Nathan Johnson
Center Director and Associate Professor,
Engineering, The Polytechnic School
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Phone: 480-727-5271
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Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building III ISTB3 Room 121 MESA, AZ 85212
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Mail code: 2180Campus: Poly
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Long Bio
Dr. Nathan Johnson leads numerous efforts at Arizona State University to accelerate the advancement of sustainable development goals through innovation in stakeholder value propositions, technology, business models, and policy. In this, Dr. Johnson builds public-private partnerships in the US and internationally to develop energy decarbonization solutions leading to pilot demonstration and scale. This work creates benefit to all stakeholders through value propositions that increase energy access, energy security, and economic development. The same mindset is applied to industries including food and beverage, consumer products, and fast moving consumer goods for reductions in water use and waste, as part of a broader vision and design for increasing resource circularity.
His roles at ASU include Associate Professor in The Polytechnic School of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering; Director of the Laboratory for Energy And Power Solutions that provides technical and business solutions to facilitate the global transition to a resilient low-carbon economy; Director of the ASU-Starbucks Center for the Future of People and the Planet to advance environmental and social impact goals for a thriving future that catalyzes and inspires humanity and community development; and Assistant Director of Research for the Global Futures Laboratory to develop international collaborations and solutions that accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goals.
Before joining ASU, Dr. Johnson completed product development and business development across 15 countries. His globally focused work continues in the Asia-Pacific, Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, and Latin America.
Education
- Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University 2012
- M.S. International Development, Iowa State University 2008
- M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University 2005
- B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University 2004
Publications
Selected Publications from over 50:
- van Hove, E., Johnson, N. G. (2021). Refugee settlements in transition: Energy access and development challenges in Northern Uganda. Energy Research & Social Science, 78, 102103.
- Saha, S., Ravi, N., Hreinsson, K., Baek, J., Scaglione, A., & Johnson, N. G. (2020). A secure distributed ledger for transactive energy: The Electron Volt Exchange (EVE) blockchain. Applied Energy, 282, 116208.
- Nelson, J., Johnson, N. G., Fahy, K., Hansen, T. (2020). Statistical development of microgrid resilience during islanding operations. Applied Energy, 279, 115724.
- Janko, S., & Johnson, N. G. (2020). Reputation-based competitive pricing negotiation and power trading for grid-connected microgrid networks. Applied Energy, 277, 115598.
- Nelson, J., Johnson, N. G. (2020). Model predictive control of microgrids for real-time ancillary service market participation. Applied Energy, 269, 114963.
- Ahmad, N., Chester, M., Bondank, E., Arabi, M., Johnson, N., Ruddell, B. (2020). A synthetic water distribution network model for urban resilience. Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure.
- Budama, V. K., Johnson, N. G., Ermanoski, I., & Stechel, E. B. (2020). Techno-economic analysis of thermochemical water-splitting system for Co-production of hydrogen and electricity. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 46(2), 1656-1670.
- Nelson, J., Johnson, N. G., Chinimilli, P. T., Zhang, W. (2019). Residential cooling using separated and coupled precooling and thermal energy storage strategies. Applied Energy, 252, 113414.
- Schweitzer, E., Saha, S. S., Scaglione, A., Johnson, N. G., Arnold, D. (2019). Lossy DistFlow formulation for single and multiphase radial feeders. IEEE Transactions on Power Systems.
- Janko, S. & Johnson, N. (2018). Scalable multi-agent microgrid negotiations for a transactive energy market. Applied Energy, 229, 715-727.
- Shammya, S., & Johnson, N. G. (2018). Point-on-wave analysis of three-phase induction motor under fault external to the power plant. In IEEE 2018 Power & Energy Society (PES) General Meeting. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- Nelson, J., Johnson, N. G., Doron, P., & Stechel, E. B. (2018). Thermodynamic modeling of solarized microturbine for combined heat and power applications. Applied Energy, 212, 592-606.
- Burillo, D., Chester, M. V., Ruddell, B., & Johnson, N. (2017). Electricity demand planning forecasts should consider climate non-stationarity to maintain reserve margins during heat waves. Applied Energy, 206, 267-277.
- Bartos, M., Chester, M., Johnson, N., Gorman, B., Eisenberg, D., Linkov, I., Bates, M. (2016) Impacts of rising air temperatures on electric transmission ampacity and peak per-capita electricity load in the United States. Environmental Research Letters. 11(11), 114008.
Research Activity
Selected Projects and Funding from over $70M:
- Transferring Capability for Microgrids and Resilience in DoD Installations. Co-PI. Funded by Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), US Department of Defense. 2022. $1,050,466.
- The ASU-Starbucks Center for the Future of People and the Planet. PI. Funded Starbucks. 2022. $1,500,000.
- Enhancing Installation Resilience with Electric Vehicle Fleets. PI. Funded by Office of Naval Research, US Department of Defense. 2022. $250,00.
- Building Load Aggregation and Adaptive Power Management for Improved Resilience. Co-PI. Funded by Office of Naval Research, US Department of Defense. 2022. $249,999.
