UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Yan Li, associate professor of electrical engineering at Penn State, has been awarded a five-year, $519,982 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award for her project, “Q-GRID: Transforming Next-Generation Power Grid Computation with a Unified Quantum-Classical Paradigm.” The project aims to develop advanced computing tools that can help electric power grids operate more reliably as they become increasingly complex.
Q: What do you want to understand or solve through this project?
Li: The power grid’s ability to operate reliably increasingly depends on how quickly and effectively we can turn vast amounts of data into sound decisions. Operators must interpret incomplete measurements, anticipate changing conditions and evaluate many possible actions within tight time limits. My goal is to expand what we can compute within those limits so that growing system complexity does not outpace our ability to manage it.
This project will develop a unified framework for three connected challenges: determining how to observe the grid effectively; using available data to understand and forecast its behavior; and choosing actions that prevent disruptions or restore service. We will also establish when these methods offer measurable advantages over existing approaches. That evaluation is essential to translating quantum computing advances into credible, practical capabilities for power engineering.
Q: How could advances in this area impact society?
Li: Reliable electricity is essential to homes, hospitals, data centers, businesses, transportation and communications. Efficient computing tools could help utilities detect emerging problems earlier, take effective preventive action and restore service more quickly after disruptions. These capabilities could reduce the consequences of outages and strengthen the resilience of the infrastructure that communities depend on.
The broader impact is to create a path from advances in computing to improvements in critical infrastructure. Working with utilities, quantum technology developers and national laboratories will help us evaluate methods against real challenges. The project will also prepare students to work at the intersection of energy and quantum technologies, helping build the workforce needed to bring these emerging capabilities into practice.
Q: Will undergraduate or graduate students contribute to this research? How?
Li: Yes. Undergraduate and graduate students will help develop algorithms, build power system models and evaluate the methods using realistic grid scenarios and utility data. Graduate students will investigate fundamental questions about algorithm design, computational performance and the practical limitations of quantum hardware. Undergraduate students will contribute through guided research and projects involving programming, data analysis and power system simulation.
Through project-based learning, case studies, webinars and interactions with industry and national laboratories, students will have the opportunity to connect computing concepts with practical engineering problems. They will develop the skills to evaluate emerging technologies critically, understand what it takes to make them useful, and contribute to advances in computing that strengthen the reliability and resilience of the power grid. My goal is for students to leave these experiences with the technical depth and independent judgment to help shape this emerging field.
Q: The NSF CAREER award not only funds a research project, but it also recognizes the potential of the recipient as a researcher, educator and leader in their field. How do you hope to fulfill that potential?
Li: I see this award as an opportunity to help shape how quantum computing becomes a practical engineering resource for power systems. My ambition is to build a research program that advances the underlying science, establishes credible evidence of computational benefits and develops methods that address the decisions utilities actually face. Achieving that requires close collaboration between power engineers and quantum computing researchers, with a shared understanding of both the opportunities and the technical limitations.
Education is central to that vision. I want to prepare students who can move confidently between these fields, ask rigorous questions and turn new ideas into useful engineering solutions. By bringing research problems into the classroom and creating opportunities to work with industry and national laboratories, I hope to help students become researchers and technical leaders themselves. Pre-college outreach will introduce younger students to these possibilities and help them see a place for themselves in engineering.
As a leader, I want to help build a community that connects scientific advances, workforce development and the needs of critical infrastructure. Additional impact I hope to achieve is a stronger foundation for quantum computing in power engineering, a generation of professionals equipped to advance it and practical capabilities that improve grid reliability and resilience.
This work was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation under award number 2543437. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funders.
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