Dr. Yakubu Abdul-Salam (Salam) has been recently appointed as Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Economics at the University of Aberdeen. Dr. Salam specialises in Energy Economics.
A significant aspect of his work involves economic modelling using constrained optimisation techniques (utilising GAMS and MATLAB software); and empirical and high dimensional data analysis techniques (utilising STATA software). His latest published works examine issues related to the economics of upstream petroleum in the UK North Sea. In a recent publication in the highly revered journal ‘Energy Economics’ (available here), Dr. Salam (with his co-authors) examined the effects of the imposition of carbon emission charges on petroleum operations in the UK North Sea, finding that these charges advance the energy transition cause of the UK Government and allied institutions. However, the charges give rise to major implications for the UK economy, not least on oil and gas jobs, UK energy security, risk of exposure to a carbon leakage scenario, wider UK economic growth, and so on. A ‘just’ approach to energy transition is therefore recommended, rather than the ‘cliff-edge’ transition advocated by some environmental groups. In another recent publication in the same journal (available here), Dr. Salam (with his co-authors) examined how clustering marginal fields in the UK North Sea may induce economies of scale effects, leading to enhanced economic viability of these fields. Dr. Salam’s latest working papers examine the implications of the recently introduced UK windfall tax on the economics of new petroleum fields in the UK North Sea; as well as making an economic and policy case for development of the controversial Cambo field.
Within the University of Aberdeen Business School, Dr. Salam is programme director of the MSc/LLM Energy Economics and Law programme and the MSc Energy Economics and Finance programme. Prior to joining the University of Aberdeen, he worked as a Research Fellow at the Centre for Energy Economics Research and Policy (CEERP) at the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, UK. Within CEERP, he was involved in high dimensional data analytics and database management towards the publication of the BP Statistical Review of World Energy and the BP Energy Outlook. He is an Honorary Research Fellow at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen; an Affiliated Member of CEERP; and has served as consultant for the Scottish Government. He has refereed for several international journals including 'Energy Economics', 'Energy Policy' and 'Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews', and so on. He serves as external PhD examiner for the University of Dundee. See Dr. Salam’s University of Aberdeen profile for a detailed view of his academic outlook.