Noel Schulz, Edmund O. Schweitzer III Chair in Power Apparatus and Systems in the Washington State University School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, has been appointed as the WSU-Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Advanced Grid Institute interim co-director.
“We appreciate Noel taking on this additional role,” said Christopher Keane, vice president for research at WSU. “She brings extensive experience to this position. We look forward to her efforts to further build the WSU-PNNL Advanced Grid Institute team and advance the institute’s mission impact and technical reputation.”
The WSU-PNNL Advanced Grid Institute is a joint research collaboration between WSU and the U.S. Department of Energy’s PNNL. The institute was created in May 2018 and pairs WSU with Richland-based PNNL, whose mission is to advance scientific discovery and drive innovations that improve energy resiliency and enhance national security.
The institute combines complementary expertise from PNNL and WSU in the fields of advanced grid modeling, wide-area measurements, demand response, energy storage, grid architecture, cybersecurity, and power system reliability research. The goal is to enhance the resilience of the power grid to withstand all hazards, including natural disasters and malicious threats.
Schulz has more than 26 years of teaching experience at six universities, including WSU. Her research has focused on power system modeling and analysis, smart grid applications, microgrids, renewable energy, and shipboard power systems. Schulz’s research has been funded by multiple national agencies – including the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Departments of Defense, Energy, and Homeland Security – and private power equipment companies.
Prior to arriving at WSU, she served as associate dean for research and graduate programs in the College of Engineering at Kansas State University (KSU). She also directed the KSU Engineering Experimental Station and the Electrical Power Affiliates Program and was the Paslay Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. She has published 175 papers and two book chapters.
Anjan Bose, Regents Professor and Distinguished Professor in Power at WSU, previously served as interim co-director. Jeff Dagle, chief electrical engineer at PNNL, is currently serving as the PNNL interim co-director.
Bose and Dagle worked to establish the institute’s goals and direction, develop an initial strategic plan, and worked to integrate the institute into ongoing grid-related activities at both PNNL and WSU. Proposals involving the institute were successful in recent DOE funding announcements involving modernization of the power grid.
“We thank Anjan Bose for his hard work and dedication to launching the WSU-PNNL Advanced Grid Institute and advancing its mission. In his new role, Bose will serve as a WSU-PNNL Advanced Grid Institute senior scientist. We look forward to Bose’s continued strong leadership in advancing the fundamental science key to the institute’s success,” said Keane.
Schulz will serve in this position on an interim basis. The ongoing search for a permanent WSU-PNNL Advanced Grid Institute director will continue.
More information about the WSU-PNNL Advanced Grid Institute is available online.
