Space researcher. Materials scientist. Entrepreneur. And Yellow Jacket. The only thing missing on Jud Ready’s resume is “astronaut.” Not for lack of trying, though. Ready had hoped earning his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering at Georgia Tech would lead him to a spot in NASA’s Astronaut Corps. Instead, it’s led him to the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), where his passion for space is alive and well.

1. What about space fascinates you? 
It all goes back to my dad being interested in space. In first grade, we went to a how-to-use-the-library class, and I came across a book about the Mercury and Apollo astronauts. I checked it out and renewed it over and over again. I eventually finished it in second grade. So, I’ve had a lifelong commitment since then to space.

2. What drew you to engineering? 
I grew up in Chapel Hill. In that same first grade class, we went to the University of North Carolina chemistry department. My mom is really into roses, and they froze a rose in liquid nitrogen then smashed it on the table. It broke into a million bits, and I was like, “What?!” The ability of science to solve the unknown grabbed me. And I had a series of very good science teachers — Mr. Parker in fifth grade, in particular. Then I took a soldering class in high school. We built a multimeter that I still have and still use, and various other things. And I suddenly discovered and started exploring engineering. Plus, I just like making things.

3. How did your career change from hoping to be an astronaut to being an accomplished materials engineer? 
When I started looking at colleges, that was my primary interest: What school would help me become an astronaut the quickest. I applied to Georgia Tech as an aerospace engineer, but was admitted as an undecided engineering candidate instead. It was the best thing that could have happened. Later, I got hired as an undergrad by a professor who was doing space-grown gallium arsenide on the Space Shuttle. Ultimately, they offered me a graduate position. I accepted, because I knew you needed an advanced degree to be an astronaut — and for a civilian, a Ph.D. in a relevant career such as materials science.

I applied so many times to be an astronaut — every time they opened a call from 1999 until just a few years ago. Never got in. But I was successful at writing proposals and teaching. So I started doing space vicariously through my students, writing research proposals on energy capture, such as solar cells; energy storage, such as super capacitors; and energy delivery like electron emission. They’re all enabled by engineered materials.

4. What makes Georgia Tech and GTRI a key contributor to the future of humans and science in space? 
Georgia Tech offers us so many unfair advantages over our competition. The equipment we’ve got. The students. You’ve got the curiosity-driven basic research coupled with the GTRI applied research model. We’ve had VentureLab and CREATE-X. Now we’ve got Quadrant-i to foster spinout companies from research.  

5. One of your solar cell technologies is headed to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum. What is it? 
Early in my career, we developed a way to texture thin film photovoltaics to allow for light trapping. Inverted pyramids are etched into silicon wafer-type solar cells so a photon of light has a chance to hit different surfaces and get absorbed. But thin film solar cells typically don’t etch well. I thought we could use carbon nanotubes to form a scaffolding, a structure like rebar. It’s mechanically reinforcing, but also electrically conductive. We coat the thin film solar cell material over the carbon nanotube arrays. You’ve got these towers, and you get this photon pinballing effect. Most solar cells perform best when perpendicular to the sun, but with mine, off angles are preferred. That’s great for orbital uses, because the faces and solar panels of spacecraft are frequently off-angle to the sun. And then you don’t have the complexity of mechanical systems adjusting the solar arrays. So, we got funding to demonstrate these solar cells on the International Space Station three times, and those are some of the cells we provided to the Smithsonian. 

Read more on the CoE Webpage

You’re managing the Texas Panhandle’s power grid. Heavy winds are blowing, and a worn-out utility pole ignites a fire by crashing onto a transmission line. Luckily, the fire department arrives quickly, putting out the fire before it spreads to nearby cities. But the same thing may happen again with gusty conditions predicted for the next 24 hours. Should you shut off miles of power lines to reduce that risk, causing outages for thousands of residents? Should you add batteries to the grid or move some power lines underground to lessen the impact of future fires? That sounds useful, but paying for these upgrades would require raising electricity rates.

