Dr. Oliver R. Browne is the California Regional Director at WestWater Research. In his consulting work, Oliver applies economic theory and econometric data analysis to advise clients in California and beyond on water markets, water supply reliability, and the regional benefits and costs of water resource projects and policies. Oliver’s clients include private businesses, utilities, municipalities, state and federal agencies, and legal counsel.

Prior to WestWater Research, Oliver held senior consultant roles at several economic consulting firms, where he specialized in water resource economics, natural resource damages, and competition matters. In addition to over a decade of consulting experience, Oliver has taught courses in water resource economics and computational economics as a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Chicago. He has published academic papers in journals such as The Review of Economics and Statistics, the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Energy Economics, and Energy Policy.

Oliver holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago and undergraduate degrees in engineering science and economics, both with first-class honours, from the University of Auckland.

Areas of Expertise

• Environmental, Agricultural, and Resource Economics
• Applied Econometrics
• Water Supply Reliability Forecasting & Planning
• Economic Analysis of Projects
• Water Markets

Education

• Ph.D. Economics, University of Chicago, 2018
• B.A. (Honours), Economics, University of Auckland, 2011
• B.E. (Honours), Engineering Science, University of Auckland, 2010

Experience

• Associate Director, Berkeley Research Group, LLC, 2022-2024
• Senior Associate, The Brattle Group, 2018-2022
• Researcher, Urban Energy And Environment Lab, University of Chicago, 2015-2018
• Researcher, The Energy Center, University of Auckland, 2010 – 2013
• Lecturer, Water Resource Economics, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, 2020
• Lecturer, Computational Economics, University of Chicago, 201