Mads Almassalkhi Curriculum Vitae 33 Colchester Ave., 323 Votey Hall Burlington, VT 05403 mobile (513) 404-2270 malmassa@uvm.edu http://www.uvm.edu/~malmassa Education 2008-2013 Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering: Systems, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Dissertation: Optimization and Model-predictive Control for Overload Mitigation in Resilient Power Systems Candidacy Exam: Optimal Power Flows and Energy Hubs, 2010 Area of Study: Power Systems, Model-predictive control, Optimization Advisor: Ian A. Hiskens 2008-2010 M.S. in Electrical Engineering: Systems, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Major: Control Theory Minor: Mathematics Summa Cum Laude 2003-2008 B.S. in Electrical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH. Dual Degree: Applied Mathematics Summa Cum Laude. Publications M. Almassalkhi and I. Hiskens, Cascade mitigation in energy hub networks, IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, Dec 2011. M. Almassalkhi and I. Hiskens, Optimization framework for the analysis of large-scale networks of energy hubs, Power Systems Computation Conference, Aug 2011. R. Hermans, M. Almassalkhi, and I. Hiskens, Incentive-based Coordinated Charging Control of Plug-in Electric Vehicles at the Distribution-transformer Level, IEEE American Control Conference, June 2012. M. Almassalkhi and I. Hiskens, Impact of Energy Storage on Cascade Mitigation in Multi-energy Systems, IEEE Power and Energy Society General Meeting, July 2012. I. A. Hiskens, D. Kirschen, M. Xue, M. Almassalkhi, and J. Felder, Energy Positioning: Control and economics - Part 2, 51st Annual Allerton Conference on Communication, Control, and Computing, October 2013. M. Almassalkhi and I. Hiskens, Temperature-based Model-Predictive Cascade Mitigation in Electric Power Systems, IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, December 2013. M. Almassalkhi and I. Hiskens, Model-Predictive Cascade Mitigation in Electric Power Systems with Storage and Renewables Part I: Theory and implementation, IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, (accepted) 2014. M. Almassalkhi and I. Hiskens, Model-Predictive Cascade Mitigation in Electric Power Systems with Storage and Renewables Part II: Case study, IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, (accepted) 2014. M. Almassalkhi and I. Hiskens, Impact of energy storage on cascade mitigation in multi-energy systems, in Energy Storage for Smart Grids: Planning and Operation for Renewable and Variable Energy Resources (P. Du and N. Lu, eds.), Elsevier, 2014 (in preparation). 1/6
Aug 2014 - present M. Almassalkhi, B. Simon, and A. Gupta, A Novel Online Energy Management Solution for Energy Plants, Power Systems Conference, March 2014. Professional Background Academia Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT. Research focus: feedback algorithms to improve resilience and efficiency in power systems. Teaching focus: courses in power/energy systems and topics in control and optimization. 2009 2013 Graduate Student Research Assistant, Power Systems Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Advisor: Professor Ian A. Hiskens Developed an optimization framework for analysis of large-scale multi-energy networks. - Implemented analysis framework in MATLAB that automatically interfaces with optimization libraries to allow users to quickly implement and solve optimal power flow problems for general multi-energy networks. Developed suitable linear power systems models and bi-level predictive control scheme to mitigate effects of cascading failures in electric networks with renewables and energy storage. - Utilized a comprehensive linear model-predictive control approach for operation of power systems undergoing cascading line outages by taking into account thermal characteristics of power lines, active line losses, transformers, energy storage, and renewable generation. - Collaborated with Professor Daniel Kirschen, post-doctoral fellows, and PhD students from University of Washington on joint ARPA-E project to investigate the role of energy storage in mitigation of cascading failures in transmission systems. Collaborated with a colleague from TU-Eindhoven on a robust distributed model-predictive control scheme for overnight-charging of plug-in electric-vehicles (PEVs). - Derived an iterative, incentive-based and non-centralized implementation of the PEV charging problem at the distribution-transformer level. Directed ECE Master s student in summer, 2011. 