About

Afsaneh Ghanavati received her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Shiraz University, Iran, in 1998, and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University, Boston, MA, in 2012 and 2018, respectively. She is currently an Associate Professor and serves as the Director of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Programs (ECE) in the School of Engineering at Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA. She is the recipient of the Douglas D. Schumann Professorship, one of the highest honors bestowed upon Wentworth faculty. Dr. Ghanavati has conducted collaborative research projects with Eversource in Massachusetts and has made significant contributions to ABET-related requirements, focusing on continuous program improvement and accreditation.

Dr. Ghanavati’s research interests include power systems, signal processing, dynamic phasors, dynamic power decomposition, power quality, microgrids, and the entrepreneurial mindset in engineering education. She is a member of the Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) Engineering Honor Society, the IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES), the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IES), and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).

Research Interests

Power Systems, Signal Processing, Dynamic Phasors, Dynamic Power Decomposition, Power Quality, Microgrid, Entrepreneurial Mindset

Graduate Students

• Maeen Uddin Mohammad Abdur Rahman will graduate in Spring 2026.
  
  

• Michael Fiorino will graduate in Spring 2026.

  • Thesis Title: “Development of a Campus Microgrid Model Using MATLAB/Simscape to Study Power Grid Resiliency and Sustainability”.
    
    

• Sam Baliki, M.S. in Electrical Engineering, graduated in December 2024.

  • Thesis Title: “Application of Dynamic Power Symmetrical Sequence Decomposition for Synthetic and Empirical Disturbance Analysis”. [Link].
  • This work was generously supported by Eversource.
    
    

• Christopher R. Men, M.S., graduated in August 2023.

  • Thesis Title: “Definition of Voltage RMS Under Transient and Non-Sinusoidal Operation and its Effects in Industrial Control Measures”. [Link].
  • This work was generously supported by Eversource.
    
    

• Christopher J. Sweeny, M.S., graduated in August 2022.

  • Thesis Title: “Reducing Peak Demand in an Urban University Campus by Applying Grid Control Methods to Address Distributed Energy Resources”. [Link].

Active Grants

• A. Ghanavati, M. Rawlins, and A. Silver, “Microgrid Feasibility Study for Urban University Campuses and their Surrounding Communities to Address Power Reliability”, FY25 EmPower Innovation and Capacity Building (ICB) Grant, awarded $25,000, Spring 2025.

Selected Journal Papers

• S. Baliki, U. Zia, and A. Ghanavati, “Dynamic Symmetrical Sequence Decomposition Power Components for Disturbance Event Characterization,” 2025 IEEE Texas Power and Energy Conference (TPEC), College Station, TX, USA, February 2025. [Link].

• A. Ghanavati, M. Rawlins, D. Dow, C. Sweeny, J. Smith, “Interpretation of the Power Consumption Characterization of an Urban University Campus toward Power System Planning,” MDPI Sustainability, Special Issue Enhancement of Reliability and Sustainability in Electric Power Systems, 15(20), 14835; 2023. [Link].

• A. Ghanavati, H. Lev-Ari, and A.M. Stanković, “An Efficient Sub-Cycle Alternative to Instantaneous Power Metrics,” IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 776-785, Feb. 2022. [Link].

• A. Ghanavati, H. Lev-Ari, and A.M. Stanković, “Sub-Cycle Dynamic Phasors with Adjustable Transient Response,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 1886-1894, August 2020. [Link].

• A. Ghanavati, H. Lev-Ari, and A.M. Stanković, “A Sub-Cycle Approach to Dynamic Phasors with Application to Dynamic Power Quality Metrics,” IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Vol. 33, No. 5, pp. 2217-2225, October 2018. [Link].

Selected Conference Papers

• S. Baliki, U. Zia, and A. Ghanavati, “Dynamic Symmetrical Sequence Decomposition Power Components for Disturbance Event Characterization,” 2025 IEEE Texas Power and Energy Conference (TPEC), College Station, TX, USA, February 2025. [Link].

