Takao Nakagaki is a Professor at the School of Creative Science and Engineering , Waseda University, with a focus on Catalyst and resource chemical processes , Energy chemistry , and Thermal engineering . Holding a Dr.Eng. from Waseda University, he contributes to academic societies as a member of the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME) and the Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan (SCEJ). Research interests center on carbon capture and utilization (CCU) , chemical looping processes , exergy analysis , and thermal energy systems . His work explores innovative methods for CO2 mineralization using industrial byproducts, high-temperature CO2 separation with lithium silicate, and integration of nuclear and chemical processes for ironmaking. Scientific awards include the Gas Turbine Society of Japan Technology Award (2008) JSME Encouragement Award (1999) Key projects involve numerical modeling of CO2 absorption in porous sorbents, development of chemically recuperated gas turbines for DME fuel, and Aspen Plus simulations for active carbon recycling systems. His collaborations span institutions like Osaka University and Toshiba Corporation, with a focus on energy system design and industrial ecology .
Professor Yasuhiro Hayashi is a distinguished academic at Waseda University's School of Advanced Science and Engineering, where he serves as Professor in the Faculty of Science and Engineering and Director of the Smart Society Technology Integration Research Institute (ACROSS). He holds leadership positions including Vice President of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan (since 2025.06) and Chair of the Utsunomiya Zero Carbon Promotion Council (since 2023.02). His educational background includes a Ph.D. from Waseda University (1993), following undergraduate and graduate studies at the same institution. Prior academic appointments include Associate Professor at University of Fukui (2000-2009) and Lecturer at Ibaraki University (1997-2000). Professor Hayashi's research focuses on energy management systems, power engineering, and renewable energy integration. His work spans critical areas including optimization of advanced electrical energy systems, cooperative operation and control of distributed generation, photovoltaic systems integration, CO2 emissions reduction, and climate change mitigation. He has made significant contributions to smart grid technology, demand-side management, and zero-carbon transition initiatives, with particular emphasis on practical implementation through smart meter data analysis and real-world demonstration projects. His publication record is extensive, with 365 papers according to Scopus (citation count: 3,423, h-index: 27) and even more according to Google Scholar (citation count: 12,332, h-index: 51, i10-index: 253). His recent work demonstrates strong focus on practical applications of smart meter data for urban carbon intensity analysis, electric transportation integration, and advanced control strategies for distributed energy resources in real distribution networks. Best Paper Award from Big Earth Data Journal (2024) Best Paper Award for 'Development of Evaluation Process for Demand-Side Resilience against Power Outage' (2023) The Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education (2019) Multiple Waseda Research Awards (2014-2019) Distinguished Paper Award from the IEE of Japan (2008) Professor Hayashi serves on numerous high-impact committees including as Special Commissioner of the Electricity and Gas Trading Surveillance Commission under METI, Chair of the Energy-Resource-Aggregation-Business-Forum at ACROSS, and leadership roles in developing Japan's smart grid standards and distributed energy resource policies. His work bridges academic research with practical policy implementation in Japan's energy transition, with recent focus on sector coupling between transportation and energy systems, advanced data analytics for grid operations, and practical implementation strategies for achieving Net Zero emissions in urban environments.
Andrey Bernstein is a Senior Researcher and Group Manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and a Lecturer at the University of Colorado Boulder. Since 2016 he has led NREL’s Grid Modernization research thrust on power systems engineering, focusing on decision-making, optimization and machine-learning methods for energy systems. Education: Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Research Interests: Bernstein’s work centers on the intersection of control theory, optimization, machine learning and power systems . Key themes include adaptive decision-making in complex stochastic environments, distributed optimization algorithms for real-time operation of distribution networks, market design for transactive energy systems, data-driven state estimation, and advanced inverter control strategies enabling high renewable penetration. His recent publications (2024-2025) collectively push toward decentralized, learning-based, and robust solutions for next-generation power grids. Themes span decentralized market mechanisms that respect network constraints, distributionally robust optimization for secure voltage control, dynamic pricing schemes maximizing social welfare in energy-sharing communities, and grid-forming inverter control strategies that reshape system-wide dynamic response. Scientific Awards & Honors: NREL Distinguished Member of Research Staff (2022) NREL President’s Award (2018) NREL President’s Award (2021) Affiliations & Service: Bernstein is an active member of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), participating in multiple technical committees and collaborative networks within NREL and across international institutions.
