Research Interests and Expertise

I. Renewable Power Systems Operation, Planning, and Economics 

• Real-time monitoring and control of power system components (e.g., generators, transmission lines, transformers) to ensure reliable and efficient power delivery
• Integration of renewable energy sources (e.g., wind, solar) into the power grid to minimize reliance on fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Development of transmission and distribution infrastructure to accommodate changes in power flow patterns and address congestion issues
• Identification of critical infrastructure and implementation of mitigation measures to enhance grid resilience against natural disasters and cyber attacks
• Long-term forecasting of electricity demand and supply to determine optimal generation and transmission investments
• Power system optimization under uncertainty using robust and stochastic optimization
• Analysis of market structures and pricing mechanisms to ensure fair and efficient allocation of electricity resources
• Transmission and distribution system planning
• Addressing variable load and generation in grid dispatch and planning through probabilistic and stochastic OPF techniques.
• Development of dispatch tools including DG and generation and load uncertainties

II. Smart Grids and Microgrids Design, Operation and Economics

• Design principles for smart grids, including automation, communication, and control
• Cybersecurity considerations for smart grid design
• Demand response strategies to manage peak loads and reduce energy consumption
• Integration of Storage and Renewable Energy Resources into smart grids
• Grid resilience and reliability through predictive maintenance and fault detection
• Optimization of power flow and energy trading in a decentralized grid
• Use of artificial intelligence and machine learning for smart grid operation
• Cost-benefit analysis of smart grid deployment
• Evaluation of the economic impact of smart grids on energy markets, utilities, and consumers
• Business models for smart grid operation, including public-private partnerships and regulatory frameworks
• Market design and pricing mechanisms for energy trading in a smart grid

III. Integrated Energy Systems Modeling and Optimization 

• Optimization and control of integrated energy systems, including hybrid renewable energy systems, microgrids, and virtual power plants.
• Development of smart energy management systems for integrated energy systems, utilizing artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques.
• Integration of electric vehicles and battery storage systems into integrated energy systems, including optimal charging and discharging strategies and vehicle-to-grid technologies.
• Design and operation of energy-efficient buildings that are integrated with the larger energy system, incorporating renewable energy sources and advanced building automation systems.
• Implementation of integrated energy systems at the community or regional level, including energy planning and management, stakeholder engagement, and policy development

IV. Applied Artificial Intelligence and Optimization Methods in Power and Energy System Studies

• Multi-objective optimization of power system operation for improved economic and environmental performance
• Integration of renewable energy sources into the power grid using AI-based optimization techniques
• Real-time demand response management in smart grid systems using machine/deep/reinforcement learning algorithms
• AI-based fault detection and diagnosis in power system components for improved reliability 
• Robust/Stochastic optimization for power system planning and operation under uncertainty
• Optimization of electric vehicle charging and discharging scheduling using AI-based algorithms
• Application of machine learning algorithms for load forecasting in power systems
• Nonlinear programming techniques for optimal power flow analysis in power systems
• Mathematical decomposition methods for large-scale power system optimization problems.

• Ph.D. (15 Nov. 2009): Power Systems Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, IRAN, Thesis title: “Multiobjective Stochastic Market Clearing of Joint Energy and Reserves Auctions Ensuring Power System Static Security” 
• M.Sc. (October 2005): Power Systems Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Thesis title: “Valuating FACTS Devices in deregulated system for congested lines”
• B.Sc. (September 2003): Power System Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, Power and Water University of Technology (PWUT), Tehran, Iran

My expertise in my different careers in different capacities as a postdoc, senior researcher, and faculty member, including Shiraz University of Technology (SUTech), Shiraz, Iran (2010-2020), University of Wollongong (UoW), Wollongong, Australia (2012 and 2015),  NTNU, Trondheim, Norway (2017-2019), Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT), Lappeenranta, Finland (2020-2023), Central Queensland University (CQU), Rockhampton, Australia (2023-Now), spans areas, including power system operation and planning, integration of distributed energy resources (renewables and storages), electricity markets, applied optimization and AI, data analytics, and etc.

09/2023 – Now: Professor of Smart Grids/ Department of Electrical Engineering/School of Engineering and Technology/ Central Queensland University/Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
10/2020 – 08/2023: Professor of Smart Grids/ Department of Electrical Engineering/School of Energy Systems/ Lappeenranta University of Technology/ Lappeenranta, Finland
01/2020 – 09/2021: Chair of The Board of Directors/ Iranian Telecommunication Manufacturing Company/Shiraz, Iran
09/2019 – 09/2020: Head of Technology and Entrepreneurship Office/ Shiraz University of Technology/Shiraz, Iran
12/2018 – 09/2020: Full Professor of Power System Group/ Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering/ Shiraz University of Technology/Shiraz, Iran
11/2017 – 05/2019: Visiting Research Fellow at Department of Electric Power Engineering – NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
12/2014 – 12/2018: Associate Professor of Power System Group/ Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering/ Shiraz University of Technology/Shiraz, Iran
06/2015 – 09/2015: Short Visit as an Endeavour Research Fellow at University of Wollongong/ Wollongong, NSW, Australia
07/2013 – 09/2013: Short visit as a Research Fellow at Australian Power Quality and Reliability Center/ SECTE / University of Wollongong / Wollongong, NSW, Australia
09/2010 – 12/2014: Assistant Professor of Power System Group/ Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering/ Shiraz University of Technology/Shiraz, Iran
11/2009 – 09/2010: Adjunct Assistant Professor, Islamic Azad University -Dezfoul Branch, Dezfoul, Iran

2020-2023: Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology 

• Electrical Transmission Networks
• Smart Grids

2010-2020: Shiraz University of Technology, Shiraz, Iran

Graduate courses:

• Renewable Power Generation and Distributed Generation
• Applied Optimization for Power System Engineering 
• Smart Grids and Microgrids
• Electricity Market Operations
• Research methodology

Undergraduate courses

• Power Systems Analysis I
• Power Systems Analysis II
• Electric Machinery II (Transformers and Induction Machines) 
• Electric Machinery III (Synchronous Machines) 
• Electrical Measurement

2005-2009: Islamic Azad University, Dezfoul Branch, Dezfoul, Iran

Instructor                                                                                             

• Power Systems Analysis I
• Power Systems Analysis II
• Electric Machinery II (Transformers and Induction Machines) 
• Electric Machinery III (Synchronous Machines) 
• Electrical Measurement

Throughout my tenure as a professor at prestigious institutions such as CQU (Rockhampton, Australia), LUT (Lappeenranta, Finland), SUTech (Shiraz, Iran), NTNU (Trondheim, Norway), and UOW (Wollongong, Australia), my professional international journey has been characterized by a persistent commitment to promoting the integration of renewable energy and storage solutions in my proactive involvements in different phases (proposal writing, implementation, and administration) of results-driven research projects (about 20 national and international projects funded by research funding models of external industries and organizations), teaching and training activities (variety of topics in the area of electrical and power engineering in both undergraduate and post graduate levels), and scholarly disseminations (more than 270 publications in the area) both independently and within a team. Also, throughout my academic journey, I have had the privilege of supervising more than 50 master students and 24 PhD students as well as mentoring 2 postdoctoral researchers.

Senior Member of the IEEE, 2015-Now

During my tenure as a faculty member at SUTech, Shiraz, Iran, I gained valuable experience in the field of entrepreneurship and leadership: 

• Chair of The Board of Directors/Iranian Telecommunication Manufacturing Company (ITMC), Shiraz, Iran (05/01/2020 – 31/09/2020): During my time as the chairman of the board of Iran's largest knowledge-based publicly-owned company, my responsibilities encompassed actively engaging in governance, policy and strategy development, stakeholder relations, risk management, financial oversight, communication, conflict resolution, fostering collaborative efforts with external firms to establish consortiums, and board and CEO evaluation in the top level of the company. Besides, while I was the chair of the “Trading Commission” in ITMC, I was involved in market analysis, execution of trades, risk management, trading strategies, compliance of trading activities, broker and counterparty relationships, and monitoring procurement processes and ethical conduct in trading activities. This multifaceted role provided me with an extensive comprehension of complicated industrial procedures and the proficiency to successfully manage complex cooperative ventures and projects with different business cases within the communication sector. Also, we implemented various initiatives aimed at creating job opportunities. For example, we set up the Shiraz Startup Factory, one of Iran's largest start-up facilities.
• Director of Technology and Entrepreneurship Office, SUTech, Shiraz, Iran (25/09/2019 – 31/09/2020): During my tenure as a director, I set up the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre as well as an Incubation Centre at SUTech. This experience has allowed me to gain an in-depth understanding of the complexities of nurturing startups, fostering innovation, and overcoming market challenges. This experience has not only enriched my professional repertoire but has also deepened my passion for entrepreneurship and the transformative potential it holds.