Players of the Current Crisis video game are pondering these questions, similar to professional grid managers during the Texas Smokehouse Creek fire in 2024. But the players did not purchase Current Crisis at a run-of-the-mill gaming store. They might have played it at Georgia Tech’s Dataseum, which featured the game in a recent exhibition. Or they might have helped develop it in weekly meetings with Daniel Molzahn, associate professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and EPIcenter initiative lead. 

“Current Crisis started as a computer simulation I programmed in Summer 2020 for a senior-level course I taught that fall,” says Molzahn. “My students had to dispatch crews to maintain or repair a simplified model of the Georgia power grid. In the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, each dispatch had a risk of infection and quarantine, which meant losing the crew for the rest of that round. The students had a fixed budget to balance two competing goals: operating a power system with minimal outages and keeping the repair crews healthy.” 

The class project was popular, and its scope began to grow. Molzahn proposed turning his simulation into a video game in a July 2021 grant application to the National Science Foundation. He received the five-year award that fall and launched his “Vertically Integrated Project” on power grid gaming the following spring. It soon attracted about 35 students per semester, from sophomores to those pursuing graduate degrees in various disciplines. Most students stay for three to four semesters.

Tristan Ziegler joined the VIP as a computational media sophomore in Spring 2022 — and still works on it three years later as a professional programmer. “I found the project by searching for ‘game’ on the VIP website,” says Ziegler, who graduated in 2024. “It offered much more freedom than traditional classes but still allowed me to earn credits and grades, unlike a student organization where you volunteer your time.”

The students quickly discovered the benefits of working toward a shared goal in smaller groups, focused on coding, grid modeling, graphic design, or artistic creativity. Some volunteered to lead initiatives, such as organizing the Dataseum exhibition or the 2025 Seth Bonder summer camps, where they will teach high schoolers the basics of game programming. 

Another long-term member of the VIP team is Ryan Piansky, a doctoral student, who studies the resilience of power grids to wildfires. He combines well-known engineering tools — algorithms for finding a mathematically optimal problem solution — with historical wildfire data to evaluate grid management decisions.

“I have examined if policies based on established engineering principles help the people who need the most help, reduce the risk of outages broadly across the whole grid, and optimally allocate limited resources,” explains Piansky, who works in Molzahn's research lab. “To do that, I combine power grid models with realistic wildfire simulations to assess if those policies would likely generate desirable outcomes in a range of plausible scenarios.”

The VIP work on grid modeling has informed Piansky’s research, but the climate models he uses to mimic the spread of wildfires are too complex for a fast-moving video game. That’s why he has helped the students develop simplified versions of these models. Humidity and vegetation, for example, influence both real fires and those popping up in Current Crisis. 

Piansky’s research is part of Molzahn’s long-term goal: developing computer tools that help professional grid managers improve the grid’s resilience to natural disasters — from pandemics and wildfires to hurricanes, heat waves and floods. 

“We plan to record the choices made by Current Crisis players in crowdsourced datasets that will support our research,” says Molzahn. “By using these datasets to train machine-learning algorithms, we can harness the power of AI to develop better disaster response policies.” (The European Space Agency uses a similar gamification strategy to map moon craters.) 

The project’s benefits go well beyond these research contributions. Its educational value includes experience working in multidisciplinary teams of students at different levels and leadership development. Molzahn also hopes the game will help build public acceptance of disruptive actions during real disasters. 

“Recognizing the tradeoffs inherent in grid management is important, whether it’s understanding why power shutoffs reduce fire risks or why service restorations are time-consuming,” says Molzahn. “This may also generate broader public support for electricity rate increases and tax allocations to pay for infrastructure hardening.”

Written by: Silke Schmidt

Gaurav Doshi, assistant professor in applied economics and a faculty affiliate of the Georgia Tech Energy Policy and Innovation Center researches, among other topics, ways to make the benefits of large electrification projects more transparent.

It’s a chicken and egg situation: Should renewable energy projects launch first hoping that transmission lines to pipe generated power to distant places will follow on their heels? Or should the transmission lines be stood up first as a way to attract investments in renewable energy projects? Which comes before the other? It’s a question that has intrigued Gaurav Doshi, assistant professor at the School of Economics at Georgia Tech, for a while now. His award-winning paper about this research explores the downstream effects of building power lines.

