovacool, B. K. (2024). Framing industrial decarbonization technologies in the public sphere: narratives from the digital ‘town square’ in the United Kingdom. Environmental Research Communications, 6, 125006.
5. Xu, X.*, Sims, C.-F., Chen, J. S. Holladay, G. Jones Jr.*, & Roberson, T. (2024). Looking high and low: Incentive policies and residential solar adoption in high- and low-income U.S. communities. Energies, 17, 4538.
6. Chen, W.-A.*, Chen, C.-F., Tomasik, S., Pournaras, E., & Liu, M. (2024). Flexibility justice: Exploring the relationship between EV charging behaviors, demand flexibility, and psychological factors. Energy Research & Social Science, 118, 103753.
7. Chen, C.-F., Napolitano, R., Hu, Y., Yao, B., & Kar, B. (2024). Unraveling machine learning bias to foster equitable energy justice. Energy Research & Social Science, 116, 103653.
8. Chen, W.-A.*, Chen, C.-F., & Tomasik, S*. (2024). Investigating intentions and barriers in adopting decentralized home energy management systems: A justice dimension of demand flexibility. Energy and Buildings, 318, 114458.
9. Chen, C.-F., Chen, W.-A.*, Greig, J., & Robinson, C. (2024). When concentrated disadvantage happens: Exploring the nexus of energy and internet insecurities among vulnerable households. iScience, 27(6), 109895.
10. Chen, W.-A.*, Chen, C.-F., Liu, M., & Rickard, R*. (2024). Unraveling the complexities: Impacts of energy burden on the built environment challenges among assistance-dependent populations in the United Kingdom. Building and Environment, 254.
11. Pournaras, E., Ballandies, M. C., Bennati, S., & Chen, C.-F. (2024). Collective privacy recovery: Data-sharing coordination via decentralized artificial intelligence. PNAS Nexus, 10, 1093.
12. Shen, Z.*, Chen, C.-F., Zhou, H., Fefferman, N., & Shrestha, S. (2023). Community vulnerability is the key determinant of diverse energy burdens in the United States. Energy Research & Social Science, 97, 102949.
13. Chen, C.-F., Xu, X.*, Cao, Z.*, Mockus, A., & Shi, Q*. (2023). Analysis of social-psychological factors and financial incentives in demand response and residential energy behavior. Frontiers in Energy Research, 11, 932134.
14. Ali, G. G., El-adaway, I. H., Sims, C., Holladay, J. S., & Chen, C.-F. (2023). Reducing the vulnerability of electric power infrastructure against natural disasters by promoting distributed generation. Natural Hazards Review, 24(2).
15. Chen, C.-F., Greig, J., Nelson, H., & Li, F. (2022). When disadvantage collides: The concentrated effects on energy insecurity and internet burdens in the U.S. Energy Research & Social Science, 91, 102713.
16. Chen, C.-F., Xu, X.*, Adua, L., Briggs, M., & Nelson, H*. (2022). Exploring the interconnected factors that influence energy use intensity across low-, middle-, and high-income households in the United States. Energy Policy, 168, 113071.
17. Wang, Y., Chen, C.-F., Kong, P.-Y., Li, H. S., & Wen, Q.-S. (2022). A cyber-physical-social perspective on future smart distribution systems. Proceedings of the IEEE, 1-31.
18. Li, J.*, X., Chen, C.-F., Walzem, A., Nelson, H.*, & Shuai, C. M*. (2022). National goals or sense of community: Exploring the social-psychological influence of household solar energy adoption in rural China. Energy Research & Social Science, 89, 102669.
19. Chen, C.-F., Feng, J.*, Luke, N.*, Kuo, C.-P.*, & Fu, J. S. (2022). Localized energy burdens and concentrated disadvantage and the feminization of energy poverty. iScience, 25, 104139.
20. Chen, C.-F., Liu, Y., Greig, J., Shen, Z.*, & Shi, Y. (2022). The impacts of COVID-19 on clean energy labor markets: Evidence from multifaceted analysis of public health interventions and COVID-health factors. Energy Policy, 164, 112880.
21. Chen, C.-F., Dietz, T., Fefferman, N., Greig, J., Cetin, K., Robinson, C., Arpan, L., Schweiker, M., Dong, B., Wu, W., Li, Y., Zhou, H., Wu, J., Wen, J., Fu, J., Hong, T., Yan, D., Nelson, H., Zhu, Y., Li, X., Xie, L., & Fu, R. (2022). Extreme events, energy security and equality through micro and macro levels: Concepts, challenges, and methods. Energy Research & Social Science, 85, 102401.
22. Fefferman, N., Chen, C.-F., Bonilla, G.*, Nelson, H.*, & Kuo, C.-P*. (2021). How limitations in energy burdens compromise health interventions for COVID outbreaks in urban settings. iScience, 24, 103389.
23. Mitra, D.*, Chu, Y., Cetin, K., Wang, Y., & Chen, C.-F. (2021). Variation in residential occupancy profiles in the United States byhousehold income level and characteristics. Journal of Building Performance Simulation, 14(6), 692-711.
