Onyema is an Associate Professor in Power Sustainability. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE (SMIEEE), a Member of the IET (MIET) and a Registered Electrical Engineer (REng) with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN). He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice in Teaching and Learning from RHUL. He is a Member of the UKRI Talent Peer Review College.

He chaired a session on Power Systems Modelling and Analysis in the prestigious IEEE Power and Energy Society General Meeting. He has been an invited speaker to different institutions including the prestigious IEEE lecture series, Kharagpur Section, India.

Research Areas

Onyema’s research focuses on sustainable power systems – he is interested in the development and testing of analytical and computational tools and technologies for modern deeply decarbonised electricity networks. His research spans the planning, modelling (including physics-driven and data-driven approaches) and control of power systems with high uptake of renewable energy technologies (e.g., solar photovoltaics) and low-carbon technologies (like electric vehicles, battery energy storage and heat pumps). This includes exploring the opportunities and challenges created by the interconnection of these technologies to modern electricity networks.

Consequently, he leverages advanced mathematics, statistics, control theory, machine learning techniques and explainable AI to study decarbonised power systems.

His research involves collaboration with industry partners in the United Kingdom (e.g., TNEI Services Ltd), UK universities (e.g., Imperial College London) and universities in Nigeria, India, etc. 

Current research interests (in no particular order) include:

• Sustainability (energy & power systems) 
• Grid flexibility services from low-carbon technologies (EVs, BESS, HPs)
• Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) & Machine Learning (ML) for electricity networks
• Decision-making under uncertainty
• Digital Twins (DTs) for energy systems
• Data-driven electricity network operations and control

Other research areas which he has worked on for several years:

• Renewable energy modelling
• Power quality modelling and control
• Microgrids/Minigrids
• Active distribution system modelling & optimisation
• Computational power systems

Selected Previous Roles

• Director of Student Experience and Outcomes, EPMS, Sept. 2023 - Dec. 1, 2024
• Lecturer in Sustainable Power Systems at Royal Holloway University of London, June 1, 2020 – May 31, 2024
• Postdoctoral Research Associate at Control and Power Group, Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department, Imperial College London, UK, 2018 – 2020 
• Power Quality (PQ) Engineering Consultant to Imperial Consultants, UK, - led the PQ workpackage of the Domestic Energy Storage and Control project of UK Power Networks, 2016 – 2018 

Current PhD Student(s)

Amir Adib, 3^rd year PhD student (Main/Primary Supervisor)

MSc Electrical Power Engineering, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK

• PhD Topic: Data-driven electricity network operations and control considering uncertainty

This research is funded through a successful competitve PhD studentship bid at Royal Holloway. 

Other PhD supervision experience 

Yue Yu, PhD research on Smart Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy in Direct Current Microgrid (PhD Co-Supervision at Imperial College London), completed Dec. 2022  

Prospective PhD students

Onyema is still accepting PhD students that have full funding and strong academic and technical background in sustainable electrical power systems and smart grids, to his team. If interested, kindly send him an email at [email protected] with a maximum of 2-page CV and a brief explanation of your source of funding.

Teaching

Onyema has multi-regional experience in curriculum design and teaching - he has taught both in the United kingdom and Nigeria. His approach towards module design and teaching are hinged on an innovative multimodal pedagogy.

Current and previously taught modules at RHUL include:

• UG: Professional and Sustainable Engineering
• PGT: Sustainable Power Generation
• UG: Mathematics for Engineers
• UG: Electronic Circuits and Components

Modules that he has taught in other previous institutions include: power systems, introduction to high voltage direct current (HVDC) technology, control engineering, engineering mathematics, etc. 

For more information about Onyema, see his LinkedIn Profile.