Thomas Morstyn BEng, PhD, FHEA, SMIEEE

Professor Thomas Morstyn received the BEng (Hon.) degree from the University of Melbourne in 2011, and the PhD degree from the University of New South Wales in 2016, both in electrical engineering. Previously, Thomas was a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and an EPSRC research fellow at the University of Oxford. Prior to undertaking his PhD, he also worked as an electrical engineer in Rio Tinto’s Technology and Innovation group.

Thomas is now Associate Professor in Power Systems with the Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, a Tutorial Fellow at Hertford College and an Honorary Fellow at the University of Edinburgh. He is also an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Power Systems and Co-Chair of the IEEE Power & Energy Society Taskforce on Quantum Computing for Power System Operations. His research is focused on the design of control systems and markets to enable the large-scale integration of distributed power system flexibility.

Power systems are undergoing a fundamental transition due to the rapid adoption of distributed renewable generation, the electrification of heating and transport, and the new availability of customer-level sensing, communications and control. Thomas’s research focuses on the design of control systems and markets which can manage this transition by integrating distributed flexibility at scale into power system operation and design. This is underpinned by work in systems modelling, multi-agent control, optimisation and mechanism design.

Thomas also collaborates with economists, computer scientists and social scientists to incorporate new advances from areas including game theory, machine learning and quantum computing, and to study the wider impacts and policy implications of new power system technologies.

• An AI-Powered Software Platform for Smart Hybrid Distribution Systems (Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership with IONATE) - This project aims to develop an AI-powered software platform for optimisation and control of IONATE’s hybrid intelligent transformers to enable their widespread integration into distribution systems.
• DIGEST: Data-Driven Exploration of the Carbon Emissions Impact of Grid Energy Storage Deployment and Dispatch (EPSRC project EP/W027321/1) - This project is investigating the potential value for system cost and carbon emissions that optimal grid energy storage deployment and operation could unlock in Great Britain. The project is a collaboration with Professor David Howey at the University of Oxford, Professor Tim Green at Imperial College London and Dr Marko Aunedi at Brunel University London.
• GIFhT-4-eGrids: Grid Forming Hybrid Transformer for Future Distribution Grids (EPSRC project EP/X027384/1) - This project is investigating the design and operation of grid-forming hybrid transformers for active distribution networks. The project is a collaboration with Dr Michael Merlin at the University of Edinburgh and Dr Mohamed Dahidah at Newcastle University.
• Benchmarking Quantum Advantage (EPSRC project EP/Y004418/1) - This project aims to develop easy to deploy quantum advantage benchmarking techniques. Power system optimisation is being investigated as a high value application. The project is a collaboration with Dr Raul Garcia-Patron Sanchez and Dr Heng Guo at the University of Edinburgh.

• We've developed a high fidelity 1900-node model for Great Britain's transmission network and balancing mechanism combining data from the National Grid Electricity 10 Year Statement and market data from Elexon - read more.
• The Open Platform for Energy Networks (OPEN) is an open-source software platform for integrated modelling, control and simulation of smart local energy systems developed in collaboration with Professor Malcolm McCulloch. The code and documentation are free to download and use here.

I am always happy to discuss DPhil supervision with students who share my research interests in power systems and energy markets. Please email me at thomas.morstyn@eng.ox.ac.uk with your CV, latest academic transcript and topic areas you find interesting.