Principal Investigator
Paul Moses
Graduate Program
My research group is accepting applications from domestic and international candidates for the MS/PhD program.
Successful applicants must have an excellent background in electrical engineering with an aptitude and interest for conducting research in one or more of the following general topic areas: power system resiliency, system protection, nonlinear and dynamic electromagnetic transients, and renewable energy in transmission and distribution smart grids. Preferably, applicants have taken courses specializing in power systems engineering and have experience in hands-on experimentation, teamwork, and clear communication skills in oral and written form. You are welcome to send your CV/Resume and transcripts, as well as any research paper you may have written, to Dr. Paul Moses for consideration. Due to the volume of emails received, it is not always possible to respond in a timely manner, but received emails will be screened and will be followed up if there is a good fit.
The Moses Lab at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, comprises a state-of-the-art research laboratory facility. The university has gained an international reputation for innovative research and attracting high caliber PhD and MS students.
Current PhD Students
Vinushika Panchalogaranjan – I am doing my Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr. Moses. I have been working with the Socially Sustainable Solutions for Water, Carbon, and Infrastructure Resilience in Oklahoma (S3 OK) research team where my focus is improving the power system resilience. I finished my undergraduate studies from University of Jaffna, Sri Lanka in 2018. I worked as an Instructor at the same university for 2 years before I joined OU in 2021. My research interests are protection & control of power systems with distributed generation and power quality issues in distribution system integrated with renewable energy.
Srijana Shrestha – I am a Ph.D. student working under the supervision of Dr. Moses since August 2021. I completed my undergraduate education in Nepal at Tribhuvan University, Pulchowk Campus. I then worked as an Electrical Engineer for quite a few years at Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood in Nepal. My research interests are power system modeling, stability, and resilience.
Julien Aganze – I am a Ph.D. student working under the supervision of Dr. Moses since August 2024. I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering in Uganda from International University of East Africa in 2020 then my Master’s degree in Electrical and Power Engineering in Poland from Wroclaw University of Science and Technology in 2023. My research interests are power systems protection and control and its reliability under severe/extreme weather conditions with renewable integration.
Current Undergraduate Students
Jonas Manchester – I am currently working on my undergraduate studies in Electrical Engineering. I have been working in the Power generation industry for a bit over a year. I want to achieve my master’s in electrical engineering and help in the advancement in Nuclear Power Technologies. My Research interests are Electromagnetic Transient events on large scale power systems, probabilistic risk analysis, and magnetic confinement systems.
Junior Mauiango – I am an Electrical Engineering major with a Computer Science minor at the University of Oklahoma. My passion for renewable energy was sparked during my time at the United World College in the United States, where I developed a deep interest in improving the efficiency of existing energy solutions. I am honored to be a UWC Davis Scholar, which provided me with a full scholarship to attend OU. Currently, I work for OU IT, applying my skills and knowledge to real-world tech challenges.
Past Scholars
PhD Graduates
Wanghao Fei -Received his B.S. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in 2012 from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China and his M.S. in Power Electronics and Energy Transmission in 2015 from Xian Shiyou University, Xi’an China. He successfully passed his Ph.D. defence in May 2021 at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, US. His research interests lie in power system state estimation, data driven methods in power systems, and power system protection.
Marounfa Djibo – Received the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of South Alabama, Mobile, Alabama USA in 2010 and 2013 respectively. Since 2012, he has been working at Huntington Ingalls industries as nuclear system test engineer. He successfully passed his Ph.D. defence in September 2021 for Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia USA. His interests are dynamic modeling and testing of marine power, energy, and pulsed power systems.
Jonathan Devadason – Received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics engineering in the year 2012 and his Master’s degree in Power System engineering in 2015 from College of Engineering Guindy, Anna University, Chennai, India. He completed his Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering specializing in power systems from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2018. He successfully passed his Ph.D. defence in September 2021 at the University of Oklahoma, Norman. His research interests are power system dynamics, applications of FACTS devices in the improvement of power system stability and wind energy conversion systems.
Masters Graduates
Daniel Glover – Successfully passed his master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering under the guidance of Dr. Paul Moses. His research interests are in distributed renewable energy resources, high solar grid penetration studies, power systems optimization, and deep learning techniques for power systems planning. Daniel is a National Intel Scholar, member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) and the IEEE Eta Kappa Nu OU Honor Society for Electrical Engineering. At the Laboratory for Electrical Energy and Power Systems, he is working as a graduate research assistant on grid capacity hosting for photovoltaics, optimization for future PV planning and the effects of high PV integration on various networks. He is heavily involved in developing a state-of-the-art renewable energy testbed.
