Dr. Balog is the Director of the Renewable Energy and Advanced Power Electronics Research laboratory. The mission is to investigate the fundamental engineering and scientific basis of electrical energy conversion. The current focus in renewable energy is on photovoltaic systems. While the core discipline is electrical engineering and the subject domain is power electronics, research into renewable energy systems require a much broader and holistic base of knowledge. As such, in addition to power electronic topologies and controls, we are focused on balance-of-systems issues. Ultimately, our goal is to move photovoltaic energy (aka solar energy) out of the alternative energy category and into the mainstream portfolio of energy resources in a way that is technologically and economically sustainable. Our vision is to be an internationally recognized center of excellence for research in this area. Education ​Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, May 2006 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois M.S. in Electrical Engineering, May 2002 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois B.S. in Electrical Engineering, May 1996 Rutgers University, College of Engineering, New Brunswick, NJ Experience Professional Experience: Texas A&M University at Qatar, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Doha, Qatar       Associate Professor, August 1, 2015 – Present (joint appointment with TAMU College Station) Texas A&M University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College Station, Tx USA       Assistant Professor, August 2009 – August 2015        Associate Professor, September 2015 – Present Associate Professor, September 2015 – Present Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey      Visiting Scientist Fellowship Program, July 2012Visiting Scientist Fellowship Program, July 2012 SolarBridge Technologies, Austin, Tx (formerly SmartSpark Energy Systems, Champaign, IL; acquired by SunPower in October 2014)      Senior Engineer, August 2006 – August 2009 Co-inventor and technology developer of a grid-interactive, ACPV photovoltaic inverter Technical leader successfully attracted and closed $6MM California-based venture capital financing Lead researcher for application of power electronics to fuel cells for portable military power Managed a 16 member development team including nine in-house engineers and five consultants United States Army Corp of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center – Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL), Contract # W9132T-05-C-0026, "Advanced Energy Initiative ATO."       Contract Researcher, September 2005 – May 2006 Conduct research into distributed and renewable energy sources and  Conduct research into next generation power distribution controls and topologies University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign       Graduate Research Assistant, August 1999 – May 2006 TA for Power Electronics Lab (2 semesters), Senior Design, capstone design course Apply industry design experience to improve experimental facilities Updated teaching lab with custom designed equipment and improvements to instruction (published) Lutron Electronics, Inc., Coopersburg, Pa.     Project Electrical Engineer, June 1996 – July 1999 Analog and digital hardware design, worst-case and failure analysis, PCB design for EMC compatibility New product definition, specification and development including electrical design / testing Engineering support for manufacturing / operations at manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico UL, FCC, CE, VDE compliance testing including European EMC directive Recruitment Manager, Rutgers University Campus (volunteer), May 1998 – July 1999 Plan and manage all on-campus recruiting activities; pre-screen and interview candidates on-campus Develop relationships with key faculty including plant visits and invited lectures Increase company profile on campus by sponsoring student projects and activities Career Explorer Post Advisor (volunteer), 1997 – July 1999 Career exploration of electronics through hands-on experiential learning for high school students Plan and coordinate technical program Enlist company volunteers to prepare and present demonstration projects Teaching Experience: ECEN 214 – Electric Circuits (TAMU undergrad, Fall ‘09, Fall ‘11, Spring ‘11) ECEN 438 – Power Electronics (TAMU undergrad, Fall ‘12, Fall ’13, Fall ‘14) ECEN 613 – Inverters and Rectifiers (TAMU grad, Spring ‘10, Spring ‘11) ECEN 689 – Power Electronics for Renewable Energy Sources (TAMU grad, Fall ‘10, Fall ‘11, Spring ‘13) ECEN 712 – Power Electronics for Renewable Energy Sources (TAMU grad, Spring ’14) Nominated for the Harold L. Olesen Award (UIUC) for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching  Power Across Texas sponsored PV Primer, $9,000 student scholarship – A&M took 1st place in Texas (beating  UT Austin and Texas Tech) http://energy.ece.tamu.edu/solarprimer/ NSF REU: (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) Smart Energy and Smart Systems – Powering the SmartGrid Sensor System, http://www.ece.tamu.edu/~reu/  Faculty Mentor (Su ’11, Su ’12, Su ’13, Su ’14) NSF REU: (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) Smart Energy and Smart Systems – Powering the SmartGrid Sensor System, http://www.ece.tamu.edu/~reu/   Program Coordinator (Summer ’13, ’14, ’15) Engineering Projects in Community Service, student team mentor (Fall ‘10, Spring ‘11, Fall ‘11) Awards Member, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, External Public Body, 2011 Rutgers College of Engineering, Distinguished Engineer Award, 2011 Nominated, Richard M. Bass Outstanding Young Power Electronics Engineer Award, 2009 IEEE Senior Member, 2007 Harriett & Robert Perry (UIUC) Fellow, 2005–2006 Ernest A. Reid (UIUC) Fellow, 2004–2005 IEEE International Telecommunications Energy Conference (INTELEC) Fellow, 2001–2002. EMCWA Scholarship, 2001 Grainger Outstanding Power Engineering Award, May 2001 and May 2006  

ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING