Zhao to Serve as GRAPES Site Director

University of Arkansas

Dr. Yue Zhao

Yue Zhao, assistant professor of electrical engineering, has been appointed site director of the GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems research center.

The GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems, also known as GRAPES, was founded in 2009 to accelerate the adoption and insertion of power electronics into the electric grid, in order to improve system stability, flexibility, robustness, and economy.

Zhao has been a member of GRAPES since he joined the University of Arkansas in August of 2015.

Working together with the current leadership, Zhao will assume responsibility for certain strategic initiatives to help GRAPES provide greater member value and advance its research agenda.

"My main research effort in GRAPES is closely related to the distributed energy resources (DER), especially design and optimization of the power converters such as solar inverters, for DER applications," Zhao said. "The seed projects funded by GRAPES have led to several large-scale projects funded by Department of Energy."

Zhao said he's excited about this opportunity and is looking forward to expanding on the center's success.

"In the last 12 years, GRAPES has built a national reputation within the field of grid-connected power electronics," he said.

GRAPES is partly funded by the Industry/University Cooperative Research Center program of the National Science Foundation, while industry members fund the bulk of the center's research, Zhao said.

Alan Mantooth, distinguished professor of electrical engineering, the Twenty-First Century Research Leadership Chair in engineering and executive director, and Juan Carlos Balda, electrical engineering department head and former site director, selected Zhao as the new site director.

Mantooth said Zhao distinguished himself as a leading power electronics researcher in the field and this new role was a fitting growth path for him.

"I am very happy to see Dr. Zhao move into this role," he said. "He has a lot of creativity and I look forward to him applying that to our leadership team to make GRAPES even better."

Balda echoed Mantooth's sentiment.

"Upon joining the department, Dr. Zhao has significantly contributed to the research mission by being a principal or co-principal investigator in several research contracts," he said. "I am confident that he will bring the same energy level as he takes this leadership role in one of our research centers."

About GRAPES: GRAPES is a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center. At this center, engineering faculty from the University of Arkansas and the University of South Carolina collaborate with members of industry to develop new technologies for advanced power electronic systems, develop new software and tools for controlling embedded- and grid-connected power electronics, and to educate engineers who understand the power electronic technologies that are important to our members. GRAPES' 16 member organizations come from commercial and government sectors of the economy. To learn more about GRAPES, click here.