2013 present Industry Lead Systems Engineer, Root3 Technologies, Chicago, IL. CEO: Archie Gupta Develop engineering analysis tools for economic viability studies of cogeneration, PV solar, and thermal storage systems. Develop a predictive optimization and energy analytics engine for improving economic and energy efficiency of large multi-energy consumers. Responsibilities include: - Development of energy plant asset models that are amenable to optimization. - Analysis of massive amounts of physical energy plant data - Direct development of robust multi-energy forecasting modules. - Oversee mechanical engineers and technical consultants for product development. Present modeling methodology to operators and managers at customers sites to improve compliance. Collaborate with software developers to implement algorithm and improve usability/ui/ux. 2/6
2005 2008 Junior Technical Associate, Etegent Technologies, Norwood, OH. Supervisor: Dr. Adam Nolan Independently worked on an NIH-sponsored project to help bring the scientific community together and develop a cure for diabetes type I. Work included: - Automated image stitching procedure resulting in raw 80 mega-pixel images - Developed medical image processing and pattern recognition algorithms in MATLAB to automate cell detection and classification in compressed images - Developed an online portal to be used by doctors from around the world to classify cells in compressed images - Programmed a GUI interface in MATLAB that compared human and automated classification results Independently researched on an Air Force SBIR Phase II project and implemented imagesegmentation and classification algorithms on a nondeterministic model for thermal noise and aspect variance in synthetic aperture radar systems. This included - Estimation of 1D and 2D signature classification error via non-parametric techniques, such as k-nearest neighbors - Separability analysis for multiple signal-to-noise ratio conditions for a variety of derived features, including bounding box - Projection of salient signature regions onto CAD morphology using dimensionality reduction techniques Collaborated with coworkers on Phase I and Phase II SBIR proposals resulting in awards of more than $1.5 million Consulting 2011 2013 Technical Consultant, Root3 Technologies, Chicago, IL. Developed a multi-step MILP optimization algorithm for improving efficiency of central utility plants (CUPs). Algorithm is executed with human operators in the loop and is accompanied by visual tools to allow operators to implement suggested set-points. Work included: - Employing a unit commitment / economic dispatch framework to CUPs, including ramp-up times, N-1 reliability requirements, and piece-wise linear efficiency curves. - Develop linear models of CUP assets that are amenable to MILP optimization. - Collaborating with engineers and managers on visualization tools to enable situational awareness in control room settings. - Constructing realistic sample systems of boilers and chillers on which to test algorithm. - Collaborating with coworkers on proposals and investor meetings. May 2011 August 2011 August 2011 September 2011 Conferences, Workshops, and Seminars Workshop on Dynamics, Control and Pricing in Power Systems, Lund, Sweden, Invited Scholar. Spent three weeks at Lund University performing research, collaborating with faculty and other PhD students from around the world, gave a seminar (Cascade Mitigation in Energy Hub Networks), and attended workshop. INFORMS Midwestern Conference, Columbus, Ohio, USA, Invited Speaker. Presented parts of two papers: Optimization Framework for the Analysis of Large-scale Networks of Energy Hubs and Cascade Mitigation in Energy Hub Networks. Power Systems Computation Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, Speaker. Presented full paper Optimization Framework for the Analysis of Large-scale Networks of Energy Hubs. Energy Club Conference, University of Michigan, USA, Poster. Cascade Mitigation in Multi-Energy Systems. 3/6
