- Applying tools from optimization, control theory, and economics to model transportation and electricity networks, as they relate to smart cities and smart grids respectively. - Advised by Dr. Anuradha Annaswamy in the Active-Adaptive Control (Lab) in the Mechanical Engineering department. PhD research [January 2021 - present]- Developing algorithms based on game theory, distributed optimization/control, and mechanism design for retail electricity markets and integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) into the grid.Master's thesis work [September 2019 - January 2021]- Worked on optimizing the dynamic routing and dynamic pricing of shared mobility-on-demand services in cities using Cumulative Prospect Theory (CPT) based behavioral models, in collaboration with Ford Motor Company. Leveraged dynamic tariffs to regulate supply/demand of ride pooling services and optimize objectives like average waiting times for passengers, using transactive feedback control.

Customer discovery to explore commercial applications of my research in improved timeseries forecasting and physics-informed machine learning for power systems.

Led a team of 9 other MIT students. Developed curriculum and taught an intensive course on climate change and renewable energy for high school students in South Africa & Botswana.

Built improved system models & simulators for the grid @ Project Tapestry. Applied scientific, physics-based machine learning to enhance the speed and accuracy of transient dynamic numerical simulations of power systems. Improved stochastic optimization model for power system planning with hydro and renewables.

- Leading one of the largest student organizations at MIT with 600+ active members, 5000+ subscribers, 50+ events per year, and $200,000+ annual budget.- Recruit and lead a 35+ member executive team: managing different functions including marketing, community building & education, sponsorships, external/alumni relations & partnerships & finance.- Assist event teams in organizing our flagship annual events: Energy & Climate Career Fair, Energy Night, Energy Hack and Energy Conference.

- Member of teaching team for MIT's Global Startup Labs 2023: Organized 3-week long machine learning/entrepreneurship bootcamp for students at Universidad Tecnológica del Uruguay.- Developed and taught interactive lessons (lectures, live coding exercise notebooks) on neural networks, advanced deep learning methods, model validation, hyperparameter tuning, and time-series forecasting.- Mentored teams of students working on applied ML startup projects.

System modeling and digital real-time simulation for hardware-in-the-loop validation of optimization/control algorithms in power distribution grids.

- Led the 50+ member organizing team for the largest student-led energy & climate conference in the world, with 600+ in-person and 400+ virtual attendees, 75+ speakers, 20+ sessions, and 35+ startup presenters.- Successfully transitioned to a hybrid format and achieved >$135,000 in ticket revenue (all-time high) in addition to >$125,000 in sponsorships/partnerships.

- Part of 2021 cohort, in partnership with American Meteorological Society (AMS) and Association of Science & Technology Centers (ASTC)- Work with scientists, community leaders, legislators, gas & power utility representatives, environmental advocates, and local citizens- GIS data collection, infrastructure planning, and environmental impact assessment to build an energy plan for Otsego County, New York

Worked with Avangrid's Smart Grid Innovation team to design and implement a DERMS (Distributed Energy Resources Management System) pilot project, as part of Avangrid's 2021 Innovation Challenge. Evaluated different use-cases & grid services to demonstrate benefits of DERMS.

Market/algorithm design and optimization methods for coordinating DERs and demand response capabilities at the secondary feeder level.

- Worked on the optimal design, energy management and control of stable, resilient microgrids for remote, isolated communities, as part of my MPhil (master's) dissertation. My project focused specifically on the operation of renewable energy sources (wind and solar), conventional fossil-fueled backup generation as well as battery storage for off-grid systems with no external power transfers.- Supervised by Dr. Ioannis Lestas in the Control Group within the Engineering department.

- Designed, implemented and evaluated the impact of CDI's entrepreneurship project: aimed at accelerating startup creation, setting up small to medium enterprises and tackling youth unemployment in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. - Special focus on businesses in the area of cleantech, energy and agricultural innovation.- Also assisted with other CDI projects focused on WaSH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), Education and Health.

Recipient of a 2018 International Gates Cambridge scholarship to pursue a graduate degree in Energy Technologies and conduct research at the University of Cambridge.

- Built, validated and optimized price forward curves (HPFC/DPFCs) to predict natural gas prices 5 years into the future, based on similar models used for trading electric power and CO2 credits in German/EU markets.- Learned about wind farm operation and grid management of other renewable energy assets in the portfolio such as solar PV and biomass.

