Mahdi Mehrtash is an assistant research professor working with Benjamin F. Hobbs in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering. Using the concept of stochastic and global optimization, he is addressing power and energy system problems such as power system expansion planning, integration of renewable energy systems, zero-energy buildings, and future electricity markets. His work is part of a collaboration between JHU, EPRI, and three U.S. national labs (ANL, NREL, and LBNL), funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, building the framework of the Grid Modernization Lab Consortium. This project provides robust analytical support for the independent system operators in electricity markets with increasing demand for renewable energy resources. A second project, funded through the National Offshore Wind Research & Development Consortium, analyzes the long-term availability of offshore wind using hurricane risk assessment and mitigation.