KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Prof. Carlo Alberto Nucci,
University of Bologna, Italy
(Fellow of the IEEE and of CIGRE)

Speech Title: The contribution of climate neutral and smart cities to the energy transition

Bioraphy: Carlo Alberto Nucci – Full professor, head of the Power Systems Laboratory of the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering ‘Guglielmo Marconi’, University of Bologna. Author/co-author of over 300 scientific papers published on peer-reviewed journals or on proceedings of international conferences and of 13 book chapters with international diffusion on the following topics: smart grids, energy communities, smart cities, power systems dynamics and electromagnetic transients, with reference to restoration after blackout and lightning impact on power systems. Prof. Nucci is IEEE and CIGRE Fellow, has received some best paper/technical international awards, including the ICLP Golde Award and the CIGRE Technical Committee Award. Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Engineering from 2008 up to 2012. President of the Italian Group of University Professors of Electrical Power Systems (GUSEE) from 2012 to 2015. Coordinator of the Electrical Engineering Program at the University of Bologna (2012 – 2018). Chairman of Cigré Study Committee C4 ‘System Technical Performance’ (2006 – 2012). Editor in Chief of the Electric Power Systems Research journal, Elsevier (2010-2021). PES representative in the IEEE Smart City Initiatives Program (2014-2015). National representative in Horizon Europe – Mission Climate Neutral and Smart Cities since November 2019. Serving as representative for University of Bologna, with voting rights, of EERA AISBL. Member of the IEEE Fellow Commmitte for the years 2022 and 2023. H-index Scopus 41. Keynote plenary speaker and lecturer at 40 international conferences. Prof. Nucci is doctor honoris causa of the University Politehnica of Bucharest and Member of the Bologna Science Academy.

Prof. Hossam A. Gabbar
Ontario Tech University, Canada
(Distinguished Lecturer IEEE NPSS, Director of Smart Energy Systems Lab)

Speech Title: Resilient Energy Systems for Ocean and Waterfront Applications

Bioraphy: Dr. Gabbar is a full Professor in the Department of Energy and Nuclear Engineering, in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, at Ontario Tech University (UOIT). He has established the Energy Safety and Control Lab (ESCL), Smart Energy Systems Lab (SESL), and Advanced Plasma Engineering Lab (APEL). He is the recipient of the Senior Research Excellence Aware for 2016, UOIT. He is recognized among the top 2% of worldwide scientists with high citation in the area of energy. He is a Distinguished Lecturer of IEEE NPSS. He is leading national and international research in the areas of smart energy grids, energy safety and control systems, and waste to energy using advanced plasma technologies. Dr. Gabbar obtained his B.Sc. degree in 1988 with first class of honor from the Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University (Egypt). In 2001, he obtained his Ph.D. degree from Okayama University (Japan). From 2001 till 2004, he joined Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan), as a research associate. From 2004 till 2008, he joined Okayama University (Japan) as an Associate Professor, in the Division of Industrial Innovation Sciences. From 2007 till 2008, he was a Visiting Professor at the University of Toronto. He also worked as a process control, safety, and automation specialist in energy and oil & gas industries. Dr. Gabbar has more than 410 publications, including patents, books / chapters, journal, and conference papers.

Prof. Philip Pong,
New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA
(Fellow of IET, EI, IMMM, HKIE)

Speech Title: Contactless Magnetic Sensing in Condition Monitoring and Anomaly Detection for Smart Grid: New Possibilities and Alternatives

Bioraphy: Philip W. T. Pong received a B.Eng. from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in 2002 with 1st class honours. Then he studied for a PhD in engineering at the University of Cambridge (2002-2005). He was a postdoctoral researcher at the Magnetic Materials Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for three years. His research interest currently focuses on the development and application of advanced sensing techniques based on electromagnetic sensors in smart grid and smart city. Philip Pong is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET), a Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP), a Fellow of the Energy Institute (FEI), a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (FIMMM), a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (FHKIE), a Fellow of the NANOSMAT Society (FNS), a chartered physicist (CPhys), a chartered engineer (CEng), a chartered energy engineer, a registered professional engineer (R.P.E. in Electrical, Electronics, Energy), and a Senior Member of IEEE (SMIEEE). He serves on the editorial boards for several IEEE and SCI journals.