Haifah Sambo – Graduated in Electrical Engineering and planning in May 2021. After completing a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates on the theme of solar cells at the University of Alabama in 2018, I found my passion for semiconductor electronics and renewable energies. Since then, I expanded my knowledge on the generation and transmission of electricity thanks to my internships in utility-related industries. On campus, I served as an officer for the Society of Women Engineers and the National Society of Black Engineers.
Undergraduate Research Students
Thomas Fugate – Graduated in May 2022 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. I have had a few internships with Lockheed Martin where I primarily focused on the facilities electrical system and have used my electives for a focus in power. My hobbies include most if not all outdoor activities and music.
Research Project – Mentored Undergraduate Research – The project was to build a solar array and system from donated equipment to allow for testing of how a power gride reacts to PV being injected into the system. The design of the array required research of the equipment on hand as well as design and redesigning of the system as needed.
Noah Gruman – Graduated in May 2023 with a B.S. in Engineering Physics with an electrical design sequence and a minor in economics. Interned with Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority and now full-time employed with Oklahoma Gas & Electric. Corp. My particular interests are in distribution control, grid scale batteries, and renewable technology. I also enjoy music, video games, and cooking.
Research Project – Honors Engineering Research Experience (HERE) – I am working on an energy distribution system which will be used to examine the effects of increased complexity (from integrating solar, grid battery, etc) on fault detection and response. This involves forming a unified SCADA system through principal and auxiliary logic controllers as well as maintaining a physical system which easily switches between and monitors diverse topologies. Upon completion, this system will be able to instigate a fault in real time and run successive experiments with much less cost and cool-down time.
Michael Cheek – Graduated in May 2022 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and in May 2023 with a M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Vice President of the OU Rowing Club, a Program Leader for the Honors College Outdoor Adventure Backpacking Program, and a Resident Advisor here on campus. My biggest personal hobby is gardening.
Research Project – Honors Research Assistant Program (HRAP) – The research task is to support a funded Department of Energy project aimed at understanding solar PV integration issues in distribution feeders including power system protection and transient behavior. The work supports the development of a new laboratory supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system with Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) management of a state-of-the-art electrical testbed.
Ryan Madden – Graduated from the University of Oklahoma May 2020 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Economics. In my time at OU, I have taken a class load with a focus on electrical power. I also competed and lettered 4 times with the OU baseball team. Moving forward I am interested in electrical generation, transmission, and distribution systems. My other interests include following baseball as well as statistics and analytics.
Research Project – Mentored Undergraduate Research – Building on the previous GIC experimental work, this project aimed to prototype a new protection relaying approach for the detection of GICs in transmission systems. A new LabView program was written extending previous data acquisition software to develop new protection relaying algorithms suitable to the distortions presented by GICs for transformer protection.
Savannah Pate – Graduated in May 2020 with a B.S. in Computer Engineering. I plan on pursuing a master’s degree in electrical engineering here at OU. I worked as an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Moses my junior year and part of my senior year. I currently work at the Advanced Radar Research Center. I plan on interning at the Naval Research Lab in Washington DC this summer. On campus, I am a member of HKN and the new graduate liaison in OU’s chapter of Tau Beta Pi.
Research Project – Honors Research Assistant Program (HRAP) – The project was to develop a signal processing and data acquisition system to study Geomagnetically Induced Currents entering transformers. The work involved conducting laboratory experiments on a two-transformer system that represented a transmission line undergoing GIC disturbances. The distorted current and voltage waveshapes were recorded and analyzed through a LabView program designed by the students.
Daniel Gipson – Graduated in December 2019. I have experience with the following software: Microsoft Office, Multisim, MATLAB, Eagle, R markdown, and LaTeX. I’m a certified welder by the state of Oklahoma and the American Petroleum Institute. I am interested in the generation and distribution of electric power.
Research Project – Mentored Undergraduate Research – The project is aimed at improving electromagnetic transient models of power system components and conducting simulations for dynamic conditions such as inrush currents, load perturbations and fault dynamics for electrical machines and transformers. This becomes significant in power systems that are increasingly operating under distorted conditions with high penetration of volatile renewable energy.
Devon Alcorn – Majored in Electrical Engineering, and has a minor in Entrepreneurship. I have been an undergraduate research assistant before in the Advanced Radar Research Center focusing on calibration of a multiplanar phased array system. During the Summer of 2018, I participated in a Research Experience for Undergraduates at the MIT Haystack Observatory where I worked on developing an open-source drone platform that was used to carry a software-defined radio for radio science applications. Was heavily involved in Sooner Electric Racing, in the role of Team Captain; this team has built electric racing go-karts in the past, but is currently shifting its focus to unmanned electric vehicles. I have broad interests in robotics, electrical vehicles of all kinds, and radar applications. In my free time, I enjoy fantasy and sci-fi novels, movies, videos games, and following the NBA.
