ECE 290 Seminar: Operational Cybersecurity of Modern Power Systems

Presenter: Dr. Daniel Arnold, Lead Power Systems Engineer, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Description: The adoption of new types of generation and loads, such as data centers, small modular reactors, and electric vehicles servicing equipment presents many challenges for system operators who are tasked with maintaining the safety and efficiency of the power grid.  New consumption patterns, IoT connectivity of these devices, and emerging control paradigms, make it possible for these devices to be utilized to disrupt the operation of the power system.  In this talk, I will discuss our past research efforts at the intersection of control theory, power systems, and AI to model, simulate, and mitigate cyber threats in the electric grid. I will close with a discussion of contemporary issues in power systems which will need to be addressed by the research and industrial community in the near future.

Bio: Dr. Daniel Arnold is a Lead Power Systems Engineer at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and an Adjunct Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley. He graduated from UC Berkeley with a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 2015 and was an ITRI-Rosenfeld Postdoctoral Fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory from 2016-2017. From 2017 to 2025 he was a Research Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His interests are at the intersection of the fields of control theory, optimization, machine learning, and power systems. His recent work focuses on the use of these techniques for cybersecurity of the electric power system and other critical infrastructure.

Hosted by: Professor Soumya Bose, ECE Department

Zoom Link: https://ucsc.zoom.us/j/97975378707?pwd=ljcgaCfhMmhZ88Vt5dqQUBVQRjehOx.1