MsAlessandra Leal

Alessandra Brito Leal is a PhD researcher in Energy Systems Planning at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil, and a Visiting PhD Research Student at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, supported by the Brazilian CAPES Doctoral Sandwich Programme (PDSE).

She holds a Master's degree in Energy Systems Planning from UNICAMP and a Bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering from the Federal University of Pará (UFPA). Her research experience encompasses energy transition and decarbonisation of the oil and gas sector, energy policy, oil refining and fuel supply, low-carbon hydrogen, renewable energy technologies, and multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA).

Her academic work includes peer-reviewed publications on energy transition, decarbonisation, hydrogen pathways, petroleum production, and renewable energy decision-making. 

She has also worked as a researcher in oil refining and fuel supply at the Institute for Strategic Studies of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (INEEP), contributing to a research project on just energy transition in Brazil. In addition, she gained higher education teaching experience through UNICAMP's Teaching Internship Programme (PED), supporting undergraduate courses in Alternative Energy Sources, Strength of Materials, and Research Methodology and Scientific Writing.

Her current doctoral research, Decarbonisation of the Oil and Gas Sector and Energy Transition: A Multicriteria Analysis of Sustainability, Governance and Just Transition, examines the conditions under which decarbonisation strategies can contribute to a structural, sustainable and socially just energy transition. Her research combines a comparative analysis of Brazil and the United Kingdom, assessing decarbonisation strategies, sustainability indicators, energy governance and carbon lock-in risks, with an investigation of the professional, economic and social impacts of the energy transition on current and former oil and gas workers in Brazil. Through this integrated approach, she aims to identify pathways that support both energy system transformation and a just transition.