Biography

Antara Mascarenhas has 20 years of experience in energy policy reform and implementation. Antara was a Policy Leader Fellow at the European University Institute from 2024-2025. Antara started her career in the Australian federal public service before holding senior roles at Australia’s national energy system operator (the Australian Energy Market Operator) where she built and led teams to implement national policy reforms and internal transformation.

Antara played a leading role in establishing AEMO’s first subsidiary for the delivery of private investment in renewable energy and, before this, was Chief of Staff to the CEO and General Manager of Stakeholder Engagement.

Antara works on the global energy transition within the broader net zero transformation. As a Visiting Fellow, she will leverage her policy implementation experience to focus on how we can better connect elements of the energy transition between developed and lower and middle-income countries.

Antara will continue work on the podcast series “The Vision Thing”, which she co-hosts with Visiting Fellow Cristina Santos. In The Vision Thing, Antara and Cristina interview guests about some of the world’s most pressing issues and their vision for a better future.

During her time at the Florence School of Transnational Governance, Antara will also provide training in management skills.

Antara has an MPhil in Social and Political Sciences from the University of Cambridge, after receiving a Commonwealth Scholarship. Antara has been a Visiting Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Centre for Energy and Environmental Policy Research. Antara sits on the Board of Cambridge Australia Scholarships and has been a Board Director and Ambassador for Endometriosis Australia.

Research projects, clusters and working groups

• Environmental challenges and climate change governance

Fields of expertise