Mike Wagner

Mike Wagner is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He leads the Energy Systems Operations Lab and is affiliated with the Solar Energy Lab and Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium. His research focuses on thermal systems modeling, energy storage optimization, and high-temperature power generation technologies.

Dr. Wagner holds a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2007, 2008) and a Ph.D. from Colorado School of Mines (2017). Prior to UW-Madison, he spent 11 years as a senior researcher and PI at NREL’s Thermal Systems group.

His research spans renewable energy systems, battery testing, and hybrid generation technologies. Recent work includes nuclear-solar integration, molten salt thermal storage, and AI-driven control systems for power plants.

• Awards: PECASE (2019), NREL President’s Award (2019), and multiple NREL recognition awards.

He teaches courses in heat transfer (ME 364), graduate research (ME 790/890), and nuclear engineering (NE 790). His lab develops tools like SRLIFE, SolarPILOT, and SAM for energy system modeling and optimization.