One of only twelve summer fellows selected from STEM undergraduates at prestigious universities all across the United States. Participated in a one-month intercultural and language immersion program at TU Dortmund university (consisting of classes, seminars, and visits to local companies, universities, and research institutes) followed by a one-month internship with one of Germany’s leading companies located in the Ruhr industrial region.

Hybrid Systems Lab [January - May 2018]- Independent research project under the supervision of Prof. Claire Tomlin, studied the optimization and centralized control of long-range electric vehicle charging scheduling along highway networks.Printed Electronics Group [August 2017 - April 2018]- Optimized novel, printed and flexible micro-scale Silver-Zinc batteries and currently working on wirelessly integrating these with custom RFID chips to create self-sufficient, multipurpose energy storage systems for IoT/space/defense applications. - Working with Prof. Vivek Subramaniam and Ph.D. candidate Raj Kumar, and Collaborating with Prof. Kris Pister in the SWARM lab.Energy Modeling, Analysis and Controls Lab (EMAC) [January - August 2017]Energy and Resources Group | Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences - Designed and fabricated low-cost energy monitoring systems and programming sensor networks. Analyzed the data collected to optimize electricity use among low-income households in Managua, Nicaragua and promote behavioral energy efficiency.- Worked under the supervision of Prof. Duncan Callaway and PhD candidate Diego Ponce De Leon Barido. Senior design project and honor's thesis cosponsored by Prof. Kameshwar Poolla.Haas School of Business | Department of Economics [January - April 2017]- Assisted PhD candidate with STATA data analysis on research project studying patterns in global banking and capital flows.Theoretical & Applied Fluid Dynamics Laboratory [September - December 2016] - Redesign hydraulic heat engines for increased power density & improved efficiency. - Researched optimal design strategies for new types of liquid piston Stirling engines, under Prof. Reza Alam and Postdoctoral Researcher Mohsen Saadat.

Created solution rubrics, contributed towards developing course materials (homework/practice problems etc.), debugged tests and graded assignments for the introductory Electrical Engineering course EE16A: Information Devices and Systems I.

- Worked under the guidance of Professor William Nazaroff and PhD candidate Matthew Vannucci, as part of the Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (URAP).- Project studies the effect of temperature gradients and heating, on air flow patterns (thermal plumes) and mixing times of gaseous pollutants like Carbon dioxide. - Also independently designed and conducted a pilot study, characterizing the emissions from heated dust and investigating the resulting increase in ultra fine particle (particulate matter) concentrations.- Used Matlab and Excel for data analysis and visualization; SolidWorks to design experimental setup.- Selected to present at the Spring 2016 EECS & College of Engineering Undergraduate Research Symposium and Poster Session (Microsoft Research) on May 5, 2016.

- Assisted fellow students (both declared and undeclared) with general advising for the Economics major. - I aided in academic/schedule planning, the major application process, resolving administrative/enrollment issues, troubleshooting technical problems, explaining opportunities like research, study abroad and the honors program etc.- Also successfully set up, publicized and managed an online forum (Facebook group) for all students interested in Economics at Cal.

- Plan and implement educational initiatives and programs in the residence halls and apartments, focused on environmental sustainability.- Developed campus-wide environmental solutions and partnered with other environmental groups/offices to help achieve the university’s 2020 sustainability goals- Raise environmental awareness among students and organize projects to reduce carbon footprint.- Organize larger, campus-wide events like Earth Week, Zero Waste Week etc. Created and distributed educational materials like monthly 'Greenie' newsletters, informational flyers/videos, and boosted outreach efforts by revamping our social media presence.- Introduced cleaner technologies like solar power, efficient water heating, recycling and compost education in the dorms. Successfully passed a proposal and launched a pilot program to eliminate paper towels from the dorms, in favor of reusable hand towels.

- Worked as a teaching assistant for the General Chemistry Course and Laboratory (Chem 1A/1AL).- Helped conduct weekly lab and discussion sections.- Prepared review worksheets, conduct presentations and other activities.- Participated in weekly seminars (Chem 301C) to develop teaching skills in STEM.- chemistry.berkeley.edu/ugrad/current-students/teacher-scholars

- Assisted in the VDL under Prof J. Karl Hedrick and Graduate student researcher Andreas Hansen. - Research project focuses on using MATLAB to study and model the temperature dynamics of vehicle exhausts using differential equations. This will then be used to design digital engine control systems for automobiles and emission reduction.- Shadowed on a regular basis: Reviewed, understood & optimized MATLAB code to minimize error. Tested various theoretical models on actual experimental data.- vehicle.me.berkeley.edu/

- Automated electrical test verification, prototyping, and programming to optimize nanolayer coatings that will improve the performance of Li-ion batteries. This will enable 25% cheaper and 50% faster battery production and increase the capacity, lifetime and safety of both current and next generation LIBs.- Working closely with the co-founders to design and implement test algorithms and software in MATLAB/LabVIEW/Python along with complementary hardware design and circuit board development.

