Nalin Bhatt, MACSS-Econ ’25

During his undergraduate studies in Economics, Nalin Bhatt became fascinated with agent-based modeling and complex systems. For his MA, he sought a program that offered a solid foundation in computer science, data science, and economics, with a strong emphasis on research, and found that UChicago's Masters in Computational Social Science with an Economics focus (MACSS-Econ) was the only program that met all these criteria. “It’s a challenging program, but the reward of solving a tough problem is unmatched—you’ll feel like a genius, even if just for a moment,” says Bhatt.

While in MACSS-Econ, his research interests were in Renewable Energy. He particularly focused on Grid Decarbonization through public policy and energy system modeling. His professional thesis explored how blockchain exchanges can be applied to Peer-to-Peer solar markets in the Transactional Energy space, as a strategy to combat climate change. His external advisors were Dr. Lynne Kiesling (Director of the Institute for Regulatory Law & Economics and Adjunct Professor, Master of Science in Energy and Sustainability at Northwestern University) and Dr. David Chassin (President and Founder of Eudoxys Sciences LLC, a consulting firm). "The MACSS structure was extremely supportive and conducive to engaging with this research, even with external faculty. Naturally, I worked under the umbrella of UChicago faculty and built on ideas acquired through my MACSS and Economics coursework," shares Bhatt.

His MACSS coursework contributed to the development of that work. The Agent-based Modeling course, taught by Professor Jean Clipperton, gave him the opportunity to begin work on a potential thesis project as the course's final project. He then built on those preliminary results. Bhatt felt that presenting at the mandatory Macro Workshop helped him identify and address weaknesses in his project.

Bhatt identifies his biggest challenge was taking “Intro to Advanced Macroeconomics” without prior exposure to Lagrange multipliers. He says, “It was a rigorous introduction to UChicago’s mathematical approach, but it also showed me that I’m capable of more than I thought.”

During his two years in MACSS, he also found the community to be supportive and inclusive. “MACSS has taught me the value of teamwork and handling uncertainty. I’ve grown more comfortable with complex assignments, an underrated skill that’s beneficial for both academic and professional projects. The instructors are also incredibly supportive.”

He adds, “UChicago’s reputation for academic rigor drew me in, but the intelligent, humble student body I met during Admitted Students Day was the deciding factor.”

Since graduation, he has been working as an Economist/Power Market Analyst at the Public Utilities Commission of Texas as a part of their Data Analysis Team under their Market Analysis Division.