In Episode 80, Patrick speaks with Sayon Chanda, Senior Scientist at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), one of US Department of Energy's leading federal research laboratories in Denver Colorado.

The team discusses the NISQ era of Quantum Computing, the complexities of current electric utility configurations, and how electric utilities can prepare for a post quantum future.

Learn more: https://www.nrel.gov/news/program/2023/quantum-computers-can-now-interface-with-power-grid-equipment.html

Sayonsom Chanda is a senior scientist at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Boulder, Colorado. He works in the intersection of advanced computing technologies and the electric power grid. For last seven years, he has worked extensively in implementation of AI technology for electric utilities in North America. Recently, his work on interfacing quantum computers and power grid simulators for developing industrial applications of quantum computing for solving the complex challenges of our times - including energy insecurity and climate change. 

Prior to joining NREL, Dr. Chanda was a Senior Data Scientist at National Grid in New York and an electrical engineer at Idaho National Laboratory. He is also the co-founder of two tech start-up companies where he helped them raise venture capital and develop commercial solutions for the utility industry. Over a dozen prominent conferences in the United States and abroad have invited him to speak on AI applications in the Energy industry, including a TEDX talk in 2021. 

He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Washington State University, has published more than 18 articles in journals with a high impact factor and holds three patents in cloud computing for power systems. He is also the author of a book “Resiliency of Electricity Distribution Systems," published by Wiley in the United Kingdom.