After a bachelor’s and master’s degree in applied economics from the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur, Doshi earned his doctorate in the same field from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 2023. He explored questions about environmental economics as part of his doctoral work.

“Once I started researching energy markets in the U.S., I kept getting deeper and coming up with new questions,” Doshi says. Among the many his work explores: What are the effects of infrastructure policies and how can they help decarbonization efforts? What are some of the unintended consequences policy makers need to think about?

One of his current research projects has roots in his doctoral work. It explores how to quantify the benefits of difficult-to-quantify environmental infrastructure projects. Case in point: Decarbonization will likely lead to more electrification from renewable energy resources and will need power lines to transport this energy to places of demand. The costs for such infrastructure are pretty transparent as part of government project funding. But the benefits are less so, Doshi points out. To develop effective policy, both the costs and benefits need clear visibility. “Otherwise the question arises ‘why should we spend billions of dollars of taxpayer money if we don’t know the benefits?’”

Read Full Story on the EPIcenter Webpage

On April 29, nearly 70 attendees representing 36 organizations from industry, government, academia, and nonprofits gathered at the Middle Georgia Regional Commission for the third Georgia Partnerships for Essential Minerals (GEMs) Workshop, held jointly with the Growing Resilience for America’s Critical Mineral Economy (GRACE) Engine initiative. The workshop marked a pivotal step in the region’s critical mineral strategy, bringing together leaders across sectors to align priorities and accelerate ecosystem development.

Hosted by the Center for Critical Mineral Solutions and Strategic Energy Institute at Georgia Tech in partnership with the Middle Georgia Regional Commission, GEMs-3 highlighted the economic development potential of critical minerals through production and recycling. Critical Minerals such as rare earth elements, gallium, and graphite are materials essential for technologies ranging from electric vehicles, permanent magnets to national defense systems. Building on the industry-led conception of GEMs-1 and road mapping efforts at GEMs-2, this workshop focused on translating strategy into action, with particular emphasis on use-inspired innovation, commercialization, workforce development, community engagement, and strategic investment. 

Keynote speaker Costas Simoglou, director of the Center of Innovation for Energy Technology at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, emphasized the state’s leadership in advanced energy manufacturing and innovation. Sessions highlighted ecosystem capabilities and insights from experts at Southern Company, Chemours, Ginn Technology Group, Savannah River National Laboratory, Georgia Research Alliance, Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub, Georgia Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing, Technical College System of Georgia, University of Georgia, Partnership for Innovation, the Supply Chain and Logistics Institute and the Advanced Battery Center.

Yuanzhi Tang, professor at Georgia Tech and director of the Center for Critical Mineral Solutions, shared an update on the GRACE Engine initiative, which aims to develop a co-located innovation ecosystem that integrates extraction, processing and advanced manufacturing across Georgia. “The GRACE vision is to move from potential to practice,” said Tang, “by building a regional supply chain that is resilient, sustainable, built for speed and benefits all stakeholders.”

Afternoon breakout discussions brought participants together into focused groups to explore commercialization models, community advisory board structures, and pilot program priorities. Participants emphasized the importance of fast-start strategies, shared economic development, and leveraging existing regional strengths and infrastructure.

As Georgia continues to lead in kaolin mining and advanced manufacturing, the GEMs-GRACE platform stands as a model for how states can turn mineral resources and waste streams into new engines of economic opportunity.

For more information, visit gems.research.gatech.edu.

The Energy Policy and Innovation Center (EPIcenter) at Georgia Tech has announced the selection of six students for its inaugural Summer Research Program. The doctoral candidates, pursuing degrees in electrical and computer engineering, economics, computer science, and public policy, will be on campus working full-time on their dissertation research throughout the summer semester and present their findings in a final showcase. 

EPIcenter will provide a full stipend and tuition for the 2025 summer semester to support the students.

