BIO

Nathan was born and raised in Ghent, Belgium. He pursued his studies in Electrical Engineering at the University of Leuven, Belgium. In 2020, he was awarded the prestigious Belgian American Educational Foundation Fellowship, which took him to the University of Minnesota for a year as a visiting researcher. There, he focused on advanced energy systems and grid technologies.

In 2022, Nathan earned his Ph.D. from the University of Leuven and soon returned to the USA as a Director’s Fellow at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). His current research focuses on integrating renewable energy sources into the electric grid, contributing to the future of sustainable energy.

Outside of his academic career, Nathan is very engaged in sports. As a former elite springboard diver, he represented Belgium at the 2021 Diving World Cup in Tokyo. Now retired from elite competition, he shares his passion for the sport by coaching young athletes, aged 6 to 18, helping them reach their full potential.

ABSTRACT

From the moment we wake up, nearly everything we do relies on a stable and reliable electric grid. Historically, large power plants with synchronous generators have successfully provided consistent and dependable electric energy. However, as we transition to renewable energy sources like wind and solar—which are inherently variable and volatile—the grid increasingly depends on power-electronic inverters to integrate these renewables. This shift from synchronous generators to power-electronic inverters poses a risk to grid stability and could lead to blackouts unless we rethink how these inverters are designed and controlled. In my research, I design innovative ways to control inverters to ensure that the grid of the future remains stable, even during severe disturbances. With these advancements, no matter what the coming decades bring, we will keep the lights on.