Power and Energy Center, VT
The Power and Energy Center (PEC) is a nationally recognized leader in power systems research, education, and industry engagement. PEC faculty many active sponsored research projects, while delivering a core undergraduate and graduate curriculum that supports critical workforce needs across the nation and the Commonwealth.
Power systems research has long been a defining strength of the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Virginia Tech. Seminal innovations such as phasor measurement units (PMU), pioneered by PEC faculty Arun Phadke and the late James Thorp, are deployed globally and have fundamentally advanced power system monitoring, reliability, and situational awareness, including at Dominion Energy. Over the years, PEC has been home to four members of the National Academy of Engineering: Professors Chen-Ching Liu, late James Thorp, Arun Phadke, and Yilu Liu—underscoring the Center’s national and international prominence. In addition, Professor Saifur Rahman, former President of the IEEE, has provided exceptional leadership to the profession.
Beyond research, PEC serves as a major engine for education and workforce development in the United States. The Center consistently supplies highly trained graduates to regional and national utilities, vendors, and energy companies, reinforcing Virginia Tech’s role as a strategic partner to industry and the Commonwealth.
Center Administration
PEC Director | mehrizi@vt.edu | (540) 231-4492 | 428 Whittemore
Center Coordinator | dikshita@vt.edu | (540) 231-2095 | 426 Whittemore
Core Faculty
PEC Director and Professor | mehrizi@vt.edu | (540) 231-4492 | 428 Whittemore
- Microgrid control
- Inverter-based resources
- Integration of renewable
-Cybersecurity
PEC Director Emeritus and
AEP Research Professor Emeritus | ccliu@vt.edu | (540) 231-1373 | 426A Whittemore
-Distribution systems
-Cyber-power system security
-Industrial software for system restoration: EPRI (Trans.), PNNL (Distr.)
PEC Founding Director and University Distinguished Research Professor
-Power system analysis
-Power system protection and control
-Synchronized measurement systems
Professor | lmili@vt.edu | (703) 538-3767 | Room 438 (Falls Church)
-Static and dynamic state estimation
-Robust power system parameter and dynamic state estimation w/PMUs
Assistant Professor | jinming@vt.edu | 472 Whittemore
-Control, optimization, and machine learning for energy systems
-Trustworthy AI for urban infrastructures
-Cyber-physical systems security
Professor | ampadu@vt.edu | (540) 231-3121 | 345 Durham
-Energy Internet, Blockchain enabled for energy systems
-VLSI, Networks-on- Chip, Systems-on-Chip
Hugh P. and Ethel C. Kelly Professor | zhangr@vt.edu | 4-014 VT Research Center (Arlington)
-HVDC and FACTS
-High-power electronics
Joseph Loring Professor | srahman@vt.edu | 571-858-3300 | 5-194 VT Research Center (Arlington)
-Energy efficiency and sensor integration
-DOE BEMOSS platform
-President of IEEE (2023)
Associate Department Head and Chief of Operations | scottd65@vt.edu | (540) 231-2133 | 464 Whittemore
-Energy efficiency
Professor and Assistant Department Head | virgilio@vt.edu | (540) 231-2045 | 427 Whittemore
-PMU
-Instrumentation
Adjunct Professor of Practice
-Power system operations
-Resiliency hardening and recovery planning for utilities
-Utility grounding for lightning protection
Collegiate Assistant Professor | boker@vt.edu | 571-858-3316| 4-178 VT Research Center (Arlington)
-Analysis and control of power systems
-State estimation and sensor placement
Affiliated Faculty
Department Head and Professor, ECE | rosehu@vt.edu |445 Whittemore Hall
-Wireless Communications and Networking
-Internet of Things
-V2X UAV Communications
Willis G. Worcester Professor, ECE and Director, Wireless@VT | reedjh@vt.edu | (540) 231-2972 | 451 Durham
-Wireless Communications
-Wireless Security
Associate Professor, ME and Mary V. Jones Faculty Fellow | sshahab@vt.edu | (540) 231-6516 | VTRC, Room 5-008, Arlington, VA 22203
-Wireless Power Transfer
Associate Professor, College of Natural Resources | rbmeyers@vt.edu | (540) 570-9535
-Renewable Energy Facility Siting
W. Martin Johnson Professor, ECE and Associate Dean for Research & Innovation| hdhillon@vt.edu | (540) 231-2129 | 445 Durham
-Wireless Communications
Professor, Urban and Environmental; Policy & Planning and Acting Director, Center for Future Work Places & Practices ; Head of Outreach & Engagement, Center for European & Transatlantic Studies | rphall@vt.edu | (540) 231-7332| 227 Major Williams Hall
220 Stanger Street
Blacksburg, VA 24061
-Sustainable Transporation and Water Supply, inclusive capitalism
Senior Extension Specialist, Biological Systems Engineering & Virginia Cooperative Extention | jignosh@vt.edu | (540) 432-6029 x108
-Renewable Energy
-Energy Efficiency
-Nutrient Management
Professor, Animal Science | rrwhite@vt.edu | (540) 231-7384| 101 FST Bldg.
175 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061
-Agrivoltaics
-Sustainable Agriculture