Research Project – Honors Engineering Research Experience (HERE) – Spacecraft Power Systems – Power systems for future manned spacecrafts will experience more demanding applications in the pursuit to colonize mars and moon bases. The project was to develop a model of a spacecraft power distribution system that is an evolution of the Apollo spacecrafts.
Charles Ferraro – Graduated in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. I have experience in various programming languages: C, Swift, and Java. I have competed in numerous engineering competitions with the most recent one involving creating an Atari-esque console and game with an Arduino board in which I got second place. I love birds, video games, electronics, and people.
Research Project – Honors Engineering Research Experience (HERE) – Next Generation Power Systems for Naval Ships with Pulsed Power Loads – Future surface vessels in the navy and commercial industries are evolving with higher power densities and dynamic load behavior at higher voltages. The goal of this project is to build an electrical simulation model of a shipboard power system and study the effects of faults and pulsed power load disturbances considering medium-voltage ac and dc distribution networks.
Rachel Jarvis – Graduated in May 2020 and pursuing a Ph.D. in the ARRC Lab. I have worked for the University of Oklahoma Information Technology as a mobile technician. In the past, I have been an undergraduate research assistant in the Advanced Radar Research Center, focusing on the control of an adjustable patch antenna with magnetically actuated ferrofluid loads. During the Fall 2017 semester, I studied abroad in Arezzo, Italy, where I served as Vice President of Programming for the Student Activities Council. On campus, I have been involved in the Residential Citation Appeals Board, Alpha Sigma Kappa: Women in Technical Studies, and Engineers’ Club.
Research Project – Honors Engineering Research Experience (HERE) – Plug-in Electric Vehicles in Smart Grids – Modern power systems are evolving at a rapid pace towards a “smart grid” with the infusion of distributed generation in residential solar photovoltaic (PV) systems as well as emerging consumer load patterns with smart appliances and plug-in electric vehicles (PEV). An interesting aspect of smart grids is the use of PEV batteries to support the grid in times of high demand to reduce line congestions and generator loading during peak times or emergencies. This is known as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) operation in which utilities may incentivize PEV owners to allow dormant vehicles that are plugged in to temporarily discharge their batteries to supply the grid. This project investigates V2G operation of PEVs by simulating a small residential network with multiple PEVs.
Lauren Lusk – GI graduated in December 2019 in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Mandarin. Summer 2017 I participated in the University of Arizona’s CAT Vehicle Research Experience for Undergraduates and did research on TV white space. In addition to researching, I was also heavily involved in Women in Electrical and Computer Engineering student organization and compete with Sooner Electric Racing. In years past, we build an electric go-kart in the Perdue Electric Vehicle Grand Prix. Recently, the team has switched competitions to the Formula Sun Grand Prix.
Research Project – Honors Engineering Research Experience (HERE) – Protecting Power Transformers from Geomagnetically Induced Currents – Due to periodic intense solar flare and sun spot activity, an interesting phenomenon occurs in power transformers in electrical grids known as geomagnetically induced currents (GICs). The solar activity at certain times interacts with the earth’s magnetic field and induces a dc voltage bias between the grounding points of power transformers at opposite ends of long transmission lines. The result is a GIC dc flow that is superimposed on ac waveforms causing the transformer to undergo magnetic core saturation and exhibit heavy distortions and overheating. The research project is aimed at simulating GICs and designing a device to detect this condition and block GIC from affecting power transformers.
Ermin Kevric – Majored in Electrical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma with a Minor in Mathematics. As a graduate from United World College in Mostar, I was awarded a full scholarship to study at The University of Oklahoma. I am mostly interested in digital signals, their processing and application in real life situations. As a sophomore, I have successfully completed the Honor’s Research Assistant Program with Dr. Moses
Research Project – Modern residential electricity systems are evolving towards intelligent “smart” grids with new consumer technologies emerging such as smart appliances and rooftop solar photovoltaic power. Many household devices such as flat screen televisions, portable electronics, computers as well as future smart appliances like plug-in electric vehicles employ power supplies that convert alternating current (ac) into direct current (dc). The argument could be made that conventional 120/240 Vac supplies in residential networks are becoming obsolete and there may be advantages in moving toward an all-dc residential system. In the Fall of 2017, I completed a project on investigating the waveform quality in residential DC distribution grid systems. This involved the development of a hybrid ac/dc distribution system simulation model.