Rakesh Patekar

Dr. Rakesh Patekar serves as a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Center for Microgrid Research within the School of Engineering at the University of St. Thomas. He joined the center in November 2024 and actively advances research on microgrid controllers and real-time simulation technologies.

His educational background includes:

• PhD in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India
• M.Tech in Integrated Power Systems from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, India
• BE in Electrical Engineering from Government College of Engineering, Aurangabad, India

Dr. Patekar's research focuses on enhancing power system reliability through microgrid control, anti-islanding techniques, and renewable energy integration. His expertise spans Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) methodologies including Controller Hardware-in-the-Loop (CHIL), Power Hardware-in-the-Loop (PHIL), and digital twin validation for modern grid architectures with high distributed energy resource penetration.

At the Center for Microgrid Research, he supervises master's and undergraduate students while contributing to IEEE Power & Energy Society and Industrial Electronics Society initiatives. His work bridges theoretical innovation with practical grid resilience solutions for evolving energy landscapes.