24. Chen, C.-F., De Simone, M., Yilmaz, S., Xu, X.*, Wang, Z., Hong, T., & Pan, Y. (2021). Intersecting heuristic adaptive strategies, building design, and energy-saving intentions when facing discomfort environment: A cross-country analysis. Building and Environment, 204, 108129.
25. Tverskoi, D.*, Xu, X.*,Nelson, H.*, Menassa, C., Gavrilets, S., & Chen, C.-F. (2021). Energy-saving at work: Understanding the roles of normative values and perceived benefits and costs in single-person and shared offices in the United States. Energy Research & Social Science, 79, 102173.
26. Chen, C.-F., Nelson, H.*, Xu, X.*, Bonilla, G.*, & Jones, N*. (2021). Beyond technology adoption: Examining home energy management systems, energy burdens, and climate change perceptions across income groups. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 145, 111066.
27. Nelson, H.*, Chen, C.-F., & Li, J. (2021). Equity in renewable energy technology adoption in China: A review of the social-psychological and demographic barriers. Current Sustainable Renewable Energy Reports.
28. Chen, C.-F., Li, J.*, Shuai, J.*, Nelson, H.*, Walzem, A., & Cheng, J. (2021). Linking social-psychological factors with policy expectation: Using local voices to understand solar P.V. poverty alleviation in Wuhan, China. Energy Policy, 151, 112160.
29. Chen, C.-F., Yilmaz, S. ,Pisello, A. L., Kim, A., Simone, A., Hong, T., Bandurski, K., Bavaresco, M. V., Liu, P.-L., & Zhu, Y. (2020). The impacts of building characteristics, social-psychological, and cultural factors on indoor environment quality productivity belief. Building and Environment, 185, 107189.
30. Chen, C.-F., Zarazua De Rubens*, G., Xu, X.*, & Li, J.* (2020). Coronavirus comes home? Energy use, home energy management, and the social-psychological factors of COVID-19. Energy Research & Social Science, 68, 101688.
31. Fell, M., Pagel, L., Chen, C.-F., Goldberg, M. H., Herberz, M., Herberz, G. M., Sareen, S., & Hahnel, U. J. J. (2020). Validity of energy social research during and after COVID-19: Challenges, considerations, and responses. Energy Research & Social Science, 68, 101646.
32. Chen, C.-F., Xu, X.,* Adams, J.*, Brannon, J.*, Li, F., & Walzem, A. (2020). When East meets West: Understanding residents’ home energy management system adoption and willingness to pay in Japan and in the United States. Energy Research & Social Science, 69, 101616.
33. Yamaguchi, Y., Chen,C.-F., Shimoda, Y., Yagita, Y., Iwafune, Y., Ishii, H., & Hayashi, Y. (2020). An integrated approach of estimating demand response flexibility based on household heterogeneity and activities. Energy Policy, 142, 111467
34. Sovacool, B. K., Xu, X.*, Zarazua De Rubens, G.*, & Chen, C.-F. (2020). Social media and disasters: Human security, environmental racism, and crisis communication in Hurricane Irma response. Environmental Sociology, 6(3), 291-306.
35. Xu, X.,* Chen, C.-F., Li, D. & Menassa, C. (2020). Energy-saving at work: Exploring the role of social norms, perceived control and ascribed responsibility in different office layout. Frontiers in Built Environment, 6, 16, 1-12.
36. Chen, C.-F., Zarazua de Rubens,* G., Noel, L., Kester, J., & Sovacool, B. K. (2020). Assessing the Socio-demographic, technical, economic, and behavioral factors of Nordic electric vehicle adoption and the influence of Vehicle-to-Grid preferences. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Review, 121, 109692.
37. Chen, C.-F., Wang, Y., Adua, L., & Bai, H. (2020). Reducing household fossil fuel consumption by enabling technology and behavior. Energy Research & Social Science, 60, 101402.
38. Shi, Q.*, Chen, C.-F., Mammoli, A., & Li, F. (2020). Estimating the profile of incentive-based demand response (IBDR) by integrating technical models and social-behavioral factors. IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, 11(1), 171–183.
39. Chen, C.-F., et al. (2020). Culture, conformity, and carbon? A multi-country analysis of heating and cooling practices in buildings. Energy Research & Social Science, 61, 101344.
40. Hong, T., Chen, C.-F., Wang, Z.*, & Xu, X.* (2020). Linking human-building interactions in shared offices with personality traits. Building and Environment, 170, 106602.

Honors and Awards

The Tickle College of Engineering Outstanding Service in Outreach and Engagement Award 2020, University of Tennessee.
U.S. Fulbright Global Scholar Award, 2019-2020: About 20 scholars across disciplines were selected. Proposal title, “When East Meets West: An Interdisciplinary and Cross-cultural Research on Energy Justice and Renewable Technology Adoption for Future Smart Communities.”
2017. Outstanding Service Award for the International Energy Agency (IEA), Energy in Buildings and Communities (EBC) Annex 66.

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