Rajit Gadh is a Professor in Mechanical Aerospace Engineering at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and the founding director of the UCLA Smart Grid Energy Research Center (SMERC). He has also played a pivotal role in leading initiatives such as the UCLA Wireless Internet Mobile Enterprise Consortium (WINMEC) and the Connected Autonomous Electric Vehicles Consortium (CAEV). Dr. Gadh's research expertise revolves around Smart Grid technologies, Micro Grids, Electric Vehicle Grid Integration, and the management of Electric (EV) and Autonomous Vehicles (AV). His scholarly contributions include over 200 papers in journals, conferences, and technical magazines, along with 5 granted patents. Dr. Gadh earned his Doctorate degree from Carnegie Mellon University, a Master’s from Cornell University, and a Bachelor’s degree from IIT Kanpur. His academic career includes significant roles as a visiting researcher at UC Berkeley and has served as an Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has been a sabbatical visiting researcher at Stanford University and has received numerous awards and accolades throughout his career including various NSF awards and fellowships.