Seyed Ali Arefifar

Seyed Ali Arefifar is an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at the College of Innovation and Technology, University of Michigan-Flint. He holds a PhD in Energy Systems from the University of Alberta (2010) and has previously worked as an NSERC Visiting Fellow (2011-2014) and Postdoctoral Research/Teaching Fellow at the University of British Columbia (2014-2016). Before joining UM-Flint in January 2024, he served as an Associate Professor at Oakland University (2016-2024).

• Fields of Interest: Renewable Energy, Power Electronics, Electric Vehicles, Smart Grids, Microgrids, Optimization
• Grants: $219,131 (MTRAC 2025-2026), $57,500 (MTRAC 2024), $30,000 (UM-Flint 2024)

His recent research focuses on power grid resilience, renewable integration, and electric vehicle impacts on distribution systems. Key trends include multi-MG microgrid design, GPU-accelerated power flow solutions, and harmonic mitigation in EV charging infrastructure.

Scientific awards:

• IEEE Senior Member (2017)

Grants & Funding:

• Harmonic and Thermal Optimization for EV Charging (MTRAC 2025-2026, $219,131)
• Harmonic Mitigation in EV Chargers (MTRAC 2024-2025, $57,500)
• Power Quality in Renewable Energy Systems (UM-Flint 2024-2025, $30,000)
• Co-I on NSF proposals for ComPEET ($400,000) and EMPOWER ($400,000)