A.P. "Sakis" Meliopoulos, Ph.D., is the Georgia Power Distinguished Professor in the School of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech and serves as Associate Director of Cyber-Physical Systems for the Institute for Information Security & Privacy. Meliopoulos helped the development of the power program at Georgia Tech by contributing to the modernization of existing courses, introducing new courses, initiating research activities, and developing continuing education programs and the Power System Certificate program. Meliopoulos is the co-inventor, with George Cokkinides, of the Smart Ground Multimeter and the Macrodyne PMU-based Harmonic Measurement System for transmission networks. In his most recent research activities, he has introduced new approaches for modeling large scale power grids based on quadratization and the utilization of this approach to a variety of protection and control of the future power system integrated with distributed generation, renewable energy sources, and power electronic subsystems and interfaces. He has introduced the concept of the SuperCalibrator, a new approach that enables fully distributed state estimation and root cause disturbance analysis. This technology is expected to make a huge impact on the way we presently monitor and control the power grid. Presently, Meliopoulos leads four field demonstration projects on four different utilities: USVI-WAPA, NYPA, Southern Company, and PG&E. He has applied the quadratized approach for high fidelity analysis, stability and control of integrated systems consisting of the power grid, and power electronics interfaced distributed generation and renewables (the μGRID model). He is leading an EPRI-sponsored effort to develop "settingless" protection methods utilizing recent technologies of merging units and GPS-synchronized measurements. He has developed a state-of-the-art synchrophasor laboratory with multiple capabilities: (a) characterization of PMUs, (b) testing of PDCs, (c) autonomous monitoring and control using GPS-synchronized measurements, and (d) testing of protective functions that require GPS synchronization. Meliopoulos holds three patents, published three books, and published over 270 technical papers. For his research achievements, he was elected Fellow of the IEEE in 1993. In addition, he has received the IEEE-IAS Society Field Award in 2005 (IEEE-IAS Richard Kaufman Award), and the 2010 George Montefiore Institute Award (Belgium). He was named the Georgia Power Distinguished Professor in 2006. He serves as the site director for the NSF I/URC PSERC, he is the academic administrator of the Power System Certificate program, and the chairman of the Georgia Tech Protective Relaying Conference and the Fault and Disturbance Analysis Conference. He attended the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, where he earned the Diploma in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering in 1972. He then attended Georgia Tech where he earned his MSEE (1974) and Ph.D. (1976) degrees. He joined Georgia Tech's faculty of Electrical Engineering in 1976.

The Strategic Energy Institute is excited to welcome Scott McWhorter as a 2023 Distinguished External Fellow. Scott will co-lead the concept development, visioning, partnership, and preliminary capture activities for Georgia Tech on the Department of Commerce Tech Hubs (“Hubs”) and expand Georgia Tech’s hydrogen activities and stature.

Scott is not new to the Georgia Tech campus and has previously worked with Dan Campbell of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) on developing trace organic optical sensors based on evanescent waveguides. More recently, Scott worked with David Sholl (professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech through 2021), to develop the RAPID (Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment) Institute and then through his work with Southeast Hydrogen Energy Alliance (SHEA), started working with Comas Haynes of GTRI on hydrogen, where they brought together the ecosystem that was responsible for at least three hydrogen hub efforts in the South East.

Scott's work related to energy in his own words: 
My career has always related to energy even when I didn’t notice it. I started out in DNA microchips where we tried to understand the various aspects of fluidics (mass transport, thermal, and surface science) that influenced efficient separations. Using the tools from those efforts I transitioned into optical sensor development to monitor trace gases from the gas-solid catalyst interface in a fuel cell electrode to an unknown-unknown contaminant that might cause a failure mode in a weapons system. Over the past decade, my work in energy has focused namely on building partnerships in industrial manufacturing consortia (ManufacturingUSA Institutes) where I helped form both CESMII and RAPID and then focusing on developing technologies to solve the hydrogen storage and delivery challenges through either more efficient, energy dense solid-state storage or using electro magnetics to efficiently provide heat to catalysts to decompose a hydrogen carrier or plastic.

Dr. Medford is interested in leveraging materials informatics, statistics, and machine learning to maximize the practical impact of fundamental atomic-scale simulations in the field of surface science and catalysis. His research areas include heterogeneous catalysis, oxide surface chemistry, density functional theory, kinetic models, uncertainty quantification, and Bayesian optimization and inference.

Matthew McDowell joined Georgia Tech in the fall of 2015 as an assistant professor with a joint appointment in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Materials Science and Engineering. Prior to this appointment, he was a postdoctoral scholar in the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology. McDowell received his Ph.D. in 2013 from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford University.

McDowell’s research group focuses on understanding how materials for energy and electronic devices change and transform during operation, and how these transformations impact properties. The group uses in situ experimental techniques to probe materials transformations under realistic conditions. The fundamental scientific advances made by the group guide the engineering of materials for breakthrough new devices. Current projects in the group are focused on i) electrode materials for alkali ion batteries, ii) materials for solid-state batteries, iii) interfaces in chalcogenide materials for electronics and catalysis, and iv) new methods for creating nanostructured metals.

