The Power and Energy Systems Group in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering stands as one of North America's largest and most influential research hubs in the field of power engineering. With a comprehensive scope of expertise spanning nearly all areas of power systems, the group is a leader in advancing critical technologies and solutions for the future of energy.
Areas of Focus
Our research encompasses a diverse array of power engineering sub-disciplines, including:
- Power systems (economics, operations, stability, control, dynamics, etc.)
- Power distribution systems
- Power quality and high-voltage engineering
- Electrical insulation
- Applications in biotechnology and nanotechnology
- Power electronics and drives
In recent years, the group has been at the forefront of cutting-edge research on the integration of distributed and renewable energy resources into the grid, with a particular focus on smart grid technologies and the optimization of energy systems.
Our faculty members are internationally recognized leaders in their respective fields, with many holding full professorships. The group is an integral part of the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE), driving forward innovative research that addresses the world's most pressing energy challenges.
We pride ourselves on our state-of-the-art research facilities, which include:
- a modern High Voltage Engineering Laboratory (HVEL)
- a Real-Time Simulator facility
- a Power Electronics Laboratory
- large-scale computational facilities for power systems analysis
Faculty members consistently secure substantial research funding from federal and provincial agencies, as well as industry contracts. The group maintains strong international collaborations and industrial partnerships, contributing to the global advancement of power engineering and sustainable energy systems.
Our group attracts a dynamic and diverse body of graduate students across a range of programs, including:
- MEng (Sustainable Energy Certificate)
- On-line MEng (Electric Power Engineering)
- MASc and PhD programs in power and energy systems
Graduate students in our group consistently earn prestigious awards and scholarships, and many go on to secure leading roles in academia, industry, and government, making significant contributions to the field.
The Power and Energy Systems Group is committed to advancing the future of energy through groundbreaking research and the development of the next generation of power engineers. Join us in shaping the energy landscape of tomorrow.
Faculty members participating in power and energy systems research:
Sahar Pirooz Azad
Biography
Dr. Sahar Pirooz Azad received her PhD in Electrical Engineering, specializing in power systems, from the University of Toronto in 2013. Her doctoral research focused on designing advanced control schemes for DC-segmented AC systems to enhance grid stability and prevent large-scale blackouts.
Following her PhD, Dr. Azad was a post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for Applied Power Electronics (CAPE) at the University of Toronto, where she developed controllers with minimal communication requirements to improve the stability of multi-infeed HVDC systems. In 2015, she worked as an experienced researcher at Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven in Belgium, contributing to the Multi-Terminal DC Grid for Offshore Wind (MEDOW) project, a Marie Curie Initial Training Network funded by the European Commission.
From October 2015 to December 2017, Dr. Azad served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta. She joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo in 2018.
Dr. Azad's current research focuses on the protection and control of power systems that integrate High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) lines, with an emphasis on enhancing the stability, reliability, and efficiency of modern electrical grids.
Research interests
- HVDC systems
- Power system protection
- Converter modelling
- Power system Control
Kankar Bhattacharya
Biography
Dr. Kankar Bhattacharya earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, New Delhi, India, in 1993. He began his academic career as a faculty member at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research in Mumbai, India, where he taught from 1993 to 1998. He then joined the Department of Electric Power Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, where he served from 1998 to 2002.
In 2003, Dr. Bhattacharya joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, where he is currently a Full Professor and Chair of the department. Waterloo has recognized his exceptional achievements and pre-eminence in his field by designating him as a University Research Chair.
Dr. Bhattacharya's research focuses on power system economics and operational aspects, with particular emphasis on improving the efficiency, reliability, and sustainability of power systems. His significant contributions to the field were recognized with the 2024 IEEE Canada P.D. Ziogas Electric Power Silver Medal Award.
Beyond his research achievements, Dr. Bhattacharya has received several prestigious awards for his academic contributions. These include the Faculty of Engineering Research Excellence Award, the Faculty of Engineering Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision, and the University of Waterloo Faculty of Engineering Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision. He is also a two-time recipient of the University of Waterloo Outstanding Performance Award, which underscores his exceptional dedication to research, teaching, and mentorship.
Dr. Bhattacharya is a Fellow of the IEEE and a Registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.
Research interests
- Power system operations, economics and planning
- Electricity markets, ancillary services and demand response
- Energy storage systems- integration in power systems and electricity markets
- Smart loads, smart grids and microgrids
Claudio Canizares
Biography
Claudio Cañizares is a University Professor and Hydro One Endowed Chair in the electrical and computer engineering (ECE) department at the University of Waterloo, where he has held various academic and administrative positions since 1993. In 2021, he was appointed the Executive Director of the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE).
He received an electrical engineering degree from the Escuela Politécnica Nacional (EPN) in Quito, Ecuador in 1984, where he held different academic and administrative positions between 1983 and 1993, and his MSc (1988) and PhD (1991) degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the USA.