- Advancing Modern Power through Utility Partnerships (AmpUp). Co-PI. Funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID). 2021. $39,957,657.
- Securing Installation IoT Devices and 5G Communications for Adaptive Basing. PI. Funded by Office of Naval Research, US Department of Defense. 2021. $233,800.
- Building Innovation into Installation Modernization Strategies. Co-PI. Funded by Office of Naval Research, US Department of Defense. 2021. $250,000.
- Design, Modeling, and Control of Hybrid ESS for DoD Microgrids (Phase 2). PI. Funded by Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), US Department of Defense. 2020. $663,000.
- Rapid Capability Development for a Cyber-effective Navy. PI. Funded by Office of Naval Research, US Department of Defense. 2020. $250,000.
- Microgrid Control with Self-regulating Feedback to Enhance Resilience and Economics. PI. Funded by Office of Naval Research, US Department of Defense. 2020. $249,999.
- Installation Energy Resilience Using Machine Learning for Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) and Adaptive Basing. PI. Funded by Office of Naval Research, US Department of Defense. 2020. $250,002.
- Situation Awareness and Smart Reconfiguration of Ad-hoc Military Electric Grids Using a Digital-twin. Co-PI. Funded by Office of Naval Research, US Department of Defense. 2020. $249,964.
- Design, Modeling, and Control of Hybrid ESS for DoD Microgrids. Co-PI. Funded by Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), US Department of Defense. 2019. $235,080.
- Workforce Development Pipeline for Microgrid and Advanced Power Systems Careers. PI. Funded by Office of Naval Research, US Department of Defense. 2019. $747,738.
- GCR: Future Urban Trajectories for Urban Resilience. Co-PI. Funded by National Science Foundation (NSF). 2019. $3,599,349.
- Distributed Electrical Architectures from Circuits to Systems. PI. Funded by Office of Naval Research, US Department of Defense. 2018. $1,999,935.
- Next Generation Energy Technologies and Systems for Civilian and Military Applications (Phase 2). Co-PI. Funded by Office of Naval Research, US Department of Defense. 2017. $3,000,000.
- Mini-grid Training and Global Strategic Planning. PI. Funded by World Bank. 2017. $46,360.
- A Holistic Water Solution for Undeserved and Refugee Host Communities in Lebanon and Jordon. Co-PI. Funded by US Agency for International Development. 2016. $1,947,462.
- Monitoring and Managing Distributed Energy Resources through Interoperable IoT Solutions. PI. Funded by Verizon. 2016. $144,830.
- Next Generation Energy Technologies and Systems for Civilian and Military Applications (Phage 1). Co-PI. Funded by Office of Naval Research, US Department of Defense. 2015. $1,499,998.
- Mobile Containerized Micro-grid for Disaster Relief. PI. Funded by NRG Renew. 2015. $52,087.
- Grid Simulation and Renewable Energy Integration. PI. Funded by IncSys. 2015. $121,515.
- Energy Management Systems for Residential Homes. PI. Funded by Salt River Project. 2015. $186,387.
- Design and Analysis of a Concentrating Solar Power Air Brayton System. Co-PI. Funded by AORA Solar Ltd. 2014. $1,550,000.
- BRIDGE in Sustainable Energy and Information and Communication Technologies. Co-PI. Inter-American Development Bank. 2014. $340,137.
- Concept Paper and Proposal for Certification of Solar Technicians in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Co-PI. Funded by International Renewable Energy Agency. 2014. $100,000.
- Collaborative Research: RIPS Type 2: Resilience Simulation for Water, Power, & Road Networks. Co-PI. Funded by NSF. 2014. $1,949,788.
