The Electrical Power and Control Systems research group from the School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, is organising the 4th Birmingham Decarbonisation Summer School.
BDSS 2026 "Accelerating Energy Transition towards Net Zero" is a 4-day event from 15 - 18 June, aiming to bring early career researchers and engineers to work together on a technical solution and business model for a real-world Energy Transition challenge, proposed by our lead industrial partner, GE Vernova. Participants will have two days of workshops (technical presentations and soft skill training) with some opportunities of working in groups to develop their technical solution and business model, and then pitch to a judging panel mainly formed by industry experts on the final day.
BDSS provides all participants with opportunities to work in groups on a real-world Energy Transition challenge. This will train the participants to consider both technical and economic aspects when they formulate solutions to real-world challenges to achieve Net Zero. By collaborating with researchers from other areas such as business and engineers from industry utility, participants are expected to develop their interdisciplinary research capability, practical engineering problem-solving ability, and networking. The collaboration between academic researchers and industry engineers can also benefit each other in developing their skills for transitioning to industry and leading research projects collaborating with university partners, respectively. Also, networking with keynote speakers will facilitate the early career development of all participants. Moreover, summer school participants will have the chance to take part in an interdisciplinary research on how to present to industry stakeholders more effectively.
This event is open to all postgraduate students, early career researchers and engineers from academia and industry, who are working in Net-Zero related disciplines in the UK.
Take this great opportunity to join us to:
Sam is a Senior Systems Engineering Consultant based at Energy Systems Catapult. Her key role is performing a range of research and development activities and leading and providing technical expertise in the UK's journey to Net Zero. Sam has previous experience working in Renewables, International Development, Oil and Gas and Transport industries and has worked on international assignments across Europe, Asia and West Africa. Sam was part of the 2024 cohort for the Foundation Future Leaders Scheme at the Foundation for Science and Technology and participated in the catapult's reverse mentoring scheme as reverse mentor to the Chief Technology Officer.
Dr Xiaoyao Zhou has two decades of transmission system operation, planning and investment experience.
His role is to set out operability policy for Great Britain’s electricity network to enable the net zero operation, specify the Grid Code technical requirements for new technologies and define future network needs so that market and network owners can invest in the right solutions at the right time.
Dr Xiaoyao Zhou is also an Honorary Professor at University of Birmingham, UK.
Thomas Bjork is the Research & Innovation Leader for Grid System Integration at GE Vernova, based in Stafford, UK. With over 25 years of experience in the energy sector, he drives innovation across GE Vernova’s HVDC, FACTS, and AC power transmission portfolio.
Thomas has held leadership roles spanning engineering, product management, operations at GE, ABB (now Hitachi Energy), and Krones AG, with extensive international experience. His expertise encompasses turn-key project delivery, technical leadership, strategic product development and business leadership, mainly in grid infrastructure and power systems.
Dr Mark Osborne is a Chartered Engineer and joined National Grid in 1997. He works in Electricity Transmission in the Asset Management sector.
Key activities include substation and light current equipment life-cycle engineering to meet the challenges facing the Electricity supply industry. He is active in the CIGRE B3 Substations Study Committee as a Strategic Advisory Group member and Special Reporter.
Brief Bio: Dr Matthew Ryan Tucker is an Energy Engineer at DESNZ, providing science and engineering advice across the Department to support policy development. He also develops and maintains one of the Department’s energy system models, predicting the yield of future renewable energy assets and analysing the need for long duration energy storage and dispatchable power.
Matthew’s PhD was in the reconstruction of radiation fields in nuclear disaster areas and abandoned uranium mines, deploying robots and handheld sensor systems around the world including at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and Exclusion zone.
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Dr Ibukunolu Oladunjoye is an Innovation Engineer at National Grid Electricity Transmission, specialising in OT cybersecurity, critical infrastructure resilience, and secure-by-design industrial control systems. His work focuses on strengthening cyber resilience across protection, control, SCADA, and operational technology environments supporting the UK’s evolving energy infrastructure. He has led and supported multiple innovation initiatives spanning cyber resilience, digital transformation, and secure energy system modernisation, with interests at the intersection of cybersecurity, system stability, and the future of critical infrastructure.
