Nikolaos Gatsis

Nikolaos Gatsis serves as Associate Professor and GreenStar Endowed Associate Professor in Energy within the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UTSA's Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design. His work centers on optimizing and securing smart power grids integrated with critical infrastructure systems including water, transportation, and GPS networks.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering with minor in Mathematics, University of Minnesota, 2012
• Diploma in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Patras, Greece

His research program tackles critical vulnerabilities in cyber-physical systems through six interconnected domains: smart grid modeling, water distribution security, transportation electrification impacts, inverter-based grid protection, stochastic renewable integration, and GPS spoofing defense. This multidisciplinary approach addresses systemic risks in modern infrastructure through advanced optimization and security frameworks.

Recognition includes:

• NSF CAREER Award (2019)
• Lutcher Brown Endowed Fellowship (2020-2021)
• Teaching Excellence Award (2021)
• President’s Research Achievement Award (2021)
• Annual Innovation Award (2022)

Funded by the NSF CAREER grant and institutional fellowships, his research group develops security protocols for interdependent infrastructure systems. His lab facilities support experimental validation of grid protection mechanisms and spoofing countermeasures, training engineers for next-generation energy challenges.