Avital (Avi) Baral

résumé available upon request

abaral (at) alum (dot) mit (dot) edu

i am a software engineer working in the energy and climate tech space, currently at renew home, previously at equilibrium energy.

i previously worked in progressive politics in a software and data engineering capacity, most recently at actblue.

i graduated from mit with a masters of engineering in computer science. my thesis research (pdf) centered on cybersecurity policy for municipal and local governments, advised by Lawrence Susskind and Daniel Weitzner. i helped teach foundations of internet policy and computer systems engineering. i also hold undergraduate degrees from mit in computer science and in urban planning.

my technical expertise lies in backend software engineering and data engineering. i feel particularly enthused about working with geographic and civic data, building elegant data pipelines, and implementing robust engineering, testing, and documentation processes. i also have a background in technology policy with a focus on privacy and security through the lens of protecting individual rights, as well as interest and background in energy, climate, and transportation policy.

i am passionate about using technology to fuel positive change (or at least, create useful tools to accomplish non-icky goals). i am excited about engineering and policy opportunities in mission-driven organizations in the private, nonprofit, and public sectors.

i enjoy long-distance hiking, experimental baking, reading (especially memoirs, books about the outdoors, and contemporary nonfiction), and spending copious amounts of time walking around and taking public transit.