Dr Ibukunolu Oladunjoye is an Innovation Engineer at National Grid Electricity Transmission, specialising in OT cybersecurity, critical infrastructure resilience, and secure-by-design industrial control systems. His work focuses on strengthening cyber resilience across protection, control, SCADA, and operational technology environments supporting the UK’s evolving energy infrastructure. He has led and supported multiple innovation initiatives spanning cyber resilience, digital transformation, and secure energy system modernisation, with interests at the intersection of cybersecurity, system stability, and the future of critical infrastructure.
Can Li is a power system engineer and energy policy expert with extensive experience in the electricity industry. She holds a PhD from University of Birmingham, where she researched small-signal stability with HVDC and FACTS systems. At National Grid and then NESO, she has led work on system engineering, industry codes, and innovation projects. Previously a Senior Policy Lead in Electricity Market Reform, she worked with DESNZ on low-carbon market policies in Capacity Market and Contracts for Difference schemes. Now serving as Network Design Manager at Green Gen Cymru, Can applies her technical and regulatory expertise to design a resilient, future-focused electricity distribution network supporting Wales’s clean energy ambitions.
Frank Kasibante has more than two decades experience in delivery of a wide range of engineering projects, with a specific focus on driving policy and regulatory compliance.
His current role is to lead and deliver on regulatory change assignments related to connecting to and use of the GB National Electricity Transmission System.
He provides expert support to facilitate and drive changes to industry frameworks.
Afshin Pashaei is the Head of HVDC System Design at National Grid Electricity Transmission UK. He is a Fellow of the IET (FIET) and a Senior Member of the IEEE (SMIEEE).
He holds a PhD in the application of power converters in power systems and has over two decades of experience across multiple sectors of the power industry, including HVDC manufacturing, transmission, academia, and consultancy.
He is a subject matter expert in dynamic performance of HVDC and FACTS devices, performing and analysing complex power system studies, with a strong focus on network operability and control interactions.
Dr Dong Chen is a Manager at the UK’s National HVDC Centre, leading innovation, academic engagement, and advanced simulation to support converter-dominated, high-renewable power systems. He specialises in power electronics control, power-system stability, and HVDC transmission modelling, and serves as an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery and IET Power Electronics. He earned his PhD in Electrical Power Engineering from Queen’s University Belfast (2012), contributing to early multi-terminal DC grid prototype developments, and held academic posts as a Lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University and a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Strathclyde. At the National HVDC Centre he is lead system architect for the Aquila Interoperability Project, a world-first programme developing a multi-vendor, multi-terminal HVDC interoperability solution for the GB transmission system. In 2025, his team publicly demonstrated remote, real-time digital simulation of a multi-vendor HVDC system using black-boxed models from GE Vernova and Mitsubishi Electric; the work has been recognised at the Scottish Green Energy Awards for technological innovation.
For University of Birmingham Summer School, he will introduce HVDC and real-time simulation fundamentals and share practical engineering challenges - highlighting how early career researchers can frame impactful questions, build partnerships, and translate research into deployment.
Charlotte is the UK Electricity Networks Lead for Arup and a technical expert in electricity network planning and operation, with over 20 years’ experience across the sector. She provides technical and strategic insight to electricity utilities, developers, government, investors, and regulators on electricity transmission (onshore and offshore) and distribution. This includes addressing the opportunities and challenges associated with increased renewables integration, electrification of demand, evolving markets and regulatory frameworks, and system resilience.
Charlotte also has a strong track record in innovation. She has led and contributed to a number of ground‑breaking electricity network and whole‑energy‑system innovation projects, supporting the transition to net zero. She is passionate about sustainability and achieving a fair and equitable energy system for all.
Charlotte served as Cigre C1 Network Development and Economics UK Regular Member from 2018-2022 and remains actively involved in the Study Committee.