Prof. Hazlie Mokhlis
University of Malaya, Malaysia
(Top 2% of scientists, Chair IEEE PES Malaysia Chapter (2020-2022))

Speech Title: Building Resilient Electric Power Systems in the Face of Climate Change

Bioraphy: Hazlie Mokhlis received a Bachelor of Engineering (B. Eng. (Hons)) degree and a Master of Engineering Science (M. Eng.Sc) in Electrical Engineering from the Universiti Malaya in 1999 and 2003 respectively. He received Ph.D. degree from the University of Manchester in 2009. He is currently Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Malaya. He held several important positions; Deputy Dean of Research (2013-2014), Deputy Dean of Postgraduate Studies (2014-2015, 2017-2018), Deputy Dean of Undergraduate Studies (2018-2019, 2021-2022), and Head of Department (2015-2017) at the Faculty of Engineering. Currently, as Chairman of Cluster Innovative Industry & Sustainability Science at the university level. Dr Hazlie is actively involved in research as a principal investigator with a total amount of research grants worth more than RM 2.5 million. He is the author and co-author of more than 300 publications in international journals and proceedings in the area of Power Systems and Energy. Up to now, he had successfully supervised 32 Ph.D., 10 Master (by research), and 56 Master (Mix-mode and Course Work) candidates. He is also active as a reviewer for many reputable journals and several international conferences in the area of power and energy system. His outstanding research had been recognized by Stanford University in 2021 & 2022 as one of the Top 2% of scientists in the world. In 2021 he was awarded Top Research Scientist Malaysia by Academic Science Malaysia. Besides research, he is also active in the development of Malaysian Standards as a member of Working Group in the Development of Malaysian's Power System Analysis and Studies (WG6) and Expert Representative in IEC for project TC 8/PT 62786. Prof Hazlie is a Chartered Engineer with the Engineering Council UK and a Professional Engineer with the Board of Engineers Malaysia. He is also an external examiner/assessor for many local universities for the Electrical Engineering programme. Currently, He is chairman of IEEE Power Energy Society, Malaysia Chapter session 2020-2022 and Associate Editor for IEEE Access journal. His research is focusing on improving the efficiency and resiliency of power system operation.

INVITED SPEAKER I

Prof. Reiner Johannes Schütt
West Coast University of Applied Sciences, Germany

Speech Title: Decision Aspects to Use MVDC-Links in Distribution Grids

Bioraphy: Prof. Dr. Reiner Johannes Schütt is the coordinator of focus area “automation of sustainable energy systems” in the “Competence Centre Renewable Energies and Climate Protection Schleswig-Holstein” and member of the “Institute for the Transformation of Energy Systems”. Prof. Schütt received the Diploma degree in Electrical Engineering from the Universtity of Hannover in 1987. Prof. Schütt started his professional career as an R&D engineer in the department of power electronics at the University of Hannover and worked for several years as a technical director at ENERCON Nord Electronic GmbH. In 1998 he joined the West Coast University of Applied Scienes in Schleswig-Holstein as a Professor for Electrical Drives and Control with focus on applications in decentralized sustainable energy systems. He published numerous technical journals and conference proceedings especially in the field of control and automation of decentralized electrical generators. In 2010 he published the “Innovation Study Pellworm”, where he described how to build up a smart grid on a German island. Prof. Schütt is co-author of the book “Understanding Wind Power Technology”, 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Assoc. Prof. Qobad Shafiee
University of Kurdistan, Iran

Speech Title: Microgrid Control: Advances and New Perspectives

Bioraphy: Qobad Shafiee (S’13–M’15–SM’17) received PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from the Department of Energy Technology, Aalborg University (Denmark) in 2014. He is currently an Associate Professor, Director of International Affairs, and Co-Leader of the Smart/Micro Grids Research Center at the University of Kurdistan (Sanandaj, Iran), where he was a lecturer from 2007 to 2011. In 2014, he was a Visiting Scholar with the Electrical Engineering Department, the University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA. He was a Post-Doctoral Fellow and Visiting Professor with the Department of Energy Technology, Aalborg University in 2015 and 2017, respectively. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, and e-Prime. His current research interests include dynamic modelling, stability, design, safety, and control of power electronics-based systems and microgrids, and model predictive and optimal control of modern power systems.