Dr Taj Khandoker

Dr Taj Khandoker is a Research Scientist in the Energy Economics Team within the Energy System Research Program. As an economist by training, she specializes in large-scale national macroeconomic modelling for policy analysis and strategies. Her expertise spans in energy, labour, financial and ecological macroeconomics with a strong passion for contested analytical frameworks and economic theories in the energy transition to renewables.

Since joining the Energy Economics team at CSIRO, Taj has contributed to key research projects, including 'Pathways to Net Zero Emissions', which models Australia’s economic transformation to achieve net zero by 2050, and 'Multi-Sector Energy Modelling, which examines sectoral linkages affecting the electricity sector under decarbonisation scenarios. As one of the chief investigators in 'Electric Power Innovation for a Carbon-free Society' (EPICS), a five-year National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded global project, Taj is developing a new macroeconomic modelling tool to analyse the complex non-linear macroeconomic and financial dynamics shaping Australia's transition to renewables and low-emission energy. Taj also collaborates with Traditional Owners to co design frameworks that embed Indigenous knowledge in renewable energy research—supporting Indigenous led conservation, land stewardship, and culturally grounded innovation.

Before joining CSIRO, Taj spent more than a decade in academia teaching and researching across a broad range of economics discipline including macroeconomics, international trade and finance, and environmental economics.