October 2011 November 2011 Symposium on Emerging Topics in Control and Modeling of Cyber-Physical Systems, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, Poster. Incentive-based Coordinated Charging Control of Plug-in Electric Vehicles at the Distribution- Transformer Level College of Engineering Graduate Symposium, University of Michigan, USA, Poster. Incentive-based Coordinated Charging Control of Plug-in Electric Vehicles at the Distribution- Transformer Level (Placed 1st in Power and Control session) March 2012 Conference on the Electricity Industry, Carnegie Mellon University, USA, Poster. Robust Incentive-based Coordinated Charging Control of Plug-in Electric Vehicles at the Distribution-Transformer Level May 2012 CNLS Annual Conference: Smart Grid, Los Alamos National Lab, USA, Invited Speaker. Model-predictive cascade mitigation in electric power systems with energy storage and renewable generation. June 2012 July 2012 November 2012 April 2013 December 2013 IEEE American Control Conference, Montreal, Canada, Speaker. Co-presenter for paper on non-centralized Incentive-based MPC to solve PEV charging problem in a distribution-grid setting. IEEE PES General Meeting, San Diego, USA, Invited Panel Speaker. Presented paper on the effects of energy storage sizing on performance of a model-predictive cascade mitigation scheme in a transmission systems. College of Engineering Graduate Symposium, University of Michigan, USA, Poster. Model-predictive cascade mitigation in electric transmission networks with energy storage (Placed 2nd in Energy session) CEIC Seminar, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg, USA, Invited Speaker. Temperature-based Model-predictive cascade mitigation in electric power systems. Power Event, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark, Invited Speaker. Linear model-predictive cascade mitigation in AC electric power systems with energy storage. Leadership Activities 2010 2013 Co-founder & Executive Member, ECE Graduate Student Council, Ann Arbor, MI. Investigated ECE graduate students quality of life and advised faculty committees on our findings. Resulted in creation of ECE Grad Student Lounge, monthly Social Coffee hour, ECE intramural teams, and developed a Grand Challenge Lecture Series. 2009 2011 Volunteer Judge, Southeast Michigan Science Fair, Ann Arbor, MI. Graded middle-school science-fair posters 2005 2008 President, University of Cincinnati Badminton Club, Cincinnati, OH. Set up tournament matches, attended annual Midwest tournaments, administered weekly practices, and balanced a $2500+ annual budget for 40+ members 2006 2008 Corresponding Secretary, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, Cincinnati, OH. Attended weekly meetings, helped with quarterly initiations, captained intramural team 2006 2007 Vice-President, University of Cincinnati Club Sports Board, Cincinnati, OH. Led meetings and met regularly with other executive officers, reviewed submitted budgets and distributed a $150,000 budget among all UC sport clubs 4/6
Awards University of Michigan The Richard & Eleanor Towner Prize for Distinguished Academic Achievement, 2013 CoE Graduate Symposium, 2nd place in poster session, 2012 CoE Graduate Symposium, 1st place in poster session, 2011 Rackham Graduate Student Research Grant, 2011 NSF GSRP Top Honorable Mention, 2009 Rackham Merit Fellow, 2008-2013 University of Cincinnati o Jeanne Gulden Co-recipient (Top Department of Mathematics Award), 2008 o National Tau Beta Pi Record Scholar, 2007 o Engineering Alumni Scholar, 2007 o Hancock Scholarship Recipient, 2007 o Hancock and Kieval Scholarships Recipient, 2006 o Buck and Kieval Scholarships Recipient, 2005 o Cincinnatus Scholar, 2003-2008 Summary of Skills Interpersonal o Strong oral and written communication skills o Enjoy interacting with people, flexible, self-motivating, result oriented Computer Languages MATLAB (expert) Packages PowerWorld, CPLEX/GUROBI Platforms Linux, Mac OS, Windows Office Tools iworks, Office, L A TEX Languages Danish Fluent Native language. English Fluent Speaking, reading, and writing. German Moderate Speaking, reading, and writing. 2007 present 2006 present Reviewer Professional Affiliations IEEE. Member of Control System (CSS) & Power and Energy (PES) Societies Tau Beta Pi. Lifetime Member IEEE Transactions on Power Systems, IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, PSCC 2011, IEEE CDC 2011, IEEE ACC 2012, IEEE ECC 2013, IEEE CDC 2013, IEEE ACC 2014, PSCC 2014 5/6
Updated July 18, 2014 6/6