Leigh McCook, principal research associate at Georgia Tech, also serves as deputy director for IPaT, director of STEM programs for the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), and previously served as division chief for fifteen years in GTRI’s socio-technical systems division in the Information and Communications Lab. She has been with Georgia Tech for more than 30 years.

As deputy director in IPaT, McCook works to build new research partnerships across campus as well as develop government, industry, and international programs. While she continues to conduct research, McCook's focus has centered on growing IPaT’s research portfolio of state government and industry projects, particularly in education, humanitarian systems, health and smart cities.

McCook’s GTRI activities include directing research and outreach programs for regional and national centers and managing a variety of research and STEM programs funded by federal, state, and local agencies.

Her career expertise includes technology transfer, research translation, outreach, planning, and program management, specifically in areas related to emergency preparedness and response, homeland security, community resiliency, and education. She has managed researchers working a variety of programs in health, learning technology, planning, technology assessment, and integration, policy analysis and research, technology transfer, education, training, public safety, humanitarian, and emergency response.

McCook served as program manager for the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) Homeland Security/Emergency Response programs at the Georgia Tech Research Institute since 2000. Twenty years of program support to GEMA has resulted in over $53M work of funded project work at GTRI.

McCook’s experience also includes having served as associate director for technology transfer and outreach for EPA’s Hazardous Substance Research Centers (South & Southwest). In this capacity she led technology transfer, research translation, and outreach activities for the five-university consortium.

McCook has served as principal investigator (PI) or co-PI on projects for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Georgia Department and Family and Child Services, the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, the Atlanta Urban Area Security Initiative, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Southeast Regional Research Initiative.

Dr. Anirban Mazumdar joined Georgia Tech as an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering in 2018. Dr. Mazumdar studies robot mobility with the goal of understanding and achieving agile, versatile, and efficient robot behaviors in unstructured environments. His previous experience includes a postdoctoral research position in the High Consequence Automation and Robotics Group at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM. He has broad experience with novel robotic systems including energy efficient bipedal robots, reconfigurable aerial vehicles, prosthetic devices, and relaxed stability mobile robots.

Dr. Mazumdar started at the Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech in January of 2019 and currently has a courtesy appointment with the Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering. She graduated with her Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and completed a postdoctoral appointment at Sandia National Laboratories in the Diagnostic Science and Engineering group. Her research interests include the design of new diagnostic techniques and sensor systems for studying combustion, multiphase flows, hypersonic flows, and energetic materials. Her group utilizes new composite sensing materials, optical diagnostics, magnetostatics, and system identification methods to study these complex physical phenomena.

Dr. Mayor is a distinguished expert in thermal sciences, electro-mechanical machine design, and micro-manufacturing. As the inventor of the DwHX cooling technology for electric machines, he specializes in the research and development of advanced power electronics cooling, electric machine design, micro-power generation, and sustainable energy systems. Alongside his technical pursuits, Dr. Mayor has a rich entrepreneurial backdrop, having navigated product-oriented tech startups and led multiple advanced research and development programs. His expertise is sought in IP litigation, where he serves as a technical authority. 

He has presented keynotes and seminars on diverse topics, from micro-manufacturing and electric machines to energy systems. He teaches courses in mechanical engineering courses at Georgia Tech, including machine design, manufacturing processes, design thinking and internal combustion engines, including H2ICE, and has taught courses as a visiting lecturer in China, France, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. He has a substantial academic contribution with over 120 publications in leading archival journals and conferences and is a member of ASME and IEEE and SME. 

Dr. Mayor's commitment goes beyond teaching and research as he engages in service as the Secretary of the Faculty. He strives to build on the learnings from the pandemic to expand the resourcefulness, understanding, and trust in shared governance. Moreover, Dr. Mayor serves as the faculty advisor for the Student Competition Center, further highlighting his commitment to student mentoring and leadership development. He looks forward to implementing AI in a robust manner in institute learnings, as a core capability in education.

Dimitri Mavris is a Regents’ Professor, Boeing Professor of Advanced Aerospace Systems Analysis, and an S.P. Langley Distinguished Professor. He also serves as the director of the Aerospace Systems Design Laboratory (ASDL) and executive director of the Professional Master’s in Applied Systems Engineering (PMASE). Dr. Mavris received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. His primary areas of research interest include: advanced design methods, aircraft conceptual and preliminary design, air-breathing propulsion design, multi-disciplinary analysis, design and optimization, system of systems, and non-deterministic design theory. Dr. Mavris has actively pursued closer ties between the academic and industrial communities in order to foster research opportunities and tailor the aerospace engineering curriculum towards meeting the future needs of the US aerospace industry. He has also co-authored with his students in excess of 1,000 publications. During his tenure at Georgia Tech, Dr. Mavris has chaired and served in several Technical and Program Committees for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and served on the AIAA Board of Directors and Institute Development Committee. He is the President of the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS). He is the Georgia Tech technical point of contact for the FAA Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuels & Environment (ASCENT), the Georgia Tech site director for the FAA Partnership to Enhance General Aviation Safety, Accessibility, and Sustainability (PEGASAS), and the principal investigator for the Airbus/Georgia Tech Center for MBSE-enabled Overall Aircraft Design and the Siemens Center of Excellence for Simulation and Digital Twin.