Group Members
Mariana Resener
P.Eng., Ph.D., SMIEEE, School of Sustainable Energy Engineering
Dr. Mariana Resener is an Assistant Professor in the School of Sustainable Energy Engineering at Simon Fraser University. She has been an IEEE member since 2007 and a Senior Member since 2020. Before joining SFU, Dr. Resener worked for 8+ years as an Electrical Engineer at a power distribution utility; in this role, she prepared expansion planning studies for medium and high-voltage networks and analyzed distributed generation interconnections (power flow, stability, power quality and protection), among other activities. Dr. Resener was also an Assistant Professor and Researcher at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil. At UFRGS, she worked on several R&D projects related to fault location and operation planning of power distribution systems, funded by power distribution utilities.
Mina Pavlovic
Research Assistant
Mina is currently in her fourth year of university, completing a BASc degree in Sustainable Energy Engineering at SFU. In her co-op experience, she has designed and implemented control systems for various applications, including plant monitoring and remote microgrid integration. Her research interests include control design and system optimization in power grid applications.
Yasmin Dibai
MASc student
Yasmin holds a BASc degree in Sustainable Energy Engineering from SFU. Her research focuses on the optimal operation of power systems using AI-based algorithms. She has experience working in the sustainable building industry as an electrical and mechanical designer. Her research interests include distributed energy resources and the impacts of electrification on power grids.
Eduardo Santos Finck
MASc student
Eduardo holds a BASc in Energy Engineering from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil. His research focuses on power systems planning. His research interests include voltage and reactive power control, operation and expansion planning of power systems, and protection design and control for distribution systems including DERs.
Erin Flood
Research Assistant
Erin is completing her BASc degree in Sustainable Energy Engineering at SFU. During her co-ops, she gained technical experience in hydrogen fuel cell testing and building commissioning. Her research interests include distributed energy systems integration and system protection.
Gustavo L. Aschidamini
PhD student
Gustavo has a BSc in Electrical Engineering from Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and a MASc degree in Electrical Engineering (Power Systems) from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (2022). His research focuses on volt/var control, optimization and reliability of power distribution systems.
Guilherme Santanna Castiglio
Visiting Researcher/PhD Student (UFRGS)
Guilherme is a PhD student in the Graduate Program in Water Resources and Environmental Sanitation at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil, jointly supervised by Prof. Maurício Dai Pra. He also holds a MASc degree in Electrical Engineering and a BSc in Energy Engineering from UFRGS. His research focuses on the integrated operation of water and electrical distribution networks.
Gabriela Zorzela
MASc Student (UFSM)
Gabriela is a MASc student in the Graduate Program of Electrical Engineering at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), jointly supervised by Prof. Gustavo Marchesan. She holds a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the UFSM, and has experience in distributed generation protection studies, with a focus on islanding detection. Her research interests include DERs, distribution systems, and power system protection.
Simran Pandher
Research Project Volunteer
Simran holds a BASc degree in Sustainable Energy Engineering from Simon Fraser University. She currently works as an Engineer-in-Training in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) department. Her research interests encompass smart grid technologies, including Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), Advanced Metering Infrastructure, and protection systems.
Alumni:
- Gederson Alvaro da Cruz, PhD in Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), 2024
- Matheus Holzbach, Visiting Researcher, São Paulo State University (UNESP), 2023-2024
- Gabriela Padilha Rizzetti, MASc in Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), 2023
- Álvaro Bampi, MASc in Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), 2023