“I look forward to hosting a fantastic cohort of early-career energy scholars this summer,” said Laura Taylor, EPIcenter’s director. “The summer research program will not only help the students advance their research while engaging in interdisciplinary dialogue but also offers professional development opportunities to position them for a strong start to their careers.”

The students will work with EPIcenter staff and be provided with on-campus workshops on written and oral communications. Biweekly meetings over the summer will offer the students an opportunity to share their work, progress, and ideas with each other and the EPIcenter faculty affiliates. In addition, the students will have the opportunity to engage with programs and distinguished guests of the center. 

For students interested in presenting their research at a conference, EPIcenter also will provide travel grants of up to $600 pursuant to having their paper/presentation posted on the EPIcenter website.

"I applied to the Summer Research Program because its structure and community aligned perfectly with my summer plan on dissertation work in energy policy,” said Yifan Liu. “I aim to finalize key dissertation chapters and engage closely with peers and mentors to prepare me for the job market." 

The program offers students an opportunity to promote their work through the EPIcenter communication channels including the website, news feeds, blogs, and the SEI newsletter.

“I am very excited to spend my summer at EPIcenter exploring how battery storage entry affects competition in the electricity market,” said Maghfira “Afi” Ramadhani, one of the student affiliates selected for the summer research program. “Specifically, I look at how the rollout of battery storage in the Texas electricity market impacts renewable curtailment, fossil-fuel generator markup, and generator entry and exit.”

With a variety of backgrounds and perspectives on energy, each of the students in the summer program brings something unique to EPIcenter.

La’Darius Thomas: “My project explores the potential of peer-to-peer energy trading systems in promoting decentralized, sustainable energy solutions. I aim to contribute to the development of energy models that empower individuals and communities to directly participate in electricity markets.”

Niraj Palsule: “I intend to gain interdisciplinary insights interfacing energy transition technology and policy developments by participating in the EPIcenter Summer Research Program.”

John Kim: “I believe the EPIcenter Summer Research Program will deepen my investigation of how environmental hazards disproportionately affect vulnerable communities through research on power outage impacts and lead contamination. This summer, I hope to refine my analysis and complete research on the socioeconomic dimensions of power reliability and environmental resilience.”

Mehmet “Akif” Aglar: "I applied to the EPIcenter Summer Research Program because it offers the chance to work alongside and learn from a community of highly qualified researchers across various fields. I believe the opportunity to present my work, receive feedback, and benefit from the structure the program provides will be invaluable for advancing my research."

About EPICenter

The mission of the Energy Policy and Innovation Center is to conduct rigorous studies and deliver high impact insights that address critical regional, national, and global energy issues from a Southeastern U.S. perspective. EPICenter is pioneering a holistic approach that calls upon multidisciplinary expertise to engage the public on the issues that emerge as the energy transformation unfolds. The center operates within Georgia Tech’s Strategic Energy Institute.

Daniel Molzahn will readily admit he’s a Cheesehead.  

Born and brought up in Wisconsin, the associate professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, for undergraduate and graduate studies. It was also at Madison that he decided to go into the family business: power engineering. 

Molzahn’s grandfather was a Navy electrician in World War II and later completed a bachelor’s in electrical engineering. He eventually was plant director at a big coal plant in Green Bay. Molzahn’s dad was also a power engineer and worked at a utility company, focusing on nuclear power.  

It was not uncommon for family vacations to include a visit to a coal mine or a nuclear power plant. Being steeped in everything power engineering eventually seeped into Molzahn’s bones. “I remember seeing all the infrastructure that goes into producing energy and it was endlessly fascinating for me,” he says.  

That endless fascination has worked its way into Molzahn’s research today—at the intersection of computation and power systems. 

Read Full Story on the EPIcenter Webpage

The Georgia Institute of Technology and Stryten Energy LLC, a U.S.-based energy storage solutions provider, announced the successful installation of Stryten Energy’s Lead Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) at the Carbon Neutral Energy Solutions Laboratory (CNES). The CNES building, located in the North Avenue Research Area of the Georgia Tech campus, houses the Strategic Energy Institute (SEI), an interdisciplinary research institute focused on energy research, and multiple research groups dedicated to renewable energy and energy infrastructure-related topics.

The installation aims to create a living-learning lab on campus that supports research and real-world applications of medium-duration energy storage solutions. Lead BESS was selected for this initial installation due to its cost-effectiveness, high discharge rates, and recyclability, backed by extensive research demonstrating its reliable performance. The BESS is a dynamic storage system that integrates renewable energy sources into the existing power mix, providing stable and dependable backup power and reducing grid dependency during peak hours. With its additional components and software, the system is capable of bi-directional charging, allowing current to flow into the battery for charging and out of the battery to power the grid or microgrid.

“Georgia Tech's strategic plan envisions our campus as a dynamic laboratory and experimental test bed, where sustainable practices are seamlessly integrated into our operations,” said Christine Conwell, SEI’s interim executive director. “Through enduring partnerships with organizations like Stryten, we are creating mini ecosystems that yield valuable situational data to help chart a path for innovative energy research well beyond the campus.” 

“As solar and other renewables hit the market years ago, large utility-scale implementations were clearly the focus,” said Scott Childers, vice president of essential power at Stryten Energy. “With the introduction of this BESS powered by lead batteries, we see behind-the-meter applications getting their day in the sun. We are particularly excited about deploying this unit in commercial and industrial microgrids and paired with EV charging stations to help the U.S. achieve its energy goals. Georgia Tech has been a tremendous partner, and we are excited about demonstrating the advantages of lead BESS from cost savings, technology, environmental, and safety perspectives.”

Richard Simmons, SEI’s director of research and studies, called the Stryten lead BESS system an enabling piece of the Distributed Energy Resources (DER) puzzle. At the CNES lab, Georgia Tech researchers can now control charging and discharging cycles for the battery in coordination with the existing Solar PV array and the new EV charging test bed. This research tool will allow the time-shifting of peak solar input by several hours to meet late afternoon building loads and store renewable energy for the overnight charging of campus vehicles. 

The role of DERs in the broader energy landscape is a crucial area of research, particularly understanding their impact on the grid, their contribution to system reliability, and their effect on energy costs. This research is especially important in the context of the ongoing transition to clean energy.

“It is our hope that the lead BESS will be one of several living lab battery pilots at Georgia Tech,” Simmons said. “Along with regional partners, our researchers are exploring similar R&D and testing projects involving flow batteries that can facilitate longer-duration storage, as well as lithium-ion BESS that may integrate second-life EV battery modules for grid resilience, driving advancements in sustainable energy research.” 

About Energy Research at Georgia Tech 
The Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the top public research universities in the U.S., developing leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. Georgia Tech’s leading researchers work across the energy value chain in basic and applied science in EVs, photovoltaics, hydrogen, carbon capture, industrial decarbonization, grid security and resilience, and related social sciences. Georgia Tech is consistently ranked among the top universities in the nation for graduating underrepresented minorities in engineering, physical sciences, and energy-related fields. Most recently, U.S. News & World Report ranked Georgia Tech as the No. 1 public university and No. 3 overall in energy and fuels research. Serving as a regional resource to help communities understand how they can transition to a clean energy economy, Georgia Tech is the leader in achieving regional impact through education and contributions to communities.  

About Stryten Energy
Stryten Energy helps solve the world’s most pressing energy challenges with a broad range of energy storage solutions across the essential power, motive power, transportation, military, and government sectors. Headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, they partner with some of the world’s most recognized companies to meet the growing demand for reliable and sustainable energy storage capacity. Stryten powers everything from submarines to subcompacts, microgrids, warehouses, distribution centers, cars, trains, and trucks. Their stored energy technologies include advanced lead, lithium, and vanadium redox flow batteries, intelligent chargers, and energy performance management software that keep people on the move and supply chains running. An industry leader backed by more than a century of expertise, Stryten has The Energy to Challenge the status quo and deliver top-performing energy solutions for today and tomorrow. 

More than 300 people from industry, government, and academia converged on Georgia Tech’s campus for Energy Day. They gathered for discussion and collaboration on the topics of energy storage, solar energy conversion, and developments in carbon-neutral fuels.

Taking place on April 23, Energy Day was cohosted by Georgia Tech’s Institute for Matter and Systems (IMS), Strategic Energy Institute (SEI), the Georgia Tech Advanced Battery Center, and the Energy Policy and Innovation Center.

“The ideas coming out of Georgia Tech and other research universities can drive greater partnerships with our local and state officials. Whether you live in Georgia or elsewhere, we are changing how energy is viewed and consumed,” said Tim Lieuwen, Georgia Tech executive vice president for Research.

Energy Day 2025 is the latest evolution in a series of events that began as in 2023 Battery Day. As local and national energy research needs have evolved, the event has grown to highlight Georgia Tech, and the state of Georgia, as a go-to location for modern energy companies.

“At Georgia Tech, we approach energy holistically, leveraging innovative R&D, economic policy, community-building and strategic partnerships,” said Christine Conwell, SEI's interim executive director. “We are thrilled to convene this event for the third year. The keynote and sessions highlight our comprehensive strategy, showcasing cutting-edge advancements and collaborative efforts driving the next big energy innovations." 

The day was divided into two parts: a morning session that included a keynote speaker and two panels, and an afternoon session with separate tracks addressing three different energy research areas. Speakers shared research being conducted at Georgia Tech, as well as updates from industry leaders, to create an open dialogue about current energy needs.

“We believe we can solve problems and build the economy when you bring various disciplines together and work from matter — the fundamental scientists and devices all the way out to final systems at large — economic systems, societal systems,” said Eric Vogel, executive director for IMS. “Not only did we share the latest research, but we discussed and debated how we can continue to transform the energy economy.”

Discussions ranged from adapting to rapid changes in battery storage to advancing photo-voltaic manufacturing in the U.S. to the environmental impacts and sustainable practices of e-fuels and renewable energy.

The day ended with a robust poster session that attracted more than 25 student posters presentations. Three were awarded best posters.

First place: Austin Shoemaker
Second Place: Roahan Zhang
Third Place: Connor Davel

Related Links:
Advancing Clean Energy: Georgia Tech Hosts Energy Materials Day
Georgia Tech Battery Day Reveals Opportunities in Energy Storage Research

Scott Duncan leads the microgrid initiative at the Georgia Tech Strategic Energy Institute, principally facilitating access to the Tech Square Microgrid for Georgia Tech students and researchers. He is a senior research engineer within the School of Aerospace Engineering, where he is a member of the Digital Engineering Division of the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL).

In his current position, Duncan leads and manages multidisciplinary research teams in projects relating to terrestrial infrastructure systems, including community energy systems comprising grid-interactive efficient buildings, electrified loads, district thermal systems, distributed energy resources (DERs), and microgrids. The teams assess and support the design of these systems by applying techniques from data analysis, modeling and simulation, design space exploration, visualization, optimization, digital twinning, and model-based systems engineering. Duncan also supports the long-running Smart Campus Initiative between ASDL and Georgia Tech Infrastructure & Sustainability (I&S), where researchers analyze and model campus utility systems.

Duncan is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), serving on its Terrestrial Energy Systems (TES) Technical Committee, as well as a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

Below is a brief Q&A with Duncan, where he discusses his research and how it influences the microgrids initiative at Georgia Tech.

• What is your field of expertise and at what point in your life did you first become interested in this area?

My expertise lies in systems engineering for managing energy infrastructure, with a recent focus on the “grid edge,” where demand-side systems like buildings and community-scale projects intersect with distributed energy resources (DERs) and wider utility grids. Initially, as a research engineer, I worked on optimizing combined cycle power plant design. Over the last decade, my research has shifted towardThank the increasing complexity of energy systems on the demand side, including electrified buildings and vehicle charging. Systems engineering involves techniques to understand, design, and manage large-scale systems, evaluating trade-offs and multi-objective goals. It is a privilege to work in this field, especially within the built environment, which is a burgeoning area for these techniques. Overall, I am passionate about orchestrating large systems rather than focusing on specific disciplinary sciences or smaller mechanical aspects.

