Jay Taneja

Jay Taneja is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst. He holds an adjunct appointment in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. His research focuses on applying computing tools like IoT, machine learning, and remote sensing to measure and improve infrastructure systems in both developed and developing regions, including energy grids, transportation, water, and sanitation.

Dr. Taneja leads the STIMA Lab, which explores innovative solutions for infrastructure challenges through interdisciplinary projects such as predicting electricity consumption growth in low-income communities, enhancing grid reliability via smartphone-based sensing, and using satellite imagery to assess road quality. He has advised over 30 students, including PhD candidates and undergraduates, and collaborates with institutions like Columbia University and the University of Washington.

His work has been published in top venues like BuildSys, IEEE SmartGridComm, and Applied Energy. Notable contributions include developing frameworks for subsidy estimation in rural electrification and detecting power outages using crowdsourced data. Awards include the Best Paper Runner-Up at BuildSys 2023 and recognition for innovative sensor network designs.

Taneja earned his PhD and MS in Computer Science from UC Berkeley and a BS in Electrical & Computer Engineering from The Ohio State University. He teaches courses on decarbonization, energy networks, and engineering fundamentals.