Dr. Masoud H. Nazari is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Wayne State University's College of Engineering. His research focuses on resilience and optimization of modern power systems through applications of stochastic hybrid systems, machine learning, and control theory. He holds leadership positions including Chair of IEEE Smart Buildings, Loads, and Consumer Systems Architecture Subcommittee and serves on IEEE Technology Conferences editorial boards. Education: Ph.D. in Electrical & Computer Engineering/Engineering & Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University (2012), with visiting research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. M.S. in Engineering & Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University (2010). Research Focus: Primary interests include modern power systems resilience, stochastic hybrid systems, large-scale grid optimization, AI-enabled community resilience assessment, cyber-physical systems, and IoT applications in energy management. His work bridges theoretical control systems with practical energy infrastructure challenges. Publication Trends: Recent articles demonstrate strong focus on distributed control systems, resilience engineering in power grids, AI/ML applications for anomaly detection and optimization, and microgrid management. Work frequently addresses communication failures, stochastic variations, and cyber-physical security challenges in energy systems. Awards and Honors: WSU Excellence in Teaching Award (2024) Top 10 Team - ARPA-E Grid Optimization Challenge (2022-23) DTE E-Challenge Winner (2022) IEEE Senior Member (2019) Best Paper Award - North American Power Symposium (2017) Research Leadership: Principal Investigator for NSF AMPS ($200K): Stochastic contingency detection in power systems Co-PI for DOE RACER ($1M): Energy-water nexus resilience planning PI for ARPA-E Grid Optimization Challenge ($400K) Led DTE E-Challenge project developing AI-controlled HVAC systems Research Group: Leads the Modern Power Systems research team with current PhD students Hamid Varmazyari and Antar Kumar Biswas. Former advisees include Dr. Siyu Xie (now Assistant Professor in China) and multiple graduate/undergraduate researchers. The group focuses on control algorithms, resilience analytics, and optimization frameworks for power infrastructure.
Dr. Ryszard Rolbiecki serves as Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Transportation Policy and Economic Integration at the Faculty of Economics, University of Gdańsk. His academic profile centers on transportation systems with active consultation hours scheduled through 2025 across multiple study formats. His research spans Transportation Policy , Inland Waterway Transport , and Sustainable Logistics , with specialized focus on Poland's Vistula River corridor. Recent work examines climate change impacts on waterways, port-hinterland connectivity for Gdańsk/Gdynia ports, and stakeholder adoption of sustainable logistics in port cities. His publications consistently address the economic integration of inland shipping within multimodal supply chains while analyzing regulatory frameworks and infrastructure requirements. Analysis of his 2021-2025 publications reveals three dominant trends: 1) Competitive positioning of inland waterways against road/rail transport through cost-benefit analyses; 2) Climate resilience strategies for waterway infrastructure; 3) Metropolitan logistics innovation in Baltic port cities. The Vistula River's development potential remains his primary geographic focus across 75% of recent works. No information regarding student supervision, grant funding, or laboratory affiliations appears in available sources. Similarly, details about academic awards or professional societies remain undocumented in current records.
Bryan Watson is an Assistant Professor of Systems Engineering in the College of Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, affiliated with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. His work bridges systems engineering, resilience, and sustainable design, with applications in manufacturing, energy, and infrastructure systems. B.S. in Systems Engineering, United States Naval Academy (2009) M.S. in Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology His research focuses on enhancing the resilience of Systems of Systems through biologically inspired design, sustainable development, and distributed demand estimation. He integrates principles from nature to improve reliability, safety, and sustainability in interconnected systems. His interdisciplinary work spans mechanical, electrical, and industrial engineering domains. The recent publications highlight a strong trend in resilience engineering, sustainable systems design, and biologically inspired solutions. Key domains include smart grids, manufacturing networks, aerospace systems, and cyber-physical infrastructures. The research emphasizes modeling, optimization, fault tolerance, and human-centered design, often leveraging systems thinking and model-based approaches. Nuclear Professional Engineer Certification Master Training Specialist Certification (military’s highest instructor accreditation) Naval Achievement Medal (x2) Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal Naval Commendation Medal 2024 ERAU College of Engineering Teacher of the Year 2024 ERAU Research Mentor of the Year 2022-2023 ERAU Outstanding Small Teaching Practice Award Bryan Watson is an active mentor and educator, recognized for excellence in teaching and research guidance. He leads student projects in systems engineering and resilience, and his grants support innovation in sustainable and adaptive systems. Though specific grant titles are not listed, his recognition as Research Mentor of the Year underscores his leadership in student development and sponsored research. His work is associated with the Computation and Advancement of Sustainable Systems Lab and the Sustainable Design and Manufacturing Lab during his doctoral studies. At Embry-Riddle, he continues to develop frameworks for resilient, user-safe, and sustainable systems, likely leading a research group focused on systems-of-systems engineering and bio-inspired design.
