Electrical engineer receives highly competitive NSF junior faculty award
March 29, 2012
STARKVILLE, Miss. – An electrical engineer at Mississippi State University has earned a top research-funding award from one of the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious programs.
Yong Fu, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, received an NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award, which includes a five-year, $400,000 grant to fund his research in smart grid technology. He becomes the second Bagley College of Engineering’ faculty member to receive a CAREER award in 2012.
“Smart grid technology is the next frontier of power management and distribution for American homes and businesses, and Dr. Fu’s research will help make it a secure and economically beneficial tool,” said Dean Sarah Rajala.
Smart grid systems are enhanced electrical grids that consider the behaviors of all power suppliers and consumers to distribute power in the most efficient and reliable way possible. Fu’s research explores the decision-making capabilities of small to large-scale smart grid systems.
“The present power system architecture is preventing wide and rapid deployment of smart grids,” Fu explained. “However, by further developing smart grid architecture we can optimize operating efficiency and asset utilization to be able to accommodate more markets and make it more appealing to consumers and suppliers.”
Fu joined the BCoE in 2009 following a three-year stint as a senior research associate at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, where he earned his doctoral degree in 2006. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China.
In addition to being a researcher and award-winning faculty member, Fu is also active in IEEE, the world’s largest professional organization for the advancement of technology. He is currently associate editor for one of the organization’s power systems publications. He has also chaired or co-chaired numerous forums and paper sessions.
His colleague in the department of electrical and computer engineering, Pan Li, earned a CAREER award earlier this year to continue his research in mobile cloud computing.
The National Science Foundation is a federal agency devoted to promoting the advancement of science and technology for the nation’s welfare. It rates the CAREER program as its most prestigious award programs for early-career faculty who integrate research and education. For more information, visit www.nsf.org.
For more information about the BCoE, visit www.bagley.msstate.edu. Additional information about Mississippi State can be found at www.msstate.edu.