Structure and Data - Mechanism Understanding and Knowledge Discovery in Complex Energy Systems
Speaker
Jin Ma
Professor of Electrical Power Engineering at The University of Sydney
Title
"Structure and Data - Mechanism Understanding and Knowledge Discovery in Complex Energy Systems"
Abstract
Power systems are among the most complex engineered systems ever built. As increasing volumes of measurements become available, data-driven approaches have demonstrated remarkable capabilities in prediction and pattern recognition. Yet for many open problems in power and energy systems, prediction alone is often insufficient. Understanding the underlying mechanisms requires us to look beyond data itself and explore the intrinsic structure embedded in physical systems, mathematical models, and operational processes.
This talk presents a few research projects centered on the interplay between structure and data. The key idea is that structure provides the foundation for understanding while data provides the evidence. By uncovering and exploiting structural properties of both models and problems, data can be transformed from observations into knowledge. This perspective will be illustrated through a range of studies spanning dynamic load modeling, uncertainty quantification, power system simulation validation, demand response and energy-efficiency analytics, electricity market forecasting, and the analysis of emerging dynamic interactions associated with inverter-based renewable integration.
Despite decades of progress, many fundamental questions in load behavior, simulation credibility, market dynamics, and renewable-dominated system operation remain open. The talk discusses these challenges and argues that future advances will increasingly depend on collaborative efforts that combine domain knowledge, mathematical structure, and data-driven discovery to advance both mechanism understanding and actionable knowledge in complex energy systems.
About Speaker
Jin Ma is Professor of Electrical Power Engineering at The University of Sydney. He received his B.E. and M.E. degrees from Zhejiang University and his Ph.D. from Tsinghua University.
Before moving to Australia, he served as Professor and Vice Dean of the School of Electrical Engineering at North China Electric Power University, Beijing. In 2013, he joined The University of Sydney and, after restarting his academic career in a new country and system, progressed through every academic rank to become Full Professor in 2024.
His research explores the intersection of physical modelling, system dynamics, data analytics, and economics in modern power systems. His current interests include load modelling, power system dynamics, simulation validation, electricity markets, renewable integration, and knowledge discovery from energy data. He is actively involved in industry engagement and serves as the advisor of the startup company ShineHub on their virtual power plant operations. He also contributes to several international CIGRE working groups on load modelling and inverter-based resources.