Flavio Caresana is an Associate Professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (DIISM) within the Faculty of Engineering at Università Politecnica delle Marche (UNIVPM) in Ancona, Italy. His academic work focuses on energy systems with particular emphasis on sustainable technologies and environmental applications. Professor Caresana's research spans multiple areas of energy engineering, with primary focus on heat pump systems , hydrogen storage technologies , renewable energy integration , and energy recovery systems . His work combines theoretical modeling with experimental validation, particularly in the areas of thermal engineering and sustainable energy systems. He has developed methodologies for multi-objective optimization of energy systems, techno-economic analysis of emerging technologies, and dynamic control strategies for energy storage solutions. His recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward addressing climate change mitigation through technological innovation. Key research themes include the integration of renewable energy sources into building systems, carbon-neutral urban planning, and the development of efficient energy storage solutions. Professor Caresana's work often bridges theoretical engineering principles with practical applications in the energy sector. Professor Caresana maintains an active research profile with numerous publications in international journals and conference proceedings. His work contributes significantly to the fields of thermal engineering, sustainable energy systems, and environmental technology.
Pere Colet Rafecas is an Associate Professor at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) and a Research Professor at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) since 2007. His work spans statistical and nonlinear physics , with applications to optical systems , power grid stability , and human mobility analysis . He leads the Complex Systems and Sociotechnical Applications (CSSA) research group. PhD in Physics (UIB, 1991) Postdoctoral Fellowship at Georgia Tech (Fulbright, 1992-1994) His research focuses on noise-sustained structures , synchronization of chaotic systems , and delay effects in optoelectronic devices . Recent work integrates geolocated data to model socio-technical systems , including renewable energy grids and urban mobility. Key projects include: APASOS : Physics of socio-technical systems MdM-IFISC : Excellence grant for complex systems research SIESTA : Secure data analytics in European energy grids He has supervised four completed PhD theses and currently mentors two PhD candidates , with publications in Nature Communications , Physical Review Letters , and IEEE Transactions . His work has accumulated over 5,600 Google Scholar citations and a h-index of 35 .
Professor Torben Bach Pedersen at Aalborg University's Department of Computer Science within The Technical Faculty of IT and Design is a leading expert in Data Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Energy Systems. With over 394 publications and 19 completed projects, he directs research at the Daisy – Center for Data-intensive Systems and leads innovations in energy flexibility and smart grid technologies. Key research areas: Data Warehousing, AI/ML, Energy Systems, Smart Grids Major projects: domOS (Smart Building OS), FEVER (Virtual Power Plants), DiCyPS (Cyber-Physical Systems) His research spans data-intensive systems, AI applications in energy management, and smart infrastructure development. Recent work focuses on transformer-based network AI and energy flexibility metrics. Scientific recognition includes: Æresdoktor (Honorary Doctor) at TU Dresden (2021) Best Paper Award Runner-Up (2019) WWW 2017 Best Demo Award Best Poster Award World Smart Grid Forum (2013) Member of Danish Academy of Technical Sciences (2013) As principal investigator and supervisor in 17 PhD projects, he advances AI-driven solutions for 6G wireless systems, smart buildings, and energy market optimization.
Professor David Robinson is a leading academic in housing and urban studies at the University of Sheffield's School of Geography and Planning. With a career spanning two decades at Sheffield Hallam University's Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research and leadership roles as Head of Geography and Urban Studies & Planning departments at Sheffield, he operates at the intersection of planning, geography, and social policy. PhD in Geography, University of Edinburgh Undergraduate in Geography, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne His research focuses on urban inequality, social justice in housing systems, and housing challenges for an ageing population. He critically examines policy responses to migration, community cohesion, and neoliberal housing reforms through extensive publications and projects like the UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence (CaCHE). Recent work analyzes racial inequality in housing policy and pandemic-era spatial practices in compact homes. Current research projects include: UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence , and recent publications explore housing aspirations, urban rhythms during crises, and specialist housing for older adults. His scientific recognition includes Fellowship in the Academy of Social Sciences and editorial leadership roles for Housing Studies journal. Professor Robinson supervises doctoral research and teaches modules on housing inequalities (GPL313), urban planning (GPL121), and housing policy (GPL451). He contributes to reports evaluating older people's housing needs, migration housing challenges, and community cohesion strategies.
Calvin Tsay is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in the Computational Optimisation Group at Imperial College London, holding the BASF/RAEng Senior Research Fellowship in Scale-Bridging Modelling. Education: PhD Chemical Engineering (UT Austin 2020), BS/BA (Rice University 2015). Research develops optimization methods bridging machine learning and process systems engineering. Specializes in mixed-integer programming for neural networks and Bayesian optimization for energy applications. Awards: President's Medal for Early Career Researcher RAEng Senior Research Fellowship CACE Best Paper (2023) COIN-OR Cup (2022) Leads research on AI-driven chemical process optimization. Supervises PhD students in ML optimization and process control. Collaborates with BASF on industrial applications.
Marco MAMEI is a Full Professor at the Department of Engineering Sciences and Methods (DISMI) of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. His research focuses on digital twins, pervasive computing, and smart city technologies. He leads projects like NOUS (European cloud services) and MODENA AUTOMOTIVE SMART AREA, emphasizing Industry 5.0 and human-centric manufacturing. MAMEI teaches courses on Data Science, Pervasive Computing, and Cloud Services in Management and Engineering programs. His work bridges IoT, edge computing, and AI to solve challenges in energy systems, urban mobility, and disaster management. Roles: Full Professor, DISMI Director Affiliations: NOUS Project Lead, MODENA AUTOMOTIVE SMART AREA Research spans: IoT/Edge/Cloud Continuum Digital Twin Entanglement Metrics (ODTE) AI-Driven Telecom Security Smart Grid Optimization Publications (2025): 8+ papers on digital twin applications, accessibility theory, energy forecasting, and pandemic modeling. Recent work emphasizes fluid computing architectures and federated learning in decentralized systems. Teaching includes: Data Science & Management Pervasive Computing Programming Fundamentals Student reception: Mondays 14-17.
Dr. Jian Liu is an Assistant Research Professor at the Kummer Institute Center for Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Missouri S&T and another Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. His research focuses on artificial intelligence, energy systems optimization, and operations research with applications in sustainable energy, queueing theory, and supply chain management. He has held visiting positions at prestigious institutions including Penn State University and Tsinghua University. Research Interests: Artificial Intelligence (Explainable AI, Reinforcement Learning) Energy Economics (Electricity Markets, Renewable Integration) Behavioral Operations (Queueing Systems, Fairness in Service) Complex System Optimization (Supply Chains, Manufacturing) Publications reflect expertise in AI applications for edge computing, energy storage optimization, and behavioral queueing models. Recent work addresses fairness in service systems, dynamic pricing strategies, and multi-period energy dispatch optimization. His research spans interdisciplinary areas including smart grids, sustainable materials, and industrial process optimization. Liu has advised multiple collaborative projects at the intersection of AI and energy systems. His work has been published in top journals like Applied Energy and IEEE Transactions on Power Systems .
Vatsal Maru is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Information Systems at the Jindal School of Management (JSOM), University of Texas at Dallas. His expertise lies at the intersection of applied machine learning, optimization algorithms, and industrial operations. He holds a PhD in Information Systems (2022), MS (2017), and BE (2013) from Wichita State University and Gujarat Technological University, respectively. His research focuses on leveraging AI and optimization techniques to address complex challenges in supply chain networks, scheduling systems, and cyber-physical frameworks. Key areas include real-time industrial operations, decentralized decision-making, and crisis-resilient logistics. Courses taught include Object-Oriented Programming in Python, Web Analytics, and MIS-related curricula. Maru’s recent work explores deep reinforcement learning applications for aircraft scheduling and vehicle routing optimization, alongside IoT-driven cyber-physical systems for smart manufacturing. His publications emphasize real-world problem-solving, such as improving pandemic-era supply chains and enhancing student outcomes via assessment frameworks. Active in professional organizations like the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and IISE, he bridges academic research with industrial practice. His contributions span over a decade of work in computational intelligence, optimization modeling, and systems design.
Eva Thorin is a Professor at Mälardalen University's Academy of Economics, Society and Technology, serving as Deputy Academy Director and Research Leader for MDU's Future Energy focus area. Her work bridges renewable energy, resource efficiency, and digitalization through interdisciplinary collaborations with academia, industry, and public organizations. PhD in Energy Technology (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) Research focus: Energy conversion processes, biomass gasification, CO2 capture, and biochar applications Project leadership: SYDPOL (power plant optimization), REMOWE (waste-to-energy), EU Horizon Europe SUPREMAS (sludge gasification) International collaborations: Germany (University of Stuttgart), EU-funded initiatives Her research spans thermal/biological biomass conversion, smart energy systems, and circular economy practices. Recent publications emphasize CO2 capture from bioenergy, biochar utilization for wastewater remediation, and integration of renewable technologies with CHP systems. She actively supervises PhD students and manages projects like ELOGE and REMOWE, combining technical innovation with societal sustainability goals. Awards and teaching activities are not explicitly mentioned in the available data.
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