1. Supervision: 2 Postdocs, 26 PhD Students, and 53 Master Students
2. Publications (more than 230 journal papers and more than 50 conference papers)
3. Editorial Board of Journals: IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, Electric Power System Research/Elsevier, IEEE Transactions on Cloud Computing, IEEE Systems Journal, IEEE Access, IET Generation Transmission Distribution, IET Renewable Power Generation, IET Smart Grid, and IEEE Open Access Journal of Power and Energy.
4. Distinguished Teacher, Department of Electrical and electronics Engineering, Shiraz University of Technology, 2020
5. Iran Nationwide Best Researcher Award in “Engineering”, Ministry of Science Research and Technology, Iran, 2019
6. Young Investigator Award, IEEE-Iran Section, Iran, 2017
7. Winner of International USERN Prize in “Physical Sciences”, Universal Scientific Education and Research Network, 2016
8. Best Paper Award, Int. Symposium on Smart Electric Distribution Systems and Technologies, EDST 2015, 8-11 September 2015, Vienna, Austria, 2015
9. Recipient of Australian Endeavour Research Fellowship, University of Wollongong, Australia, 2015
10. Supervision of the Acknowledged MSc Thesis by "Mohammad-Iman Alizadeh" by Iranian Society of Smart Grids, 2013
11. Recipient of Research Fellowship, Australian Power Quality and Reliability Centre/ University of Wollongong, Australia, 2013
12. Distinguished Researcher, Department of Electrical Engineering, Shiraz University of Technology, 2012-2020
13. Scholarship for PhD program from the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology, 2005
14. First rank Student of MSc Degree in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, 2005
15. Distinguished Researcher, Department of Electrical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, 2004

Principal Investigator:

1. Scheduling of CCHP based DG units in Distribution Networks considering Power Losses and Voltage Profiles, funded by Fars Province Electric Distribution Company, Shiraz, Iran, 2011-2014
2. Feasibility Study of Implementing DGs in Fars Network Enhancing Transmission Capacity (Congestion Management) and Power System Security, funded by Fars Regional Electric Company, Shiraz, Iran, 2011-2014
3. Assessment of Implementation Strategies for Ahwaz Distribution Network Automation Considering Network Load Density, funded by Ahwaz Electric Distribution Company, Ahwaz, Iran, 2015-2017
4. Design and Fabrication of 100 kVAr Static Voltage Compensator (SVC) at 400 V Level, Funded by Iran National Steel Industry Group, Ahwaz, Iran, 2016-2018
5. Revising Operation Procedures and Street Lighting in Distribution Networks, funded by Fars Province Electric Distribution Company, Shiraz, Iran, 2017-2019
6. Analyzing Sympathetic Trips in Sub-Transmission Feeders and Proposing Preventative Solutions, funded by Fars Regional Electric Company, Shiraz, Iran, 2019-2020
7. Analyzing the Effects of External Faults on Voltage Profile of Fajr Jam Gas Refining Company's Internal Electrical Grid and Presentation of Solutions, funded by Fajr Jam Gas Refining Company, Jam, Iran, 2018-2021
8. Comprehensive Techno-Economic Analysis of Distributed Generation in the Power Network of Fars Regional Electricity Company, funded by Fars Regional Electric Company, Shiraz, Iran, 2019-2020
9. Placement of Protective Devices in Yasouj Distribution Network with Reliability and Automation Considerations, funded by Kohkilouyeh-and-BouyerAhmad Province Electric Distribution Company, Yasouj, Iran, 2019-2020

