AGI Day 2025 Preview

The Washington State University (WSU) – Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Advanced Grid Institute (AGI) Day, brings together researchers, academics, students, and staff from the university setting, a Department of Energy national laboratory, and industry for a full day of invigorating panels and dialogue around current issues and innovations in power grid. The annual conference, hosted at WSU Tri-Cities, is a great way for colleagues to network, discuss new findings, and share future plans. 

The theme for AGI Day is “Building and Operating an Affordable, Reliable, and Secure Regional Grid.” Speakers for the event will include regional stakeholders, industry experts, and researchers from WSU and PNNL. The keynote address will feature guest speakers from the Bonneville Power Administration, Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, and Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee to discuss regional grid challenges and opportunities. The event will feature a special session on, “Wildfire challenges and Mitigation Strategies,” inviting industry experts and researchers to share perspectives and work on the issue.

After a full day of presentations, panel discussions, and networking, AGI will host a reception at the WSU Tri-Cities Wine Science Center. At this reception, attendees can connect and enjoy poster presentations from student researchers. The posters that the students present highlight their work and current research in the electrical engineering field and beyond.

AGI is uniquely set up to lead the Pacific Northwest and nation into the future, combining the knowledge, expertise, and capabilities of PNNL and WSU. AGI’s Industry Advisory Board (IAB)—also present at AGI Day— brings outside council to help guide AGI from multiple points of view. The nine members of the IAB hail from utility companies and laboratories around the pacific northwest. The advisors bring their unique backgrounds and skillsets to AGI, highlighting industry trends and making recommendations for areas the institute should focus on.

AGI benefits from joint appointments, where faculty from WSU hold a joint position at PNNL, and researchers at PNNL hold a joint position at WSU. Joint appointments bring great value to both institutions, accelerating scientific impact and introducing WSU students to research opportunities with a national laboratory.

AGI is led by Co-Directors Anamika Dubey (WSU) and Wei Du (PNNL). Dubey is an Huie-Rogers Endowed Chair Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at WSU. She also holds a joint appointment at PNNL as a research scientist. Du is the solar subsector manager and a Staff Research Engineer at PNNL. He also holds a joint appointment at WSU as a Research Associate Professor.