- Review project proposals and vote to allocate over $300,000 annually in funding student-led projects that promote environmental sustainability and environmental justice on and around the UC Berkeley campus.- Advise funded projects and team members throughout the year in program implementation, optimal use of their budget, maximizing and measuring their short/long-term impacts on the local community.

Improve and optimize the efficiency of administrative/logistical tasks and tracking the day-to-day operations (including workshift hours, weekly progress reports and finances) of 20+ BSC houses serving 1300+ students. Working on voluntary basis as a co-op member.

- Tutored fellow engineering students of all class years in the following courses: Physics, Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra & Differential Equations, Control Systems and Feedback, Thermodynamics, Information Devices: Circuits and Signals.- Conducted individual tutoring, leading study groups (10-15 students) and organizing weekly deep-dive review sessions.

BEACN is the premier student-run, non-profit organization at UC Berkeley providing strategy consulting services for environmentally sustainable and socially responsible businesses and non-profits in the Bay Area and beyond.[May - Dec 2017] Vice President of Operations- Spearhead member recruitment, oversee club logistics/financial management, curate client/member/alumni impact, facilitate case workshops and interviews, secure industry & on-campus partners/sponsors, improve visibility and outreach.[Spring 2017] Senior Consultant- Advised 3 project teams working on (1) Supply chain analysis for an agrochem startup (2) Market analysis and marketing strategies for a solar renewable energy credits firm and (3) CSR plan for a national dessert chain.[Fall 2016] Project Manager- Led team of associate consultants as Co-Project Manager (PM) on a semester-long consulting project for a rapidly growing, venture-backed agricultural biotech startup. - Conducted due diligence, market opportunity research and expected penetration analysis. Developed detailed Go-to-Market strategies specific to high value areas, and built implementation models to guide company decisions and forecast future growth. [Spring 2016] Associate Consultant- Provided cost analysis for renewable energy technologies and a detailed overview of US energy market to a fast-growing geothermal energy startup. - Created comprehensive cost database by compiling, classifying and validating data points from numerous sources including research papers, industry/govt reports etc. - Researched benefits of client's technology over fossil fuels as well as alternative renewables sources. In addition to historical and future cost projections, we looked into externalities like socioeconomic impact, environmental effects, policy regulation etc. [Fall 2015] Associate Consultant- Comprehensive analysis and market entry strategies in the field of cleantech financing through Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE).

Leadership team member of the Berkeley Energy & Resources Collaborative (BERC), the largest student-run energy club in the United States.[December 2016 - December 2017] BERC-U Liaison- Served as the main interface between the graduate and undergraduate arms of the organization.- Improved communication, visibility and developed initiatives to increase undergraduate students' involvement in BERC[December 2015 - December 2016] Vice President of Technology- Managing the BERC and BERC Energy Summit websites and aiding with any IT related technical issues for the BERC Leadership team.- Optimizing the accessibility, appearance and effectiveness of our sites. I edit all web content like blog posts, add and update web pages etc. and work with the Marketing team to reach out to our 3000+ members, the larger campus community, industry partners/sponsors and energy enthusiasts in the Bay Area and beyond.

- Brainstormed and designed a more accurate, real-time and cost-effective method for monitoring levels of solid chemicals inside process chambers. Researched multiple sensor technologies and selected load cells for weight measurements. Completely redesigned internal features of the gas box to accommodate this new proposed system. - Worked with senior mechanical, materials and process engineers in the Metal Deposition Group (MDP). Designed and optimized novel equipment and techniques to manufacture products including integrated circuits, microprocessors, display devices and solar photovoltaics.- Drafted 3D models and 2D engineering drawings using Siemens NX, Teamcenter and Autodesk software, tested and calibrated prototypes in lab settings and class 100 cleanrooms, conducted data analysis using MATLAB/Excel, sourced required parts and collaborated with vendors/suppliers using Lotus Notes, Oracle etc.- Contributed to R&D efforts to meet the growing needs and ever increasing complexity of the semiconductor, thin film, and microelectronics industry, with a focus on accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and energy efficiency.

