Zhihua Qu

Zhihua Qu is the Thomas J. Riordan and Herbert C. Towle Chair & Pegasus Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Central Florida (UCF). He earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 1990 and has held leadership roles including Chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (2010-2021). His research focuses on energy systems, networked control, and distributed optimization with applications to smart grids, autonomous systems, and medical robotics. Dr. Qu leads major initiatives like RISES (Research Initiative for Sustainable Energy Systems) and the DOE-funded FEEDER Center, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across institutions and industries.

Education: Ph.D. Electrical Engineering (Georgia Tech, 1990). Research interests include control theory, resilient cyber-physical systems, and renewable energy integration. He has pioneered modular data-driven control designs, self-organizing microgrids, and distributed energy resource management. His work emphasizes security-resilient grid operations and advanced inverter controls.

Professional Activities: Serves on IEEE Smart Grid committees, NSF Engineering Research Visioning Alliance, and editorial boards of Automatica and IEEE Access. Awards include IEEE/AAAS Fellowships, NASA’s Janowiak Leadership Award, and Lockheed Martin’s Technology Transfer Award.

Key Projects: DOE-funded autonomous inverter controls for grid resilience, scalable distribution system technologies enabling 100% renewable penetration, and cyberattack-resilient distributed control frameworks. His lab develops real-time grid platforms for large-scale network simulations and tests cost-effective energy management strategies.

Labs/Teams: Directs RISES with 16 faculty and 7 labs, and oversees FEEDER Center’s 12-university consortium. Active in industry partnerships with Siemens, Lockheed Martin, and utility companies for applied research in grid security, energy storage, and autonomous systems.