Dr. Cañizares’ research activities focus on the study of stability, control, optimization, modeling, simulation, and computational issues in bulk power systems, microgrids, and energy systems in the context of competitive energy markets and smart grids. In these areas, he has either led or been an integral part of securing many grants and contracts from government agencies and private companies worth close to $118 million. Dr. Cañizares has collaborated with multiple industry and university researchers in Canada and abroad and supervised/co-supervised nearly 180 research fellows and students. He has authored/co-authored more than 370 publications with over 29,000 citations and a 77 H index in Google Scholar, including journal and conference papers, several technical reports, book chapters, disclosures and patents, and has been invited to deliver over 225 keynote speeches, seminars, tutorials, and presentations at numerous institutions and conferences worldwide. He is the current Editor-In-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineering (IEEE), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and a Fellow of the Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering (CSEE)
Dr. Cañizares is the recipient of the 2017 IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Outstanding Power Engineering Educator Award, the 2016 IEEE Canada Electric Power Medal, and multiple IEEE PES Technical Council and Committee awards and recognitions, holding leadership positions in several IEEE-PES Committees, Working Groups, and Task Forces. In 2021 and 2022, he received the Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision from the University of Waterloo.
Research interests
- Nonlinear systems theory
- Simulation
- FACTS and HVDC applications in power systems
- Computational tools
- Energy systems
- Hybrid and electric vehicles
- Energy storage
- Power systems
- Renewable energy
- Smart buildings
- Smart communities
- Big data/analytics
- Smart grids
- Microgrids
Ayman El-Hag
Biography
Ayman El-Hag received his PhD degree from the University of Waterloo in 2003. He joined the Saudi Transformer Co. as a quality control and testing engineer from 1993 to 1999. His main duties included implementation of ISO 9001 provisions and the testing of distribution transformers as per IEC 60076.
Currently, Dr. El-Hag is an Associate Professor, Teaching Stream in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. His main area of interest is condition monitoring and diagnostics of electrical insulation. Dr. El-Hag received funding from NSERC and the Qatar foundation to conduct research related to the inspection of outdoor ceramic insulators, transformers and the design of non-ceramic insulators. The total value of the funds is more than two million Canadian dollars. He has published many referred journal and conference papers in the area of monitoring of outdoor insulators and transformers.
Dr. El-Hag is a registered engineer in Ontario, a senior member of IEEE, a guest editor for Energies special issue “High Voltage Engineering and Application”, was an associate editor for the IEEE Dielectric and Electrical Insulation Transaction (2018-2019) and the middle east editor for the IEEE Insulation magazine (2016-2018). He is also a member of the IEEE outdoor insulation committee and the IEEE Std 1523 (IEEE Guide for the Application, Maintenance, and Evaluation of Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) Silicone Rubber Coatings for Outdoor Insulation Applications).
Research interests
- Condition monitoring and diagnostics of electrical insulation.
- Partial discharge measurement.
- Design of electrical insulating materials.
- Electric stress control.
- Pulse power technology.
- Energy management and smart grid.
- Power system transients
- Engineering education.
Ramadan El-Shatshat
Biography
Dr. Ramadan El-Shatshat is an Associate Professor (Teaching Stream) and the Director of the Electric Power Engineering program in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. His research focuses on advancing distribution system engineering, with particular emphasis on distribution automation, smart grids, energy management, and the operation and control of distributed generation systems. He also explores the conversion of power from renewable energy sources to grid-quality AC power.
Dr. El-Shatshat is a registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) in the Province of Ontario, Canada. He has authored numerous papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings and has presented his work at national and international conferences.
Research interests
- Planning, operation and control of Power Distribution Systems
- Smart grids and microgrids
- Intelligent Microgrid Operation and Control
- Artificial Intelligence Application to Power Systems
- stochastic and optimization Models for Distribution System Operation and Planning
- Implementation of Optimal Voltage\/Reactive power control
- Wide-scale deployment of wind and solar power and energy storage systems
- Electric Vehicles in Distribution Systems
- Impacts of large solar and wind energy sources on utility grid performance
- Power Quality Analysis
- AI-Based estimation and monitoring techniques
Shesha Jayaram
Biography
Dr. Shesha H. Jayaram is a Professor and the Director of the High Voltage Engineering Laboratory in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. She previously held a University Research Chair and is also an Adjunct Professor at both the University of Guelph and McMaster University. Dr. Jayaram earned her B.A.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from Bangalore University, India, in 1980, her M.A.Sc. degree in high voltage engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in 1983, and her Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo in 1990. Prior to joining the University of Waterloo, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Western Ontario from 1990 to 1992 and an Adjunct Professor from 1992 to 2003.
Dr. Jayaram’s research focuses on high-voltage engineering, insulation diagnostics, solution-based outputs, nanocomposite materials, and pulse power applications in biotechnology and environmental engineering. She has made significant contributions to electrical insulation integrity in power grids, and her research has facilitated technology transfer to industries globally.
