Guest Speakers
George Chen
Professor in High Voltage Engineering
University of Southampton
George Chen is a fellow of IET and IEEE. He received the B.Eng. (1983) and M.Sc. (1986) degrees in electrical engineering from Xi'an Jiaotong University, China. After obtained the Ph.D. degree (1990) from the University of Strathclyde, UK, he joined the University of Southampton as postdoctoral research fellow and became a senior research fellow subsequently. In 1997 he was appointed as a Lecturer and promoted to a Reader in 2002. He is now the professor of high voltage engineering at the University of Southampton and a visiting professor of Xi'an Jiaotong University and Chongqing University. Over the years, he has developed a wide range of interests in high voltage engineering and electrical properties of materials and published approximately 300 journal papers. He is active in the IEEE DEIS and CIGRE. He serves as Editors-in-Chief of IET Nanodielectrics and deputy editor-in-chief of several journals. Prof. Chen was invited to deliver the Whitehead Memorial Lecture in 2024.
Krunal Kansara
Principal Engineer Electrical Plant
SSEN Transmission
Krunal Kansara is currently working in SSEN-Transmission as a Principal engineer for plant. Main area of expertise is High voltage circuit breakers. Total 15+ years of past experience in High-voltage circuit breaker design, development and testing. Expertise in writing Technical Specifications, current interruption, dielectrics and electromagnetics.
Zhongdong Wang
Professor of Electrical Energy System Infrastructure
The University of Manchester
Zhongdong started her academic career in 1993 at Tsinghua Univeristy, and has been a professor in High Voltage Engineering at the Univeristy of Manchester (2009-2020) (2023-) and Univeristy of Exeter (2020-2023). She is a Fellow of IEEE, IET and CSEE. She is also the Regular Member of CIGRE A2 UK. Expertise in power transformers, insulating materials, ageing mechanisms, multi-physics modelling and simulations.
Andrew Benjamin
Head of Engineering, Strategic Infrastructure
National Grid
A chartered engineer with nearly 30 years’ experience power system engineering, leadership and management. Andrew is a member of the Institute of Engineering and Technology and Chartered Managers Institute and hold certificates in Asset Management with the IAM. Andrew has led large investment portfolios with UK utilities and managed highly complex projects in both regulated and non-regulated businesses. He has held senior engineering management positions in various utilities, consultancies and contracting organisations and project management positions in a diverse range of energy projects. He is a champion of innovative technologies that accelerate society to a more sustainable future with influential roles in the UK’s HVDC ASTI programme and previously in UK nascent CCUS industry. Andrew is currently Head of Engineering in National Grid’s Strategic Infrastructure department. In his role he is redefining new transmission technologies and projects that help shape and deliver the UK’s The Great Grid Upgrade.
Anderson Ricardo Justo de Araújo
Research Associate
Cardiff University
Anderson received his B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from São Paulo State University (UNESP), Ilha Solteira Campus, Brazil, in 2012, 2014, and 2018, respectively, with scholarships funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). During this period, he completed two research internships (in 2014 and 2016) under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Behzad Kordi at the University of Manitoba (UofM), Canada, in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, supported by fellowships from the Research Internships Abroad Program (BEPE/FAPESP). From 2019 to 2023, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher and research collaborator at the High Voltage Laboratory, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (FEEC), University of Campinas (Unicamp), with funding from FAPESP. Currently, he is a research associate at the High Voltage Laboratory, Cardiff University, UK.
Gordon Wilson
Lead Innovation Engineer
National Grid Electricity Transmission
Gordon manages substation innovation projects for NGET. He joined NGET in 1999 after completing a sponsored Ph.D. in chemistry. He has been involved in R&D for 25 years and has sponsored PhD students at various universities, including University of Southampton, where he is a visiting fellow. He is Secretary for CIGRE Study Committee D1 Materials and Emerging Test Techniques and Research Program chair for substations research (P37) at EPRI. Gordon has co-authored more than 100 journal and conference papers and is an Associate Editor for IEEE Electrical Insulation Magazine.