Luigi Vanfretti

Professor
Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering
Luigi Vanfretti (Senior Member, IEEE; Member, Modelica Association) leads ALSETLab on research in energy systems, electrical power systems, and aircraft electrification. His research includes cyber-physical system (CPS) modeling, simulation, stability, and control in energy systems, power grids, and electrified transportation. In addition, Vanfretti researches development and data analytics in synchrophasor technologies. He is interested in the application of software technologies, signal processing, system identification, and machine learning for design and operation analytics for CPS.Vanfretti was promoted to Full Professor since 2022 and was previously an associate professor with tenure. Vanfretti also earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in electric power engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.Vanfretti has held temporary posts in prestigious international institutions, as well. In 2022, he was a visiting professor at both the Laboratoire Ampère of the École Centrale de Lyon and the SuperGrid Institute in Lyon, France, where he performed research on modeling, simulation and identification for power grids, including HVDC transmission systems. He was a visiting researcher in 2023 at  Laboratoire Ampère, continuing his collaboration with Xavier Bombois on system identification applications for power systems. In 2019, he was a visiting faculty at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, where he taught a course on modeling and simulation and collaborated with the Center of Excellence for NEOM Research. Vanfretti was Visiting Faculty from 8/2023-3/2024 at the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories with the Multi-Physical Modeling team working on research on grid-interactive building energy systems.Prior to emigrating to the United States to join RPI as faculty, Vanfretti was an assistant professor, tenured associate professor, and docent with the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, where he led the SmarTS Lab. He was also employed as Special Advisor in Strategy and Public Affairs and Special Advisor in Strategy and International Collaboration in the Research and Development Department of Statnett SF, the Norwegian transmission system operator. Prior to his employment with Statnett SF, he was a Scientific Advisor, reporting to the Vice President of the Research and Development Division, during 2011 to 2013.

Focus Area

power grid, power systems, electrified systems, electric aircraft, integrated energy systems, modeling and simulation, Modelica, renewable energy (PV, Wind), HVdc transmission systems, synchrophasor technology, PMU Applications