Marion Ramet is HVDC Control System Engineering Manager at GE Vernova, where she leads control system engineering quality and supports the delivery of advanced HVDC control and protection solutions. She brings deep expertise in MATLAB Simulink, software architecture, requirements management and system integration testing, with a strong track record in leading complex engineering programmes.
Prior to her current role, Marion held senior software engineering positions on major HVDC projects including DolWin3 and the France–Italy link, where she led control software design, delivered dynamic performance improvements and contributed to the industrialisation of the eLumina VSC solution. She began her career with Alstom Grid in France and the UK and holds an engineering degree from CNAM, specialising in power electronics, grids and motorization.
Jay Ramachandran is the Manager of the Operability Innovation team at the National Energy System Operator (NESO) in the UK. Since joining the GB Electricity Transmission System Operator in 2011, he has held a range of roles across the organisation. With extensive experience in power system modelling and analysis, he now leads a team developing Electromagnetic Transient (EMT) models and associated tools to assess future power system operation with high penetrations of Inverter Based Resources (IBR). Previously, Jay was a Senior Lecturer at Coventry University, UK. His primary interests include system stability and control interaction (CI) phenomena in future power system networks with high penetrations of IBR.
Jianing Li (PhD, BEng, MIET, MCIGRE, MIEEE, APM PMQ) is a Technical Director leading the UK and the Global Capability Centre (GCC, India) Power Systems team at WSP UK, responsible for the technical direction, delivery of a 60+ strong team supporting major network operators, developers and investors in the UK and globally. With a strong background in transmission and distribution systems, grid compliance and network design, he has been instrumental in working with networks and investors to develop advanced models and analyses that enhance grid flexibility and resilience.
Jianing’s technical expertise encompasses power system planning, optimisation, grid compliance studies, and power system protection. His experience extends to delivering complex grid compliance assessments and designing innovative solutions that meet the evolving requirements of modern energy systems. In recent years, he’s been facilitating key industry processes with T&D network partners. As a leader, Jianing has successfully overseen complex projects, providing strategic recommendations to stakeholders across the energy sector. His ability to anticipate future system needs and deliver practical, technically sound solutions makes him a trusted expert in the field.
Professionally active, Jianing serves as the UK Regular Member for CIGRE Study Committee D2 on Information Systems, Telecommunications, and Cybersecurity and held leadership positions within CIGRE UK and the IEEE Power and Energy Society.
Xiao-Ping Zhang (FIEEE, FIET) is currently a professor of electrical power systems with University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. He is also the Co-Director of Birmingham Energy Institute.
Between 2020-2023, he was appointed to the Expert Advisory Group of UK Government’s Offshore Transmission Network Review. His research interests include modelling and control of HVDC, FACTS and wind/wave generation, distributed energy systems and market operations, and power system planning, and 100% global renewable energy grid. Since 2023, he has been appointed as the Senior Editor of IEEE Open Access Journal of Power and Energy.
Hope Chen is Senior Technical Capability Manager at GE Vernova’s Electrification business segment, where she helps shape the technical capability, leadership readiness, and organisational foundations needed to support the energy transition through growth, innovation, and care. Working at the intersection of people, technology, and business strategy, she strives for strengthening the capabilities required to deliver in complex, fast-evolving engineering environments and to build a future-ready workforce across the organisation.
With leadership experience spanning capability development, competency assessment and engineering transformation, she brings a strategic, global perspective to developing the talent, expertise, and organisational resilience required for long-term business success.
| 28 April 2026 | Registration opens |
| 31 May 2026 | Early Birds registration ends |
| 10 June 2026 | Registration closes |
| 15-18 June 2026 | BDSS |
| Date | Students | Non-students |
|---|---|---|
| Early-Bird registration (by 31 May 2026) | £90 | £150 |
| Full registration (by 10 June 2026) | £150 | £250 |
Chair in Electrical Power Systems
Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering
Research interests: HVDC, FACTS, wind/wave power, DG, Energy Quality, power system planning, Energy Union, Global Power & Energy Internet.
Honorary Research Fellow
Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering
Dr Chen's main research interests include HVDC modelling, BESS, and power systems restoration planning.
