Joydeep Mitra, a Michigan State University (MSU) Foundation Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, was awarded the 2025 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power and Energy Society (PES) Douglas M. Staszesky Distribution Automation Award. This award recognizes those in the industry who have made a significant contribution to making the automation of electric utility distribution systems a practical reality.
“I am honored and grateful that my contributions to power distribution reliability and automation have been recognized by my peers,” Mitra said.
Mitra’s core expertise is in power grid reliability. When he started his academic career in 2000, the concept of a microgrid – a localized power grid that can operate autonomously – was new in the power distribution field. Mitra saw in microgrids the potential to vastly improve service reliability and began his work on the subject in 2002, when he received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award for research on microgrid architecture. In 2007, he received a follow-up grant from NSF for microgrid control work.
Mitra also did additional research on military microgrids for Sandia National Laboratories and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL). Mitra continues to make fundamental contributions to microgrid architecture, and more recently, has focused on developing innovative protection techniques.
“Congratulations to Joydeep on this well-deserved recognition," said Nelson Sepulveda Alancastro, interim chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "His work in this field has made an important and lasting impact for the future of power distribution technologies.”
Each year, IEEE PES sponsors 24 society-level awards, honoring outstanding contributions in various areas of power and energy engineering. IEE PES recognizes peers who are achieving these complex breakthroughs and celebrates the pioneers leading a rapidly changing industry.
Mitra will receive his award at the 2025 IEEE PES General Meeting Awards Gala Dinner & Ceremony on Tuesday, July 29, in Austin, Texas.
Written by Judi Melena Smelser
MSU College of Engineering Media and Public Relations page