Brijesh Mainali

Profile Summary

Dr. Brijesh Mainali serves as Associate Professor (Docent) in Energy Sustainability at the Department of Built Environment and Energy Technology, Linnaeus University. He has been actively engaged in the field of Energy and Sustainable Development since 1996, with a professional journey spanning academia, international development cooperation, and private-sector consultancy. He brings over 15 years of academic experience from Linnaeus University and the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden; five years managing energy development programs supported by DANIDA, NORAD, and the Government of Nepal; and seven years working as a consultant for NGOs and private-sector entities.

Currently, he is the Programme Manager of the interdisciplinary MSc programme Energy and Management for Sustainable Development and responsible for several core courses as Course Responsible and Examiner, including Life Cycle Assessment, Energy Policy Design and Evaluation, Energy Management in the Built Environment, Energy and Climate Studies, and Laws for Sustainable Development. He also acts as Examiner for MSc degree projects. Mainali’s teaching philosophy emphasizes systems thinking and the integration of engineering, policy, and sustainability assessment. His approach is designed to equip students with interdisciplinary skills and critical insight, enabling them to make informed decisions that consider social, cultural, and policy dimensions—ultimately contributing meaningfully to sustainable development.

Research Excellence and Leadership

Dr. Mainali’s research takes an interdisciplinary and systems-oriented approach, addressing renewable energy technologies, energy markets, policy design, behavioral dimensions, and broader sustainability issues—with a particular focus on energy efficiency and climate mitigation and adaptation in the built environment. Over the years, he has been involved in various projects securing more than 53.8 million SEK in research funding, including 34.2 million SEK as principal applicant/project manager and 19.6 million SEK as co-applicant. These projects have been supported by a range of national and international funding bodies, such as FORMAS, the Swedish Research Council (VR), the KK Foundation, and the European Union.

Supervision, Evaluation, and Scientific Contributions

Dr. Mainali has served as the main supervisor for two PhD students and co-supervisor for four others, as well as an external advisor for two doctoral candidates from other institutions. He has supervised over 20 MSc theses. His expertise has been recognized through roles as a review panel member for the Research Council of Norway (RCN), external expert for the AIAS-AUFF Fellowship Programme at Aarhus University and serving as evaluator for Horizon Europe energy calls. He has participated in PhD defense committees at institutions including KTH, University of Gävle, Macquarie University, University of Queensland, Australia and TERI-SAS, India. He is also an active contributor to scientific committees for international conferences, regular chair sessions, and speaks on expert panels, particularly on topics related to just energy transitions.

Publications and Research Impact

Dr. Mainali has authored 85 scientific publications, including 27 peer-reviewed journal articles, 20 peer-reviewed conference papers, 7 book chapters, and 6 guidelines/manuals. His research has received strong scholarly attention, with over 1,084citations (H-index 17) on Scopus and 1929 citations (H-index 24) on Google Scholar.

(Updated on 29^th April 2025)

Teaching

Course Coordinator/Examiner:

• Energy and Climate Change-4BT301
• Evaluation and Design of Energy Policies-4BT315-7.5 HP
• Life Cycle Assessment Course-4BT312-7.5 HP
• Energy Management for Built Environment-4BT316-7.5 HP
• Laws of Sustainable Development and Energy-¤BT308-7.5 HP
• MSc Thesis Course-30 HP