Doctoral student named ‘Young Clean Energy Innovator’

Tumininu (Tumi) Lawanson recently was named a Young Clean Energy Innovator of the Year by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) at its Intersolar North American ceremony in San Francisco, California.

“Personally, I count it as a privilege and an honor to be recognized as one of two Young Clean Energy Innovators of 2018 by IREC,” said Lawanson. “I am especially grateful for the support of my research advisor, Dr. Valentina Cecchi, and the strong collaborative research environment provided at EPIC and the University.”

Originally from Nigeria, Lawanson is seeking to improve electricity access and reliability in her home country. She completed an undergraduate degree there, before coming to UNC Charlotte as an electrical engineering doctoral student in the Power Delivery Innovation Group..

Her research focuses on leveraging opportunities and addressing challenges associated with increasing renewable energy on the grid. She also is working on research projects with Duke Energy and the Electric Power Research Institute. In addition to her rigorous academic and work schedule, Lawanson is active in a number of student professional organizations, and she has presented at DistribuTech and IEEE conferences.

IREC award recipients are selected based upon an annual national search.