An active member of the IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation and Industry Applications Societies, as well as the Electrostatic Society of America, Dr. Jayaram is a Registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario, Canada. She has delivered over 100 invited presentations worldwide and published more than 350 research articles, including approximately 100 in leading journals, mostly in IEEE Transactions. Her innovations have resulted in patents granted in Canada, the USA, Brazil, Japan, and Europe.
Research interests
- Conduction and breakdown mechanisms
- HV stress
- Partial discharge
- Insulation failure
- High voltage engineering applications
- Power supplies
- High voltage testing techniques
- Pulse power applications
- Electrostatics problems
- Energy Systems
- Hybrid and electric vehicles
- Energy storage
- Power systems
- Renewable energy
- Nano-materials
- Non-thermal food processing techniques
- Non-thermal plasma applications
- Nano-fabrication techniques
- Water
Mehrdad Kazerani
Biography
Dr. Mehrdad Kazerani is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. His work spans teaching, theoretical and experimental research in the field of power electronics, and various administrative roles.
Dr. Kazerani’s research interests include the modeling and control of DC/DC converters, voltage-sourced and current-sourced converters, grid integration of renewable energy sources, plug-in and hybrid electric vehicles, energy storage systems, smart battery chargers with V2G capabilities, energy access, and microgrids. His work has been supported by a variety of governmental agencies, such as NSERC, ESTAC, Railpower, OCE, Automotive Partnership Canada, and Natural Resources Canada, as well as industry partners including Hydro One, GM, First Solar, Magna, and Hatch.
He has actively contributed to numerous multidisciplinary projects and has supervised/co-supervised a wide range of post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, visiting scholars, and undergraduate students in both research and Capstone design projects. In addition to his regular teaching, Dr. Kazerani teaches online graduate courses to power industry employees as part of the University of Waterloo's MEng in Power Engineering program.
Dr. Kazerani holds several patents and has authored or co-authored numerous journal and conference papers, as well as technical reports. A Senior Member of IEEE, he has served on several technical sub-committees, organized special sessions at IEEE conferences, and acted as an editor for several special sections and issues of IEEE Transactions, including the IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology.
He has also been the faculty advisor for the University of Waterloo's Alternative Fuels Team (UWAFT) and Formula Electric Vehicle team, and has served as an investigator for the Association of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO). Dr. Kazerani is a registered Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) in Ontario and has participated in review panels for national research foundations in several countries.
Research interests
- power electronic converter modeling and control
- energy storage systems
- utility integration of renewable energy sources
- plugin electric, hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles
- microgrids
- energy access
- energy efficiency
Magdy Salama
Biography
Dr. Magdy Salama is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo. He is a registered professional engineer in both the Province of Ontario (P.Eng.) and Egypt, and is affiliated with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Dr. Salama's research interests span several areas, including distribution system planning and performance analysis, automation and load management in distribution systems, power quality analysis, smart grid analysis, renewable energy analysis, power system asset management and risk analysis, grounding system analysis, fault locator and system restoration, electric energy storage, medical image processing, sleep staging analysis, and neuromodulation systems. He also developed specialized labs at the University of Waterloo, including those focused on Power Quality, Electric Vehicle Power Electronics, Ultrasound Imaging, and Sleep Staging.
Dr. Salama holds several patents, including:
“High Voltage Power Supply,” European patent, August 28, 2006
“High Voltage Power Supply for Automotive Applications,” US patent, July 31, 2003
“High Voltage Power Supply for Aerospace Applications,” US patent, November 1, 2002
“High Voltage Power Supply,” US patent, July 31, 2003
In recognition of his contributions, Dr. Salama has received numerous awards and honors, including being listed in the 1991 edition of the National Encyclopedia for Distinguished Egyptian Men of Science (Who’s Who in Egypt). He is the author or co-author of 215 journal publications, 245 international conference papers, and 16 technical reports, amounting to a total of 460 publications.
Research interests
- Power Quality
- Distribution System Automation
- Performance and Planning
- Reactive Power Control
- Energy Systems
- Power System Asset Management and Risk Analysis
- Smart Grid Analysis
- Renewable Energy Analysis
- Fault Locator and System Restoration
- Electric Energy Storage
- Distribution System Automation and Load Management
- Distribution System Planning
- Grounding System Analysis
Adjunct faculty members participating in power and energy systems research:
John Simpson-Porco (Adjunct)
Biography
Dr. John W. Simpson-Porco received his B.Sc. in Engineering Physics from Queen's University in Kingston, ON, Canada, in 2010, and his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA, in 2015. He is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo, ON, Canada. Previously, he was a visiting scientist with the Automatic Control Laboratory at ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
Dr. Simpson-Porco’s research focuses on the control and optimization of multi-agent systems and networks, with a particular emphasis on applications in modernized power grids. He is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the 2012–2014 IFAC Automatica Prize, the Center for Control, Dynamical Systems, and Computation Best Thesis Award, and the Outstanding Scholar Fellowship.
Research interests
- Distributed control systems
- Decentralized control systems
- Optimal control
- Smart Grid
- Microgrids
- Frequency Control
- Voltage Control