• C. R. Men, D. E. Dow, U. Zia and A. Ghanavati, “Effects of the Window Size Variation in the RMS Voltage and Industrial Control Measures,” 2024 IEEE Power & Energy Society Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Conference (ISGT), Washington, DC, USA, 2024, pp. 1-5, doi: 10.1109/ISGT59692.2024.10454192. [Link].

• D. O. Williams, S. Li, A. Ghanavati, “Mitigating Electrical Losses Through a Programmable Smart Energy Advanced Metering Infrastructure System,” IEEE International Conference on Prognostics and Health Management (ICPHM), Montreal, QC, Canada, 2023, pp. 153-157. [Link].

• C.R. Men, D.E. Dow, A. Ghanavati, “Study of the Bus Voltage Magnitude to Monitor Power Quality in the Distribution System,” Annual IEEE Canada Electrical Power and Energy Conference (EPEC), Virtual Conference, December 5 – 7, 2022. [Link].

• C.J. Sweeny, J.R. Smith, A. Ghanavati, J.R. McCusker, “Using Machine Learning Methods Towards Identifying College Campus Load Profiles and Energy Storage Application for Reducing Peak Energy Demand from the Utility Grid,” Proceedings of the ASME 2022 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition. Volume 6: Energy. Columbus, Ohio, USA. October 30–November 3, 2022. [Link].

• J.R. McCusker, C.J. Brigham, A. Ghanavati, “Data and Stakeholder Driven Redesign of a First-Year Engineering Curriculum,” Annual Conference, First Year Engineering Experience, ASEE (FYEE, ASEE), Michigan State University, July 31 – August 2, 2022. [Link].

• B. Hong, A. Ghanavati, “The Virtual Laboratory: A Natural Vehicle for Simulation in Engineering Education,” Annual Conference, ASEE Northeast Section (ASEE-NE), Wentworth Institute of Technology, April 22–23, 2022 (Best Professional Paper Runner Up). [Link].

• D.E. Dow, S.P. Prendergast, P.W. Collins, A. Haider, A. Ghanavati, “Sources of Electric Power to Meet Demand and Reduce Carbon Footprint at an Urban University Campus,” International Conference on Electrical, Computer and Energy Technologies (ICECET), Virtual Conference, December 2021. [Link].

• K. Shraiberg, J. Caron, G. Haddad, W. McLellan, A. Ghanavati, D. E. Dow, “Audio Recording Device for Partial Discharge from Overhead Power Lines,” International Conference on Electrical, Computer and Energy Technologies (ICECET), Virtual Conference, December 2021. [Link].

• A. Ghanavati, S.G. Bannish, D.E. Dow, “Study of Partial Discharge Audio Recordings Towards Identifying Features for Classification,” Annual IEEE Canada Electrical Power and Energy Conference (EPEC), Virtual Conference, October 2021. [Link].

• S. Othman, M. Rawlins, A. Ghanavati, “Real-Time Smart Feedback System for Effective Course Evaluation,” Annual Conference ASEE Northeast Section (ASEE-NE), October 2021.

• A. Ghanavati, D.E. Dow, R. Frattura, M.E. Ragnarsdottir. “Integrating Lean Thinking into Design Thinking with First-Year Engineering Design Course,” Annual Conference ASEE Northeast Section (ASEE-NE), October 2020. [Link].

• K. Shraiberg, Z. Hoagland, M. Vartanian, B. Rosenberger, D.E. Dow, A. Ghanavati, “Partial Discharge Detection by Classification of Tesla-Coil Music,” Annual MIT IEEE Undergraduate Research Technology Conference (URTC), October 2020. [Link].

• H. Lev-Ari, A.M. Stanković, and A. Ghanavati, “Dynamic Decomposition of Apparent Power in Polyphase Unbalanced Networks with Application to Transients in an Industrial Load,” 40th North American Power Symposium (NAPS), Calgary, Canada, Sept. 2008. [Link].

Contact

Email: ghanavatia@wit.edu

Office: 203 Rubenstein Hall, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA