Power professor joins University of Sydney

Australia's electricity supply could be more efficient, reliable and accommodating of more renewable energy but we are facing a shortage of power experts, says Professor Joe (Zhao Yang) Dong whose appointment as head of the University of Sydney's School of Electrical and Information Engineering was announced last night. The power engineering specialist says universities need to strengthen Australia's local and international reputation in research whilst simultaneously developing the educational opportunities for future generations of power engineers. "We must be able to plan the economically efficient, reliable and secure methods of generation, transmission and distribution of electrical power at the same time achieving clean, efficient and sustainable electricity supplies," says Professor Dong. During his tenure at the University of Sydney, Professor Dong will develop a new research centre and work closely with industry, mapping suitable teaching and research training programs to meet the future needs of the electricity supply. "The world will need more power engineers to design and deliver the next generation of power. It's an exciting time to work in the sector as it is changing so rapidly. When I first studied power engineering, the emphasis was on the economic and legal sides rather than on the engineering and innovation side," says Professor Dong.