About Us
Synapse Energy Economics is a research and consulting firm focused on the intersection of energy, economics, and the environment. Since 1996, we've provided rigorous technical, quantitative, and policy analysis to help public interest and governmental clients improve planning, policies, and decision-making in the energy sector.
We're mission-driven, highly collaborative, and a little bit nerdy.
Integrity & Ingenuity
Our clients depend on our reputation for integrity and independence to add weight to their efforts. So we are careful to say only what we know the evident will support—whether on the witness stand or in a blog. We also tell clients up front if we think the analysis they seek won't deliver the results they expect, and we help them strategize an approach that meets their goals.
At the same time, we are remarkably flexible about putting our brain power to work on each client’s specific needs. Our experts love digging into thorny issues, unique challenges, and new data sources. Clients find our versatility and ingenuity particularly valuable as the energy sector enters uncharted territory with emerging technologies, evolving policy goals, and new regulatory needs.
Why Synapse?
We make energy analysis accessible to government agency & public interest clients
"Synapse has a unique and essential role in the clean energy transition. We bring the ruthlessly efficient focus, skills, and drive of a for-profit consulting firm together with deeply held public interest values of justice and equity, public health and prosperity, and the long-term viability of our planet.
If you’re faced with a big company with plentiful resources and a plethora of opaque, highly technical supporting documents, you should hire us. If you like digging into complex black box models to understand and show what’s really going on, then you should join us. I’m proud of our team and our clients and our role of bringing first-rate technical and economic analysis to bear on some of the biggest problems of our time."
Bruce Biewald
Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Our Core Values
Analytical Integrity
We maintain transparency, rigor, candor, excellence, and integrity in all aspects of our work.Staff Empowerment
We empower each staff member through respect, input into decision-making, opportunities for professional development, and flexibility to pursue individual interests.Client Commitment
We strive to understand the diverse needs and perspectives of our clients and to meet their needs as effectively as possible, consistent with our vision statement and core values.The Public Interest
We design, conduct, and present our research and analyses with the goal of advancing the public interest, which includes achieving energy, economic, environmental, and equity goals.Innovation
We encourage continuous learning and development of new methods, tools, and approaches to nurture progress in our industry and to pursue our vision.Collaboration
We promote a constructive and collaborative culture, inside and outside of Synapse and across all levels of staff. Our flexible organizational structure encourages staff to collaborate across a variety of projects, topics, and clients.Communication
We foster frequent, candid, respectful, accessible, and constructive communication—inside and outside of Synapse and across all levels of staff—to ensure project success, client satisfaction, staff development, a healthy work environment, and public outreach.Equity and Justice
We promote equity, inclusion, and justice in all aspects of our business.Work-Life Balance
We flexibly plan and manage our workflow to ensure that staff can achieve their professional goals while nurturing their personal aspirations.Financial Health
We recognize that Synapse’s financial health is a key element of our success and important to supporting Synapse’s mission and values. To this end, we operate efficiently, evolve thoughtfully, compensate staff fairly, and maintain a sustainable organization.
Meet Our Expert Team
We’re passionate about analysis. We debate ideas, ask questions, draw charts on white boards, share articles and data sets, and critique each other’s work. We are the antithesis of silo organizations. When you hire Synapse, you hire our whole team.
We’re also passionate about music, sci-fi, dogs, biking, and community engagement. We’re people who like to work with other people to do rigorous, meaningful work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shoot us a message. We’ll put you in touch with the right expert.
Bruce Biewald and Jeannie Ramey built Synapse from their Cambridge home office in 1996. Synapse has remained a small business but has grown to include 40+ industry experts working in bustling Central Square. Read about Synapse’s founding in Bruce’s own words.
Synapse remains privately held as an S-Corporation and runs with help from our Leadership Team.
You can contact our Communications Director Jenny Marusiak at marketing@synapse-energy.com.
We have a strong commitment to engage in work for the public interest—it’s one of our core values. Our clients include governments at all levels, consumer advocates, law firms, private energy companies, grassroots environmental organizations, and foundations. Read more about our clients.
Our logo is a Julia set fractal with 15 iterations. It’s mathematically elegant and kind of resembles a lightning bolt. To us, it represents electricity, speed, impact, intelligence, and consciousness of the natural world.
We do!
Green economics | Neurons applied to problems | Live long and prosper.
Join Our Team
Looking for smart, hardworking new colleagues? Come problem-solve with us!