The Grid Automation for Development Lab (GrAD Lab)

The Grid Automation for Development Lab focuses on microgrids, renewable energy, and lean automation across a range of use cases. In several projects we focus on implementing with startups or large businesses. This fuels our wider lens developing technology and building its commercial impact across world economies, especially in Africa.

Principal investigator

Jesse Thornburg headshot

Jesse Thornburg

Assistant Teaching Professor

Jesse Thornburg leads research in energy and automation. His background is in energy modeling and forecasting, tech entrepreneurship, and product design, specifically in power generation and storage. Some of the lab's research follows from his experience with Grid Fruit, an energy IoT startup commercializing energy efficiency and machine learning.

View Thornburg's bio page

Office
D204 Regional ICT Center of Excellence Bldg
Email
jthornbu@andrew.cmu.edu
Google Scholar
Jesse Thornburg
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Research projects

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Research team

Ian Ahereza

Ian Ahereza

CMU-Africa (MS ECE '25)

Research interests
Energy systems, vehicle electrification, circular economy of batteries and sustainable transport technologies
Email
iahereza@andrew.cmu.edu
Muhammad Aliyu

Muhammad Aliyu

CMU-Africa (MSIT '25)

Co-Advisor
João Barros
Research interests
Generative AI, entrepreneurship, technology policy and readiness in Africa, AI governance
Email
maliyu@andrew.cmu.edu
Emmanuel Annor

Emmanuel Annor

CMU-Africa (MS ECE '22)

Research interests
Software engineering, Internet of Things, embedded systems
Email
eannor@alumni.cmu.edu
Roy Esibe

Roy Esibe

CMU-Africa (MSIT '25)

Co-Advisor
João Barros
Research interests
Generative AI, LLMs, entrepreneurship, AI governance, conservation practices (CO2 sequestration)
Email
bichiroy50@gmail.com
Isaiah Essien

Isaiah Essien

African Leadership University (Software Engineering '25)

Research interests
Computer vision, natural language processing, and reinforcement learning
Email
i.essien@alustudent.com
Emenike Goodluck

Emenike Goodluck

CMU-Africa (MS ECE '22)

Research interests
Embedded systems, automation, electric vehicles, and networked communications
Email
emenikegoodluck09@gmail.com
Rahman Mabano

Rahman Mabano

CMU-Africa (MS ECE '24)

Research interests
Power systems operations and optimization, machine learning, e-mobility
Email
rahman.mabano@gmail.com
Samiratu Ntohsi

Samiratu Ntohsi

CMU-Africa (MS EAI '23)

Research interests
Computer vision, NLP, AI/ML for healthcare
Email
sntohsi@gmail.com
Chisom Ogbogu

Chisom Ogbogu

CMU-Africa (MS ECE-AD '26)

Research interests
Multi-energy systems, power system optimization, renewable energy systems, hydrogen systems, and battery optimization
Email
ceogbogu@andrew.cmu.edu
Akabway Rurangwa

Akabway Rurangwa

CMU-Africa (MS ECE '26)

Research interests
Renewable energy integration into African power grids, second-life battery optimization for electric motorcycles
Email
arurangw@andrew.cmu.edu
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Selected publications

2025

C. Ogbogu, J. Thornburg, and S. O. Okozi, "Smart Grid Fault Mitigation and Cybersecurity with Wide-Area Measurement Systems: A Review," Energies, vol. 18, no. 4, 994, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18040994

2024

V. Wilson, F. Li, J. Thornburg, J. Mohammadi, and J. Martinez, "Energy Savings Through Refrigeration Load Control with Assessment of Commercial Potential," IEEE Electrification Magazine, vol. 12, no. 1, March 2024. https://doi.org/10.1109/MELE.2023.3348352

2023

M. Mohammadi*, J. Thornburg*, and J. Mohammadi, "Towards an Energy Future with Ubiquitous Electric Vehicles: Barriers and Opportunities," Energies, vol. 16, no. 17, 6379, September 2023.

*These authors contributed equally to this work

2022

C. Goodman, J. Thornburg, and J. Mohammadi. "Optimization of Refrigeration Defrost Schedules for Demand Shifting in Commercial Buildings," IEEE Green Technologies Conference, April 2021. https://doi.org/10.1109/GreenTech48523.2021.00042

2021

J. Thornburg and B. Krogh. "A Tool for Assessing Demand Side Management and Operating Strategies for Isolated Microgrids," Energy for Sustainable Development, vol. 64, October 2021.

2020

J. Mohammadi and J. Thornburg. "Connecting Distributed Pockets of Energy Flexibility through Federated Computations: Limitations and Possibilities," IEEE International Conference on Machine Learning and Applications (ICMLA). Miami, Florida: December 2020. doi.org/10.1109/ICMLA51294.2020.00186

2018

M. Babcock, R. E. Ciez, A. Loew, B. Sergi, J. Thornburg, and N. J. Williams, "Institutional Influence on Power Sector Investments: A Case Study of Distributed and Centralized Energy in Kenya and Tanzania," Energy Research and Social Science, April 2018.

F. Dos Santos, J. Thornburg, and T. S. Ustun, "Automated Planning of Rooftop PV Systems by Aerial Image Processing," IEEE PES Asia-Pacific Power and Energy Engineering Conference. Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia: Oct. 2018.

2017

J. Thornburg and B. Krogh, "Simulating Energy Management Strategies for Microgrids with Smart Meter Demand Management," IEEE PES PowerAfrica. Accra, Ghana: June 2017.

2016

J. Thornburg, T.S. Ustun, and B. Krogh, "Smart Microgrid Operation Simulator for Management and Electrification Planning," IEEE PES PowerAfrica. Livingstone, Zambia: July 2016.

H. Keshan, J. Thornburg, and T. S. Ustun, "Comparison of Lead-Acid and Lithium Ion Batteries for Stationary Storage in Off-Grid Energy Systems," IET International Conference on Clean Energy and Technology (CEAT). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: November 2016. Winner, "Best Presentation."

J. Thornburg, B. Krogh, and T.S. Ustun, "Stochastic Simulator for Smart Microgrid Planning," Association for Computing Machinery Symposium on Computing and Development (ACM DEV). Nairobi, Kenya: November 2016.

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Courses

Course Course Name Location Units Semester Offered
18-883-L4 Integrated Energy Systems Africa 6 Spring
04-603 ICT Entrepreneurship Seminar Africa 6 Fall, Spring
04-800-E Foundations of Entrepreneurship Africa 12 Fall
04-910 Entrepreneurship Project Africa 24 Fall, Spring
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