In the latest edition of “Where Are They Now?,” the Strauss Center hears from Hamid Poorsafar, a 2011-2012 Next Generation Scholar paired with current Strauss Center Director Bobby Chesney. Poorsafar graduated from UT in 2013 after majoring in Economics, Finance, and Government. He is currently studying Mandarin and Chinese energy security on a National Security Education Program scholarship in Hong Kong. Below, he describes in more detail what he’s been up to since graduation, and how his time with the Strauss Center encouraged him to pursue energy policy.

Since August, I’ve been participating in a National Security Education Program (NSEP) Scholarship to study Mandarin and Chinese energy security at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. During my time as an NSEP scholar, I’ve visited Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia. I wrote an article on China’s growing natural gas needs for The Diplomat, soon to be republished for the German business magazine Insight Asia-Pacific.

In terms of previous professional experiences, last summer I worked for the Natural Resource Group within Goldman Sachs’ Investment Banking Division as a summer analyst. Before that, I worked within the Emerging Technology Fund as a Texas Governor’s Fellow at the Economic Development Division within the Office of the Texas Governor.

My experience with the Next Generation Scholars program has been very relevant to my academic research in Hong Kong. When I was a NGS, my research focused on Chinese energy policy, mostly within the alternative energy realm. The program was instrumental in helping me to formulate a research proposal for the NSEP scholarship application, related to China’s natural gas needs. Being around so many policy minded individuals who were invested in my success ultimately led me to pursue a research scholarship opportunity abroad.

While at the Strauss Center’s Next Generation Project Texas conference in Fort Worth in 2011, which focused on issues of energy and the environment, I was able to explore how energy policy can be approached from a variety of different career paths: from fields as diverse as philosophy to financial services. Ultimately, I’d like to combine my incoming role as an investment-banking analyst with my background in energy research into a career in policy making.

A good mentor is critical to success, and my NGS mentor, Bobby Chesney, helped me to critically evaluate career and professional options. In addition, I benefitted from the general atmosphere of the Strauss Center, with its diverse group of experts. This challenged me to broaden my interests from mathematics and economics into U.S. foreign policy and energy security. It gave me a sense of how connected policy-making is to a variety of services and industries. In all, I was very fortunate to have talked to and interacted with as many people as I did through the Strauss Center’s Next Generation Scholars program. They were an incredible source of information and insight.

To see what other Next Gen Scholars have been up to since graduating, see earlier installments of “Where Are They Now?” on the Strauss site. Previous featured scholars include Elaine Sedenberg, now pursuing a PhD in information management and systems at UC Berkeley, and Billy Yates, currently studying Mandarin in Kunming, China.

To apply for the Next Generation Scholars program, visit our website, https://www.strausscenter.org/nextgen-articles/next-generation-scholars.html. Applications will be accepted through April 1, 2014.