Our Team
At the Grid Modernization Centre, our work is driven by a dynamic, collaborative team of researchers, engineers, and academic leaders. Rooted in the University of Toronto’s globally recognized research community, we bring together deep expertise in electrical and computer engineering, energy systems, and smart grid innovation.
Professor Ali Hooshyar
Co-Founder and Principal Investigator
Ali Hooshyar joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto in 2018. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Centre for Applied Power Electronics, University of Toronto, in 2015. He was an Assistant Professor at the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, York University, Toronto, from 2015 to 2018. His research interests include the protection and control of renewable energy systems and smart grids. Dr. Hooshyar is an Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid and the IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery. He is also the Guest Editor-in-Chief of the Special Issue of the IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery on Resilience-Oriented Protection, Control, and Monitoring Systems for Power Grids. Dr. Hooshyar is an Associate Editor of the Wiley Encyclopedia of Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
Professor Reza Iravani
Co-Principal Investigator
Reza Iravani received the BSc degree from Tehran Polytechnique, Iran, in 1976, and the MSc and PhD degrees in 1981 and 1985 from the University of Manitoba, all in electrical engineering. In July 1987, he joined the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto, where he now holds the rank of professor with tenure. He has been the holder of the L Lau Chair since November 2004. He founded the Centre for Applied Power Electronics (CAPE) in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering in 1989 and serves as its director. His research interests include control and operation of High Voltage DC (HVDC) grids, integration of renewable/alternative energy resources and storage systems in power distribution and HVDC-AC transmission systems, electric vehicle fast charging stations and AC-DC microgrids.
Professor Olivier Trescases
Co-Principal Investigator
Olivier Trescases (BASc, MASc, PhD) received his PhD degree in electrical engineering at the University of Toronto in 2007. Before joining the University of Toronto as an Assistant Professor in 2009, he worked as a Concept Engineer and mixed-signal IC Designer in Infineon Technologies, Villach, Austria, focusing on safety-critical automotive applications. At the University of Toronto, his group conducts research on high-efficiency switched-mode power converters for automotive, industrial, aerospace and renewable energy applications. His expertise is in the area of energy management, high-frequency/high-density power electronics, battery management systems, electric vehicles and power integrated circuits, including wide bandgap semiconductors. While on sabbatical in 2016, he worked at the Texas Instruments Kilby Labs, Santa Clara, CA, USA, and then at NXP Semiconductor in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Trescases is currently a Full Professor at U of T and a Canada Research Chair in Power Electronic converters. He is the Director of the U of T Electric Vehicle Research Centre, where he is participating in multi-disciplinary collaborations with leading automotive suppliers and OEMs. Prof. Trescases has published over 115 papers in peer reviewed IEEE venues, including several best paper awards, he is an associate editor for the IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics. He has been involved with the IEEE Toronto Section (4000+ members) for over 10 years in various roles and served as the Section Chair from 2018-2019. He has served on various IEEE conference technical committees, including the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC), the Custom Integrated Circuits Conference, and the International Symposium on Power Semiconductors and ICs. He is a co-inventor on over 20 filed patents.
Professor Cristina H. Amon
Co-Principal Investigator
Cristina Amon is an Order of Canada recipient, University Professor, Alumni Distinguished Professor and Dean Emerita at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. Under her leadership, Canada’s #1 ranked engineering school has become a global hub for inter-disciplinary research and education known for its strategic Faculty-wide initiatives, cross-Faculty centres and institutes, and innovative undergraduate and graduate programming.
Prior to joining U of T in 2006, she was the Raymond J. Lane Distinguished Professor and Director of the Institute for Complex Engineered at Carnegie Mellon University. She has pioneered the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics and the development of multidisciplinary multi-scale hierarchical modelling, concurrent design and optimization methodologies for thermo-fluid transport phenomena, with applications to thermal management of electronics and electric vehicles, renewable energy and biomedical devices.
Professor Amon was appointed to the Order of Canada and inducted into the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Hispanic Engineer Hall of Fame, Royal Society of Canada, Spanish Royal Academy and US National Academy of Engineering. She is a fellow of all major professional societies in her field and has contributed over 400 refereed articles to the education and research literature.
