Job Description

Incumbent possesses highly valued scientific/technical competency and authoritative knowledge of the research.

• Oversees the work of other researchers in this area and represents EPRI both internally and externally.
• Assumes responsibility for highly specialized technical objectives or problems where the relationships between cause and effect are difficult to establish and little or no precedence exists, and the use of creative and imaginative thinking is required.
• Recognized as a world-renowned expert in field of expertise within EPRI and the industry through technical accomplishments such as reported in peer review publications, invited papers, patents, appointment to national committees, election to professional society positions, and an outstanding record of achievements.
• Maintains expertise by in-depth involvement in the state-of-the-art research and technology development in the field.
• Designs and oversees and/or delegates research studies performed by EPRI that will advance the state-of-knowledge in the field and have acknowledged impact to members and society.
• The incumbent is involved in related research of other public and private organizations in this field.
• Leads research, technical advisory services, and consulting engagements related to distributed energy resources (DER), battery energy storage systems (BESS), microgrids, demand flexibility, artificial intelligence applications for utility operations, inverter-based resources, and grid modernization technologies.
• Guides utilities, technology providers, and equipment manufacturers in the design, integration, deployment, and evaluation of DER, BESS, and microgrid solutions, including assessment of operational, reliability, resilience, interoperability, and economic impacts.
• Provides technical leadership for utility-scale and mission-critical microgrid applications, including Department of Defense (DoD) and other resilience-focused installations requiring advanced islanding and grid integration capabilities.
• Advises data center owners, operators, and developers on the design and operation of grid-interactive facilities, including islanding, bridging operations, grid reconnection strategies, and reliability optimization.
• Leads technical efforts addressing inverter-based resource (IBR) integration, dynamic performance, interconnection studies, grid stability, and mitigation strategies for utilities, developers, and generating asset owners.
• Develops and advances industry-accepted tools, methodologies, benchmarking approaches, test harnesses, and validation frameworks supporting power system modeling platforms including PSS4, Electromagnetic Transient (EMT) tools, and DIgSILENT PowerFactory.
• Serves as a trusted advisor to utilities regarding the strategy, application, and operational deployment of artificial intelligence inference capabilities for distribution systems and grid operations.
• Provides guidance to technology providers regarding evolving market requirements and technical capabilities needed to support future utility operational needs and AI-enabled grid applications.
• Leads technical initiatives focused on demand flexibility interoperability, distributed energy orchestration, and utility-aggregator integration through industry collaboration and standardization efforts.
• Supports the development and commercialization of vendor-neutral interoperability assessment tools, frameworks, and technology evaluation methodologies that assist utilities and solution providers in demonstrating integration readiness and operational value.
• Establishes strategic technical partnerships and collaborative research efforts that advance EPRI's leadership position in emerging energy technologies and utility transformation initiatives.

• Supports EPRI M&TS, SAEs, and Sector Leadership in representing EPRI and establishing EPRI's technical credentials and leadership.
• Represents EPRI both internally and externally.
• Contributes to multiple projects within and cross-sector on whatever basis necessary for effective utilization of expertise.
• Interacts with EPRI leaders to develop EPRI's position in the field; consults with leaders in member organizations to assist in their strategy development relating to field of expertise.
• May lead a small cross-sector team of capable junior and senior technical staff members and advises/mentors developing technical staff, with or without direct management responsibility.
• Coaches and mentors internal staff in associated technical areas of expertise.
• Provides strategic and technical leadership supporting EPRI business development, member engagement, and consulting growth opportunities in DER integration, microgrids, data center electrification, AI-enabled utility operations, demand flexibility, and inverter-based resource integration.
• Represents EPRI before executive leadership teams, government agencies, utility organizations, technology providers, standards bodies, and industry forums to advance technical thought leadership and adoption of innovative grid technologies.
• Collaborates across EPRI sectors and technical programs to leverage expertise, align strategic initiatives, and develop integrated solutions addressing utility modernization challenges.
• Identifies emerging technology trends, research opportunities, and market needs that can be translated into high-impact research programs, member services, and consulting engagements.
• Supports the development of industry guidance, technical roadmaps, best practices, and frameworks that help utilities navigate increasingly complex distributed and intelligent energy ecosystems.

MS or PhD in related technical or scientific field or equivalent experience required.