Dr. Jie Zhang
Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (Affiliated)
Center for Wind Energy (Affiliated)
The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75080, USA
Phone: (1)972-883-4541; Email: jiezhang@utdallas.edu
Website: https://me.utdallas.edu/faculty-staff/jie-zhang/
Curriculum Vitae; Google Scholar; LinkedIn

Dr. Zhang joined the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) in 2015. Before joining UTD, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher (2012-2014) and then a Research Engineer (2014-2015) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Dr. Zhang received his Ph.D. (2012) in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, NY, USA. His major awards include: ONR's Young Investigator Award, ASME Design Automation Young Investigator Award, Fulbright U.S. Scholar award, Invited Participant of US-Africa Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, 15 best paper (or featured article) awards from multiple journals and IEEE, ASME, AIAA, ASME conferences. He is an Associate Editor of Solar Energy, Journal of Mechanical Design, and Journal of Energy Engineering.

Dr. Harshal Kaushik (2023 - Present) is a Research Associate at the University of Texas at Dallas. Before joining UTD he was a Data Scientist (2022-23) at Bayer and a Postdoctoral Associate (2021-22) at Virginia Tech. Harshal has a Ph.D. in Operations Research from the Oklahoma State University, where his research revolved around algorithm development and complexity analysis of the first-order schemes. He holds M.Tech. in Applied Mechanics from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras. His research interests are nonlinear optimization, distributed optimization, large-scale optimization, game theory, and machine learning. Notable career highlights include recognition as an exemplary doctoral student and the achievement of a distinguished graduate fellowship.

Dr. Roshni Anna Jacob (2024 - Present) is a Research Associate at the University of Texas at Dallas. She received her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2024. Her research interests include operation and planning of power distribution networks and microgrids, resilience enhancement, smart grids, machine/deep learning applications in power grids, and energy management in integrated energy systems.

Soroush Senemmar (2020 - Present) is currently working towards his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas. He received the B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in electrical engineering from Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran, in 2015 and 2019, respectively. His current research interests focus on shipboard power system operation, load monitoring, and fault detection using machine/deep learning techniques.

Honglin Li (2021 - Present) is currently working towards his Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas. He received two M.Sc. degrees: one in computer engineering from the Dalian Maritime University, and the second in industrial engineering from Texas State University. His current research interests focus on techno-economic analysis, optimization, machine learning, microgrids, wind energy, and hydrogen.

Sobhan Badakhshan (2021 - Present) is currently pursuing his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas. He received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Iran University of Science and Technology in Iran in 2013, and the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from Sharif University of Technology in Iran in 2015. His research interests focus on enhancing the reliability and resilience of the power system, with a primary emphasis on machine learning-enabled methods, as well as the economic and secure optimization of electric systems with renewable energy integration.

Jingbo Wang (2022 - Present) is currently working towards her Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas. She received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Kettering University, and the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from Oakland University. She also has over 9 years industry working experience on battery management systems with Bosch. Her research interests include integrated energy systems, battery management system, small modular reactor, district heating, and vehicle-to-grid.

Damilola Rebecca Olojede (2022 - Present) is currently working towards her Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas. She received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Covenant University in Nigeria. Her research interests include renewable energy, topological neural networks, network resilience.

Jingyi Yan (2022 - Present) is currently working towards her Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas. She received the B.S. degree in vehicle engineering from Yanshan University in China. Her research interests include solar forecasting and machine learning.

Ali Mahboub Rad (2024 - Present) is currently working towards his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas. He received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Islamic Azad University in Iran in 2009, and the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from Power and Water University of Technology in Iran in 2012. He also has 9 years industry working experience with the Iran Grid Management Company (IGMC). His research interests focus on power system operation and planning, electricity markets, optimization, smart grid flexibility, and reliability of integrated energy systems.

Fazlur Rahman Bin Karim (2024 - Present) is currently working towards his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas. He received the B.S. degree in electrical and electronic engineering from Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology in 2014, and the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2023. He also has 5 years industry working experience as an operations engineer. His research interests include renewable generation forecasting using deep learning, power system optimization and control, microgrid, electricity market etc.

Nanhong Liu (2024 - Present) is currently working towards his Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas. He received the B.S. degree in renewable energy science and engineering from North China Electric Power University, and the M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. He also has 3 years industry working experience as a renewable energy engineer. His current research interests include grid integration of renewable energy, machine learning.

Batoul Alattas (2024 - Present) is currently working towards her Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas. She received the B.S. degree in electrical and computer engineering from King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia in 2021, and the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from The University of New Orleans in 2024. Her research interests focus on power system operation and planning, resilience enhancement, renewable energy, and machine/deep learning applications in power grids.

Kevin Sun (2024 - Present) is a junior majoring in Electrical Engineering with a passion for renewable energy. He aspires to pursue a career in this field in the future. He is working on the Research, Inquiry, Design Experience (RIDE) project: Mobile Charging Barge with Small Modular Reactors for Electric Ships.

Namyuktha Prakash (2024 - Present) is a second-year biomedical engineering student actively contributing to the Research, Inquiry, Design Experience (RIDE) Project, where she is expanding her expertise in mobile charging barges powered by small modular reactors. Beyond her academic pursuits, Namyuktha enjoys drawing, watching movies, and spending quality time with friends and family. On campus, she is involved with the Artificial Intelligence Society and the Freshman Mentor Program.

Darras Muntasir Rahman (2024 - Present) is an Electrical Engineering student at the University of Texas at Dallas, with an expected graduation in 2026. He is interested in power systems and renewable energy, with experience in projects ranging from solar-powered devices to wind energy systems. As the Director of the Power and Energy Society at UTD, Darras is passionate about integrating sustainable energy solutions and is currently working on the Research, Inquiry, Design Experience (RIDE) project: Mobile Charging Barge with Small Modular Reactors for Electric Ships.

Jonah Hays (2024 - Present) is a senior electrical engineering student at the University of Texas at Dallas, set to graduate this spring. He has a strong interest in renewable energy and power distribution systems, with hands-on experience in electric grid infrastructure and power systems. He is working on the Research, Inquiry, Design Experience (RIDE) project: Mobile Charging Barge with Small Modular Reactors for Electric Ships.