Dr. Santiago Grijalva

Professor

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Biography

Santiago Carlos Grijalva is a renowned professor and an endowed chair at Georgia Institute of Technology, specializing in decentralized power system architectures and renewable energy integration. He is a leading researcher in grid cybersecurity and has served as principal investigator on numerous significant research projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, ARPA-E, EPRI, PSERC, NSF, and various industry sponsors. With a prolific publishing record of 250 peer-reviewed papers, he also serves as an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics. Dr. Grijalva's academic journey includes an Electrical Engineer degree from EPN-Ecuador, a Master's Certificate in Information Systems from ESPE-Ecuador, and MS and PhD degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research interests encompass optimization and control algorithms for electricity transmission and distribution, grid integration of renewable sources, electric vehicles, and flexible loads. He focuses on designing electricity markets, power system economics, and ensuring cyber-physical security. His contributions have been recognized with several awards, including the Georgia Tech ECE Outstanding Faculty Award and the ARPA-E Than Smart Grid Disruptor Award. He is also the co-founder and chairman of ProsumerGrid, Inc., and has held various significant roles in the energy sector, including center director at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Research Interests

Experience

Professor and Endowed Chair

2025-06-26 — Present

Georgia Institute of Technology • Atlanta, GA

Leading researcher in decentralized power system architectures and renewable energy integration.

Awards

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Georgia Tech ECE Outstanding Faculty Award

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Great Minds STEM National Achievement Award

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ARPA-E Than Smart Grid Disruptor Award

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IBM Faculty Award

Requirements for Georgia Institute of Technology

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:19
Reading
Required:19
Writing
Required:19
Speaking
Required:19
Total
Required:100
IELTS
Listening
Required:6.5
Reading
Required:6.5
Writing
Required:5.5
Speaking
Required:6.5
Overall
Required:7.5
Prerequisites
Undergraduate degree in computer science or related field
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Official transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of Purpose
Specialization Notes

Department of Computer Science: GRE scores are optional for Fall 2026.