International Advisory Board (IAB) Members 

Andrew Keane

Andrew Keane is Director of the Energy Institute at University College Dublin. Andrew is Lead Investigator of the SFI Energy Systems Integration Partnership Programme, a research programme which brings together multiple disciplines to address research challenges facing the energy sector, as we move towards decarbonisation of our energy systems. Andrew's research interests include the impact of new energy resources on the power system from the residential network up to the high voltage transmission system. Current research topics focus upon the impact and opportunities presented by renewable and distributed energy resources on the electrical network. Previously, he has worked with ESB Networks in the areas of renewable generation planning and smart networks and as a Senior Engineer with Smart Grid Solutions in Glasgow. In 2014 he co-founded a UCD spin out, NovoGrid. NovoGrid is an electrical grid automation company delivering control solutions which enable renewable generators to increase their energy output. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past chair of the IEEE Power and Energy Society UK and Ireland Chapter. Andrew has published over 100 peer reviewed publications, including over 50 papers in leading journals.

Benjamin Kroposki

Dr. Benjamin Kroposki is the Director of the Power Systems Engineering Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) where he leads NREL’s strategic research in the design, planning and operations of electrical power systems. He received his BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech and PhD from the Colorado School of Mines. His expertise is in the design, testing, and integration of renewable and distributed power systems and has more than 150 publications in these areas. As an IEEE Fellow, Benjamin was recognized for his leadership in renewable and distributed energy systems integration. Benjamin has served on a number of IEEE technical standards working groups and chaired IEEE 1547.4, the first international standard on microgrids. Benjamin is expert in Energy Systems Integration and integration of renewable energy technologies.

Dietrich Schmidt

Dr. Dietrich Schmidt leads the Heat and Power System department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology IEE in Kassel/Germany. His scientific work focuses on energy-efficient buildings / districts and their supply systems. Currently, he is leading the international cooperation project: IEA DHC Annex TS4 ‘Digitalisation of District Heating and Cooling’

Karen Byskov Lindberg

is a Senior Research Scientist at SINTEF Community, and has additionally a position as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Dept. of Electric Power Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Karen has a M.Sc. and PhD in Energy System Analysis from NTNU, the latter with focus on integration of Zero Emission Buildings in the power system. Karen was with the Norwegian Energy Agency and Regulator (NVE) for 12 years before joining SINTEF, working on Power Markets, Energy and Climate Action Plans, Energy Performance of Buildings, Smart Grids and Energy Policy. Additionally Karen has a strong knowledge on TSO and DSO relations. Karen's current research is focused on load profiles and enabling local energy flexibility in buildings and neighbourhoods (including heat pumps, EVs, PV, battery and building's thermal flexibility), specifically on how end-use flexibility can ease the integration of renewable energies (RES), as well as contribute to enhanced resilience for the overall power system. Karen has 50+ publications, including 35+ peer-reviewed conferences and journal papers, and has a broad international network from NVE, research stay at Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), and through IEA EBC Annexes.

Mark O’Malley

is the Professor of Electrical Engineering at University College Dublin.  In 2020 he completed a three-year assignment as Chief Scientist, Energy Systems Integration at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA.  He is recognized as a world authority on Energy Systems Integration and in grid integration of renewable energy.  He works closely and collaboratively with researchers in other disciplines, including economists, social scientists, and geologists, and is on the advisory board of the European Platform for Energy Research in the Socio-Economic Nexus.  He has very strong industry collaborations and is currently on secondment as the Chief Scientist and Chair of the Research and Education working group of the Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG). ESIG is a global organization that brings together industry, regulators, policy makers and the research community to further our collective knowledge and understanding in Energy Systems Integration.  At NREL he co-led the establishment of the Global Power System Transformation Consortium (G-PST) and is the co-chair of the Research Agenda Group.     In 2017 he was the James M. Flaherty Visiting Professor in Electrical Engineering at McGill University where he worked on strategies to decarbonize the combined Eastern Canada and North Eastern US electricity grids.   He is a Foreign Member of the US National Academy of Engineering, a member of the Royal Irish Academy and a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and has received two Fulbright Fellowships.  He is also a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London and a Tsinghua University.

Peter Hermans

Peter Hermans has a strong background in telecommunications. Peter worked 23 years in the telecom sector in the Netherlands in several executive IT management positions. Peter started in the Utility sector in 2007 where he since then has been working in the Dutch utility sector and joined Stedin in 2010, driving programs in the Dutch Energy sector related to the energy transition (market model developments, flexibility, unbundling), telecoms, smart meters & smart grids, (flexibility) TSO-DSO data- management and data sharing . Peter has participated in M490 activities of CENCENELEC/ETSI and has been an active member of the EU taskforce smart grids (EG1 + EG3), and the TSO-DSO data-management platform. Peter holds a MSc degree in Telecommunications and a CMC degree in Change Management (ICMCI).

Currently Peter is a member of the international advisory board of Energyville (Belgium), the Danish national project "Flexible Energy Denmark"(FED) and the international advisory council of Smart Energy Europe (SmartEn).

Seyyed Ali Poumousavi Kani

Seyyed Ali Pourmousavi Kani has a PhD in Electrical Engineering and is IEEE Senior Member. Ali is a Lecturer at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), at the University of Adelaide (UofA). Before joining UofA, he worked for California ISO, NEC Laboratories America, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), and the University of Queensland. Ali’s research interests are mainly about renewable energy and the smart grid. His research involves a holistic view of battery integration and demand response using optimisation, artificial intelligence, and time series methods. He obtained his B.Sc., M.Sc., and PhD with high honours in Electrical Engineering (emphasis on power systems). He has published his research findings in 40+ patents, journal & conference papers and posters.