Ali Mehrizi-Sani, Ph.D.
Professor
Director, Power and Energy Center (PEC)
Resilient Renewable Energy Grid Adaptation Laboratory (REGAL)
The Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Virginia Tech
Professor
Director, Power and Energy Center (PEC)
Resilient Renewable Energy Grid Adaptation Laboratory (REGAL)
The Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Virginia Tech
Dr. Ali Mehrizi-Sani
Professor, Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Director, Power and Energy Center (PEC): Link
Director, Virginia Power Analytics & Cybersecurity (VPAC) Service Center: Link
Director, Resilient Renewable Energy Grid Adaptation Laboratory (REGAL)
In numbers: as of April 2025,
total funds at home institution: $13M;
citations: 9900+; h-index: 34; i10-index: 79;
journals papers: 98; conference papers: 102;
PhD students graduated: 8; MSc students graduated: 10.
Citizenship: United States
428 Whittemore Hall
1185 Perry Street
Power and Energy Center (PEC)
Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Tel: +1 (540) 231-4492 (email is highly preferred; I am frequently on travel in different timezones.)
Email: mehrizi@vt.edu
Website (VT) :: Website (Personal) :: Google Scholar
REGAL Guide on Technical Writing: PDF (last updated February 2023)
REGAL Ground Rules: PDF (last updated August 2024)
At almost any given time, I have several funded PhD positions in my lab. If you would like to join my lab (and are a self-motivated, initiative-taker, coding-lover student), after applying to VT, please fill out the form at https://forms.gle/S4zNE5mhJyvLK6sj8.
See the ECE admission requirements at https://ece.vt.edu/grad/manual/page3.html.
This helps make the admission process (and my email inbox) more organized!
Grid/microgrid integration of inverter-based renewables, especially in low-inertia systems, as grid-forming inverters;
High-performance controls, including machine learning for black-boxed systems;
Cybersecurity of communication-based control and protection methods using 5G and beyond.
Industry and Short Courses
Introduction to PSCAD for Power System EMT Studies: Outline and Information
Grid-Forming Inverters
Undergraduate
ECE 3004 AC Circuits Analysis (VT)
ECE 4324 Microgrids (VT)
EE 486 Power Electronics (WSU)
EE 492 Renewable Energy Resources (WSU)
EE 361 Electric Power Systems (WSU)
Electric Machines (ESIGELEC, France)
Electric Power Networks (ESIGELEC, France)
Electric Machines and Drives (TU Graz, Austria)
Intro to Electric Drives (TU Graz, Austria)
Graduate
ECE 5344 GFM for HVDC, FACTS and Renewables (VT)
Power System Applications of Power Electronics (WSU)
FACTS Devices (TU Graz, Austria)
Director, Power and Energy Center, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (Aug. 2024 to Present).
Professor, The Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (Jul. 2024 to Present).
Associate Professor, The Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA (Aug. 2019 to Jul. 2024).
Associate Professor, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Washington State University, Pullman, WA (Aug. 2018 to Aug. 2019).
Assistant Professor, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Washington State University, Pullman, WA (Jan. 2012 to Aug. 2018).
Visiting Professor, Electric Drives and Machines Institute, Technische Universitït Graz (TU Graz), Graz, Austria (Nov. 2014, Jan. 2016, Nov.-Dec. 2016, and May 2018).
Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON (2011).
Connaught Scholar
M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB (2007).
Best Thesis Award • Work incorporated in PSCAD X4
B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran (2005).
B.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology and Petroleum University of Technology, Tehran, Iran (2005).
2025: VT COE Excellence in Research Award
2023: VT COE Dean's Fellow
2023: VT COE Dean's List of Instructors
2023: VT Research and Innovation Excellence Recognition
2018: IEEE PES Outstanding Young Engineer Award
2018: ASEE PNW Outstanding Teaching Award
2017: IEEE Mac E. Van Valkenburg Early Career Teaching Award
2017: WSU EECS Early Career Excellence in Research Award
2016: WSU VCEA Reid Miller Excellence in Teaching Award
2016: WSU EECS Teaching Excellence Award
2015: IEEE PES PSDP Technical Committee Working Group Recognition Award
2014: NAE Frontiers of Engineering Education Participant
2011: NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
2007-2011: Connaught Scholar
2007: Dennis Woodford Prize
Doctoral Students
Michael Lindemann (VT); 2025--Present
Milad Beikbabaei (VT); 2022--Present
Naser Souri (VT); 2022--Present
Ehsan Fouladi (VT); 2021--Present
Fatemeh Sharifi (VT); 2021--Present
Ashwin Venkataramanan (VT); 2021--Present
Ardavan Mohammadhassani (VT); 2019--2023
Thesis title: "Protection and cybersecurity in inverter-based microgrids"
Mohammad Mousavi (WSU); 2016--2020
Thesis title: “Design and implementation of high-efficiency power converters”
Parisa Shabestari ( WSU); 2016--2020
Thesis title: “Control of Uncertain Grid-Connected Inverters for Renewable Energy Applications”;
Armin Teymouri (WSU); 2016--2020
Thesis title: "Power electronics converters for renewable applications under sensor malfunctions and cyber threats”
Hooman Ghaffarzadeh (WSU); 2014--2019
Thesis title: “Advanced control strategies for renewable energy systems.”
Saleh Ziaeinejad (WSU); 2016--2018
Thesis title: “Control of voltage-sourced converters considering internal constraints.”
Younes Sangsefidi (WSU); 2016--2018
Thesis title: “Step-up modular multilevel converters for energy harvesting from low-voltage energy resources”;
Mehrdad Yazdanian (WSU); 2012--2016
Thesis title: “Advanced control strategies for inverter-based microgrids”;
Master's Students
Caroline Larsen (VT); 2024--Present
Brian Kwiatkowski (VT); 2023--2024.
Thesis title: "Reinforcement Learning for the Cybersecurity of Grid-Forming and Grid-Following Inverters";
Hossein Amini (VT); 2022--2024.
Thesis title: "Islanding Detection and Cybersecurity in Inverter-Based Microgrids Under a High-Noise Environment";
Bradey Alexander (VT); 2023-2024.
Thesis title: "Protection and cybersecurity of inverter-based resources";
Sengal Ghidewon-Abay (VT); 2021--2022
Thesis title: "Control of grid-connected converters using deep learning";
Rahul Iyer (VT); 2019--2021
Thesis title: "5G schedulers for distributed control in microgrids";
Faris Alatar (VT); 2020--2021
Thesis title: "Frequency scan–based mitigation approach of subsynchronous control interaction in type-3 wind turbines";
Sidhaarth Venkatachari (VT); 2019--2021
Thesis title: “Application of neural networks to inverter-based resources”;
Asal Zabetian (WSU); 2016--2018
Thesis title: “Model predictive control of DC microgrid”;
Rabia Khan (WSU); 2015--2017
Thesis title: “Fault current limitation using a saturable reactor”;
Saleh Ziaeinejad (WSU); 2013--2015
Thesis title: “Multilevel voltage-sourced converters for grid applications”;
Younes Sangsefidi (WSU); 2013--2015
Thesis title: “Predictive control of grid-connected voltage-sourced converters”;
Chris Stone (WSU); 2012--2014
Thesis title: “Design and real-time validation of set point modulation-based control strategies for power system applications”;
Dr. Kambiz Tehrani (ESIGELEC, France)