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:
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 the University of Birmingham, UK.
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.
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.
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 specializes 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 program 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 recognized at the Scottish Green Energy Awards for technological innovation.
For the 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.
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 the University of Birmingham, Birmingham, U.K. He is also the Co-Director of Birmingham Energy Institute.
Between 2020-2023, he was appointed to the Expert Advisory Group of U.K. 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.
| 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 26 May 2026) | £90 | £150 |
| Full reigstration (by 5 June 2026) | £150 | £250 |
Chair in Electrical Power Systems
Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering
Professor Zhang researches in the fields of Energy Union, Global Power & Energy Internet, Super Power Grids, Smart Grids, and more.
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.