Among her many accolades, she received the ASEE Westinghouse Medal, ASEE Ralph Coats Roe Award, ASME Heat Transfer Memorial Award, ASME InterPACK Achievement Award, EIC Sir John Kennedy Medal, and CSME Robert W. Angus Medal. She was recognized as one of Canada’s Most Influential Women in 2012, received the Engineers Canada Award for the Support of Women, was named one of the YWCA’s Women of Distinction, and received the highest honor for Engineers in Canada (2020 Engineers Canada Gold Medal) and Ontario (2015 PEO Gold Medal) for outstanding engineering public service, technical excellence and professional leadership.
Cristina Amon is the founding chair of the Global Engineering Deans Council and has served on numerous editorial and technical conference roles, advisory and review boards in North America and abroad. She received her Mechanical Engineering degree from Simon Bolivar University in Venezuela, and her M.S. and Sc.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Professor John Robinson
Co-Principal Investigator
John Robinson is a professor at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy and the School of the Environment. He is an honorary professor with the Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability at the University of British Columbia, and adjunct professor with Copenhagen Business School. He currently serves as U of T's Presidential Advisor on the Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability.
Professor Robinson's research focuses on the intersection of climate change mitigation, adaptation and sustainability; the use of visualization, modelling and citizen engagement to explore sustainable futures; sustainable buildings and urban design; the role of the university in contributing to sustainability; creating partnerships for sustainability with non-academic partners; and generally, the intersection of sustainability, sociology and technological change, behaviour change and the community engagement process.
Professor Paul Kushner
Co-Principal Investigator
Professor Paul Kushner studies a wide range of topics in atmospheric dynamics, atmospheric circulation, and climate change. From 2013 to 2019, he led the Canadian Sea Ice and Snow Evolution Network (CanSISE), a national research initiative examining sea ice and snow processes and their connections to the broader climate system.
Professor Kushner has served in senior leadership roles with the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS), including Vice-President, President, and Past-President, contributing to the advancement of atmospheric and oceanographic sciences in Canada.
More recently, Professor Kushner has been exploring engineering applications of climate science in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Toronto Centre for Climate Science and Engineering, working at the intersection of climate research and practical implementation.
He also serves as Director of the Collaborative Platform for CanESM (CP4C), a partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada that supports the collaborative development and application of the Canadian Earth System Model for the broader research community.
Shatha Qaqish-Clavering
Co-Founder
Shatha is a strategic leader with over a decade of experience in climate, sustainability, clean technology, and innovation. She has led large-scale initiatives, including managing an $85M government grant program to accelerate climate solutions and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As Executive Director of Climate Positive Energy at the University of Toronto, she mobilized over $40M in government and industry partnerships to support the energy transition.
A co-founder of Canada’s first Grid Modernization Centre, Shatha helped shape its vision, convene over 50 partners, and secure $23M in funding. She has been nominated for a Clean50 Award and represented the University of Toronto at COP28 and the IEA Energy Innovation Forum. She serves on the boards of the Smart Grid Innovation Network and Toronto Climate Week, mentors climate startups, and regularly speaks at industry events. Shatha is fluent in English, French, and Arabic and holds a PhD in Chemistry.
Peter Aulich
Managing Director
Peter Aulich is the Managing Director of the Grid Modernization Centre within the Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto. In this role, he leads strategic industry partnerships, oversees multi‑stakeholder projects, manages vendor and government relationships, and guides marketing and outreach initiatives that support the Centre’s mission to advance Canada’s clean energy transition.
With a strong foundation in engineering and sustainable energy systems, Peter brings extensive experience from leadership roles across the renewable energy and advanced manufacturing sectors. Prior to joining the University of Toronto, he served as General Manager at JW Winco Canada and CEO of KB Racking, contributing expertise in renewable energy technologies, engineering operations, and organizational growth.
Peter holds a Dipl.-Ing. (M.Eng.) in Mechanical Engineering from Technische Universität München, specializing in power engineering and thermo‑fluid dynamics. His work is driven by a commitment to accelerating clean technology adoption and supporting a resilient, decarbonized, and future‑ready electrical grid for Canada.