- Explore alternative, profitable applications for tensegrity, outside space exploration (where light, flexible tensegrity based robots with autonomous mobility are being used instead of traditional rovers).- Conducted extensive user/market research into educational products: Low-cost, interactive prototyping kits as educational toys and teaching tools to engage K-8 students in STEM and robotics. - Brainstormed >100 other potential applications including customizable, ergonomic furniture, medical tech and outdoor gear/lifestyle products.- Developed the final concept of Lights in Tensegrity (LiT): A versatile, kinetic lighting structure using tensegrity that responds to external stimuli like sound, music, touch etc. in order to enhance the user's experience.- Designed and fabricated high fidelity prototype along with detailed business plan.

Explored potential applications of regenerative hydrogen fuel cells (RHFCs) for large scale energy storage from intermittent renewables, and identified key drivers influencing the production, storage, transmission and utilization of hydrogen as an energy source, storage medium and transport vector.Summarized our research findings in a detailed, journal-style paper - submitted for internal distribution/use within EPRI, and potential publication. Currently in the process of refining the paper for submission to relevant conferences.

- Designed, fabricated and tested low-cost, thin film, organic Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs). Researched and synthesized novel, metal-free organic dye sensitizers along with co-sensitization techniques to improve photovoltaic performance and long term stability/durability.- Side Project: Explored Aqueous Phase DSSCs with dual applications of electricity generation and Hydrogen gas production through photocatalytic water splitting. - Skills and techniques include: 1) Precision nano/micro-scale device fabrication using doctor blade/screen printing/particle deposition methods, titration and preparing dye solutions, optimizing the design/manufacturing of all solar cell components to achieve champion power conversion efficiency.2) Device testing using I-V, EIS, IPCE, X-ray and UV-vis spectroscopy.3) Data analysis and visualization using MATLAB, Excel and OriginPro.- Worked under the supervision of Prof. Jiann T'suen Lin and Post Doctoral Researcher Chun-Ting Li, at the Institute of Chemistry."Cal Energy Corps is an undergraduate internship program through the Berkeley Energy & Climate Institute (BECI), that engages the best and brightest students from UC Berkeley in the design, development, and delivery of sustainable energy and climate solutions around the world."

- Selected to the Spring 2016 cohort as part of a diverse, multidisciplinary 5-member team.- Created a prototype for a mobile application 'Altruists' providing accessible, flexible & short-term micro-tasks to busy students. By engaging youth, optimizing the use of human capital and people's free time - we aim to integrate & enrich local communities while also promoting health & wellness.- Actively participated in weekly workshops focusing on all aspects of product development including ideation, user experience research, market surveying, design for social impact, marketing etc.- Placed among the top 7 teams selected to pitch our idea at the final showcase & Demo Day.

- Gained a thorough understanding of the structure of California's electricity market, and the roles played by renewable sources and Energy Storage (ES) technologies in the US.- Analysed various battery storage technologies and explored their varied benefits, from an economic, environmental, technological and policy perspective.- Developed multiple use-cases for ES systems that allow "value stacking" and maximize value to the wholesale market, utilities and residential and C&I consumers.- Worked with PhD, MS and Haas MBA students to prepare a comprehensive six page report summarizing our recommendations to Amazon Web Services (AWS).

- Worked in the Research Department within the EVP office.- Responsible for the archives project: Digitization and transitioning of existing ASUC records and documents, while also creating new information that's more accessible, transparent and comprehensive.- Also worked on CACSSF grant writing, creating student/alumni surveys & analyzing their results, and updating the ASUC wiki so as to provide a helpful resource to all students.- Long term goal: Implement sustainable changes in ASUC procedures.

- Selected to attend the six day leadership training retreat organized by LeaderShape, Berkeley Engineering and the College of Chemistry, UC Berkeley.- Vision: Universal Clean Energy Access for All.

- Researched on the prevalence and existing usage of Solar Power in the City of Berkeley, CA.- Also researched potential solar panel providers, assoicated costs, contextual considerations timeline etc.- Focused on expanding use of solar panels in the University.- Helped draft a policy to increase % solar energy use, to be submitted to the Berkeley City Council.- www.calpirgstudents.org/campaigns/ca/california-go-solar