Co-investigator:

1. Co-investigator of “Security constrained reactive power planning with goal of power losses reduction, improvement of network stability and releasing network capacity,” funded by Fars Regional Electric Company, Shiraz, Iran, 2011-2014
2. Co-investigator of "Feasibility Study of Switching Maneuvers in Fars Transmission Grid to Enhance Network Static Voltage Stability and Security,” funded by Fars Regional Electric Company, Shiraz, Iran, 2018-2020
3. Co-investigator of “Optimizing Billing and Customer Electricity Bill Distribution Using Evolutionary Algorithms,” funded by Fars Province Electric Distribution Company, Shiraz, Iran, 2019-20121

International collaborator and senior researcher:

1. Research fellow at ARC Linkage Project: Integration of Solar, Wind and Storage Systems into Distribution Grids for Network Support (Budget: $570,000) (UOW/ Wollongong/Australia)
2. Senior Research Fellow at "Smart system of renewable energy storage based on INtegrated EVs and bAtteries to empower mobile, Distributed, and centralised Energy storage in the distribution grid" (EU H2020 Invade Project) NTNU/Trondheim/Norway)
3. International Collaborator of PTDC/EEI-EEE/29803/2017 (UNiTED) (2018-2021): "Unlocking demand response potential with Next generation innovative optimization Tools Empowering prosumers and Distribution grid benefits" (PI: João Paulo da Silva Catalão)

Participation in Consortium-Based Project Proposal Writing and Securing Fund: 

1. DriVe2X: Delivering Renewal and Innovation to Mass Vehicle Electrification Enabled by V2X Technologies (submitted to HORIZON-CL5-2021-D5-01-03) (21 partners) (10.5 M€) (Granted) (Role: Work Package Leader) (Year: 2021)
2. REEVA: Reliable 6G for Energy Vertical Applications | 3 partners | PI of WP2 | Recently granted by Business Finland | Budget: 1.5 M€
3. COALESCE: Joint Optimization of Data and Energy Networks for digitizing Sustainable Communities (MSCA Staff Exchanges 2022 HORIZON-MSCA-2022-SE-01-01) (»1.6 M€) (Role: Work Package Leader) (Year: 2023)

1. Editor of IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid (since 2020)
2. Editor of Electric Power System Research/Elsevier (since 2023)
3. Editor of IEEE Transactions on Cloud Computing (since 2020)
4. Editor of IEEE Systems Journal (since 2021)
5. Associate Editor of IEEE Access (since 2021)
6. Subject Editor and Associate Editor of IET Generation Transmission Distribution (since 2018)
7. Associate Editor of IET Renewable Power Generation (since 2018)
8. Associate Editor of IET Smart Grid (since 2020)
9. Editor of IEEE Open Access Journal of Power and Energy (since 2019)
10. Associate Editor of Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions of Electrical Engineering (2017-2021)
11. Associate Editor of Energy Research Journal, (2017-2022)
12. Guest Editor of IEEE Open Access Journal of Power and Energy (Special Section on Integrated Resource Planning in Microgrids including Responsive Demand and Energy Storage Options), 2020
13. Guest Editor of IEEE Transactions on Cloud Computing (Special Section on Demand Response Applications of Cloud Computing Technologies), 2020
14. Guest Editor of International Journal of Electrical Power& Energy Systems (Special Section on Power and Energy Systems Operation in Time of Pandemics: Lessons Learned from COVID-19 Lockdown), 2021
15. Guest Editor of IEEE Trans Industrial Informatics (Special Section on Industrial and Commercial Demand Response), 2018
16. Guest Editor of IET Renewable Power Generation (Special Section on Demand Side Management and Market Design for Renewable Energy Support and Integration), 2018

I have seamlessly transitioned my expertise into the industrial realm, where I assumed roles as a consultant and board member for several companies during my tenure at SUTech in Iran. In these capacities, I provided invaluable expert guidance on green electrification and integration of renewables to energy systems energy, underscoring my ability to collaborate effectively within industrial teams and deliver strategic insights that catalyse project success.