Thomas Overbye

Thomas Overbye is a Professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University, holding the O'Donnell Foundation Chair III and serving as Director of the Smart Grid Center. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and an IEEE Fellow, recognized for contributions to power system resilience and education.

Education:

• Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of Wisconsin (1991)
• M.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Wisconsin (1988)
• B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Wisconsin (1983)

Research Interests: Overbye’s work focuses on power system analysis, grid resiliency, geomagnetic disturbance impacts, electric vehicle integration, and big data applications. His team develops tools for large-scale grid modeling, cybersecurity, and visualization of system behavior.

Key Trends in Publications (2021–2025): Recent work emphasizes synthetic grid creation, renewable energy drought mitigation, and multi-domain resilience strategies. He explores solar eclipse effects on geomagnetic fields and integrates weather data into grid optimization models.

Awards:

• IEEE Fellow (2021)
• Outstanding Power Engineering Educator Award (IEEE)
• Distinguished Achievement Award, UW-Madison College of Engineering
• IEEE Third Millennium Medal

Grants & Labs: Leads the Smart Grid Center at Texas A&M, focusing on cyber-physical systems and grid security. Collaborates with industry on GMD vulnerability assessments and grid optimization competitions.

Teams: Active in interdisciplinary teams addressing grid resiliency, including the PERFORM consortium and the Grid Optimization (GO) Competition. His lab develops tools like the Geomagnetic Disturbance Integrated Tool (GeoIT).