• What questions or challenges sparked your current energy research? What are the big issues facing your research area right now?

Since my graduate studies at Georgia Tech, where I completed my Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and was affiliated with a sustainable design and manufacturing research group, I have been deeply interested in sustainability. My research on systems design and life cycle management led me to recognize energy as a critical element in sustainability. The conversation around climate impacts has shifted from avoidance to adaptation, highlighting the need for resilient energy systems. As a systems engineer, I find the complexity of managing interconnected energy systems fascinating. Understanding and co-managing these systems is crucial, as is demonstrating their effectiveness beyond simulations. Over the past few years, I have shifted toward more applied, infrastructure-as-a-laboratory experiments to address these challenges.

• What interests you the most leading SEI’s research initiative on microgrids? Why is your initiative important to the development of Georgia Tech’s energy research strategy?

I manage research operations for the Tech Square Microgrid (TSMG), which was established in partnership with Georgia Power and Southern Company. This urban microgrid serves as a resiliency resource for part of the data center on the Coda block and as a test bed for innovative experiments. Although the TSMG project predates my involvement, I have the privilege of coordinating its broader use by the Georgia Tech community. My work focuses on creating a living lab for microgrids, balancing the operation of a real system with accessibility for research and education. This involves managing the complexity of interconnected systems and ensuring their components are understood and effectively deployed. U.S. national labs and funding agencies are interested in such dual-purpose systems that demonstrate real-world applications while pushing the boundaries of current performance. Over the past few years, I have shifted toward more applied, infrastructure-as-a-laboratory experiments to address these challenges.

We have been collecting several years of streaming data from approximately 800 different parameters of the microgrid. This data is stored in a historian and made accessible to the Georgia Tech community, allowing us to observe the grid while Georgia Power maintains its operations. We have accumulated valuable data on operations, status, and faults, which is available to certain parts of the Georgia Tech community. Our goal is to expand access and build a collective understanding and knowledge around this data. We are especially interested in finding data scientists to help maximize the use of data in understanding TSMG behaviors.

• What are the broader global and social benefits of the research you and your team conduct on microgrids?

The research conducted by my team on microgrids offers significant global and social benefits, particularly in the realm of decarbonization. By integrating non-dispatchable renewable energy sources such as solar and wind with dispatchable storage solutions, fuel cells, and reciprocating engines, we aim to create a resilient and stable energy grid. This microgrid not only supports high-performance computing assets at Georgia Tech but also serves as a demonstrator for backup alternatives and their interoperability. Our work provides valuable insights into the strengths and weaknesses of different energy sources and storage options, contributing to the broader goal of increasing renewable energy use while supporting grid stability. 

• What are your plans for engaging a wider Georgia Tech faculty pool with the broader energy community?

To engage a wider Georgia Tech faculty pool with the broader energy community, we are building a community around the Tech Square Microgrid. This initiative fosters collaboration and knowledge sharing among Georgia Tech faculty, Georgia Power, and Southern Company. We have set up a Microsoft Teams site for collaboration and understanding of the microgrid, allowing users to access documents, models, and data. This platform encourages innovative experiments and supports both educational and research purposes. Interested Georgia Tech members can contact me or use this Microsoft Forms link to gain access, ask questions, and share knowledge. We are continuously refining this approach and seeking more participants to expand our community.

• What are your hobbies? 

These days, my hobbies revolve around spending time with my family, including hiking and traveling. My kids are developing interests in chess, sports, and engineering, which has rekindled my own passion for technical pursuits and outdoor activities. I also enjoy music and tinkering with new technologies like devices, 3D printing, and software engineering.

• Who has influenced you the most?

I realize my outlook on life is shaped by a mosaic of influences. As a systems engineer, I appreciate the interconnectedness of various elements. But I’d say that my parents, both psychology professors, have been particularly influential. Their academic lifestyle and mode of inquiry inspired me, and their approach to engaging with students and fostering curiosity has been a primary influence in my life.