Visiting Research Collaborator and Non-Resident Fellow, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, Princeton University, Princeton NJ, USA (2025-2026)
Consultant, Five Dimensions Energy, Princeton NJ, USA (2024-2025)
Associate Professor, Missouri University of Science and Technology (Formerly known as University of Missouri - Rolla), Rolla, USA (2023-present)
Assistant Professor, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, USA (2017-2023)
Research interests include, but not limited to, computation, optimization and economics in power system operation and planning; high performance computing; electricity market simulation, evaluation and design.
Economic Studies Engineer (2009), Senior Engineer (2013) and Principal Engineer (2016), Midcontinent Independent System Operator (Formerly known as Midwest ISO, or MISO), Eagan, USA (2009 - 2017)
Use industrial-strength power system and electricity market simulation/analysis tools including POWERBASE, PROMOD and PSS/E to develop business cases and perform economic benefit studies for transmission upgrade projects/portfolios (whose costs typically range from several hundred million to several billion dollars) for various initiatives in Midwest ISO which supports the reliable delivery of electricity in 15 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba.
Project manager of MISO Market Efficiency Planning Study – Midwest Region, and 2013 PROMOD Benchmark Study. Participated and responsible for various regional and inter-regional planning efforts including Candidate Multi-Value Project (MVP) Portfolio Study, MISO Target Appendix A Economic Benefit Analysis, Joint MISO-PJM Planning Study, MISO Regional Transmission Overlay Study (RTOS), etc.
Research on new optimization method, process and framework for economic transmission planning.
Research on methodology for transmission usage quantification and cost allocation of transmission upgrade.
Noteworthy Accomplishments:
A main contributor in identifying and justifying Petersburg-Wheatland-Breed 345 kV and Petersburg-Cato Tap-Duff 138 kV upgrade project, which was approved by MISO Board of Directors in 2012 to become the second MISO Market Efficiency Project .
Established a streamlined QA/QC process in quality control of the PROMOD Model Building process, for which received 2012 MISO Outstanding Performance Award.
Proposed and developed Estimated Potential Benefit (EPB) concept for congested flowgate ranking, and the concept has been adopted in 2013 MISO Transmission Expansion Planning process.
Proposed and developed Line Outage Distribution Factor (LODF)-based transmission issue grouping method and transmission solution screening method. The methods have been adopted in 2014 MISO Transmission Expansion Planning process.
Led a study team and successfully finished a highly challenging project "PROMOD Benchmark Study" in 2015. After intensive investigation and numerous testing and refinement, the gap between simulation model and historical actuals was significantly reduced from 72% to 24%, for which received 2015 MISO Outstanding Performance Award.
As the project manager for MTEP16 Market Congestion Planning Study, led a study team to evaluate a large number of transmission projects and successfully justified and recommended a Market Efficiency Project, 38.5 miles Huntley to Wilmarth 345 kV transmission line project with an estimated cost of $80.9 million, for MISO Board of Director's approval. The project was approved by MISO Board of Directors in December 2016.
Conducted a first-ever Eastern Interconnection wide Transmission Utilization Analysis (Loop Flow Analysis) for an 8760-hour simulation time horizon.
Project Leader and Software Architect, Shenzhen Cermate Technologies Inc, China (2004-2005)
Led a 4-person software development team in researching and developing a Human Machine Interface (HMI) firmware and a PC software for industrial-use touch screens.
Successfully deployed uC/OS-II (a real-time embedded operating system) on touch screen hardware, developed HMI firmware and HMI PC software which allows the users to customize control process, translate the process into command files and transfer the files into touch screens to be executed by the firmware.
Software R&D Engineer, ZTE Corporation, China (2003-2004)
A team member of the R&D group from Nanjing, Shenzhen (China) and San Diego (USA) divisions of ZTE Corporation. Participated in developing ZTE CDMA2000 1X Mobile Communication System and GoTa (Global Open Trunking Architecture) system, which is the world´s first CDMA2000-based new-generation digital trunking system.
Designed and developed a highly reusable and expandable software architecture for mobile phone user profile and account management system which was considered for inclusion in ZTE Standard Template Library.
Jan. 2006 ~ Aug.2009 Graduate Research Assistant of Dr. Li, Fangxing
Oct. 2000 ~ Mar. 2003 Graduate Research Assistant of Prof. Li, Yang
Power System Tools: PROMOD/Powerbase, Energy Velocity Suite, MapInfo, MATPOWER, PSS/E, PSLF
Programming Language: C++, Java, C
Software IDE: Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0, Borland C++ Builder, Sybase Powerbuilder
Operating System: uC/OS-II (real-time embedded OS)
Database: Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase
Software Engineering Tools: ClearCase & ClearQuest, VSS & Mantis
Software Engineering Process Management: Acquaintance with CMM2 and CMM3, experience in XP (eXtreme Programming). Personal favorites include Test Driven Unit, Design Pattern, Refactoring.