Courses
2025 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| CEE 595 | Continuing Registration |
| CEE 795 | Continuing Registration |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| MAE 795 | Continuing Registration |
| MAE 799 | Dissertation |
| CEE 790 | Reading and Conference |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| SOS 596 | Capstone: Scientific Paper |
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| MFG 799 | Dissertation |
| MFG 792 | Research |
| SOS 792 | Research |
2024 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| CEE 790 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| CEN 599 | Thesis |
| CEE 593 | Applied Project |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| SOS 792 | Research |
| SOS 799 | Dissertation |
| SOS 596 | Capstone: Scientific Paper |
| MFG 792 | Research |
| EGR 476 | Microgrid Design and Operation |
| EGR 598 | Special Topics |
2024 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 790 | Reading and Conference |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| CEE 593 | Applied Project |
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| SOS 792 | Research |
| SOS 799 | Dissertation |
| SOS 792 | Research |
| CEE 593 | Applied Project |
| MFG 792 | Research |
2024 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 595 | Continuing Registration |
| CEE 795 | Continuing Registration |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| MAE 795 | Continuing Registration |
| MAE 799 | Dissertation |
| CEE 790 | Reading and Conference |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| EGR 599 | Thesis |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| SOS 596 | Capstone: Scientific Paper |
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| EGR 799 | Dissertation |
| EGR 493 | Honors Thesis |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| EGR 598 | Special Topics |
| EGR 476 | Microgrid Design and Operation |
| SOS 792 | Research |
| SOS 799 | Dissertation |
| CEN 690 | Reading and Conference |
2023 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| CEE 790 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| MAE 799 | Dissertation |
| EGR 216 | EGR Electrical Fundamentals |
| EGR 590 | Reading and Conference |
| EGR 593 | Applied Project |
| CEE 593 | Applied Project |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| SOS 792 | Research |
| SOS 596 | Capstone: Scientific Paper |
| EGR 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| EGR 599 | Thesis |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| EGR 799 | Dissertation |
2023 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 790 | Reading and Conference |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| CEE 593 | Applied Project |
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| SOS 792 | Research |
| SOS 792 | Research |
| SOS 790 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 593 | Applied Project |
2023 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 595 | Continuing Registration |
| CEE 795 | Continuing Registration |
| SOS 792 | Research |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| MAE 795 | Continuing Registration |
| MAE 799 | Dissertation |
| CEE 790 | Reading and Conference |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| EGR 599 | Thesis |
| SOS 596 | Capstone: Scientific Paper |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| EGR 799 | Dissertation |
| SOS 790 | Reading and Conference |
| EGR 493 | Honors Thesis |
| EGR 792 | Research |
2022 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| CEE 790 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| MAE 799 | Dissertation |
| EGR 216 | EGR Electrical Fundamentals |
| EGR 590 | Reading and Conference |
| EGR 593 | Applied Project |
| CEE 593 | Applied Project |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| SOS 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| SOS 792 | Research |
| SOS 596 | Capstone: Scientific Paper |
| EGR 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| EGR 599 | Thesis |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| EGR 799 | Dissertation |
| EGR 492 | Honors Directed Study |
2022 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 790 | Reading and Conference |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 593 | Applied Project |
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| SOS 792 | Research |
| EGR 499 | Individualized Instruction |
| SOS 790 | Reading and Conference |
2022 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 595 | Continuing Registration |
| CEE 795 | Continuing Registration |
| EGR 493 | Honors Thesis |
| SOS 792 | Research |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| MAE 795 | Continuing Registration |
| MAE 799 | Dissertation |
| CEE 790 | Reading and Conference |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| EGR 593 | Applied Project |
| EGR 599 | Thesis |
| EGR 476 | Microgrid Design and Operation |
| SOS 596 | Capstone: Scientific Paper |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| EGR 598 | Special Topics |
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| EGR 598 | Special Topics |
| EGR 799 | Dissertation |
| EGR 494 | Special Topics |
| EGR 494 | Special Topics |
| SOS 790 | Reading and Conference |
2021 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| CEE 790 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| MAE 799 | Dissertation |
| EGR 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| EGR 599 | Thesis |
| EGR 590 | Reading and Conference |
| EGR 593 | Applied Project |
| CEE 593 | Applied Project |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| SOS 590 | Reading and Conference |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| EGR 799 | Dissertation |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| SOS 792 | Research |
| SOS 596 | Capstone: Scientific Paper |
2021 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 790 | Reading and Conference |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 593 | Applied Project |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| SOS 792 | Research |
2021 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 595 | Continuing Registration |
| CEE 795 | Continuing Registration |
| EGR 493 | Honors Thesis |
| SOS 792 | Research |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| MAE 795 | Continuing Registration |
| MAE 799 | Dissertation |
| CEE 790 | Reading and Conference |
| EGR 593 | Applied Project |
| EGR 599 | Thesis |
| EGR 476 | Microgrid Design and Operation |
| SOS 596 | Capstone: Scientific Paper |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| EGR 598 | Special Topics |
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| EGR 598 | Special Topics |
| EGR 799 | Dissertation |
| EGR 494 | Special Topics |
| EGR 494 | Special Topics |
2020 Fall
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| CEE 790 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| MAE 799 | Dissertation |
| EGR 492 | Honors Directed Study |
| EGR 216 | EGR Electrical Fundamentals |
| EGR 599 | Thesis |
| EGR 590 | Reading and Conference |
| EGR 593 | Applied Project |
| CEE 593 | Applied Project |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| SOS 590 | Reading and Conference |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| EGR 799 | Dissertation |
| EGR 598 | Special Topics |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| EGR 475 | Alternative Energy |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| SOS 792 | Research |
| SOS 596 | Capstone: Scientific Paper |
| EGR 494 | Special Topics |
| EGR 598 | Special Topics |
| EGR 494 | Special Topics |
| EGR 494 | Special Topics |
2020 Summer
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 790 | Reading and Conference |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 593 | Applied Project |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| SOS 792 | Research |
2020 Spring
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| CEE 799 | Dissertation |
| CEE 590 | Reading and Conference |
| CEE 592 | Research |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| CEE 595 | Continuing Registration |
| CEE 795 | Continuing Registration |
| EGR 493 | Honors Thesis |
| SOS 792 | Research |
| MAE 792 | Research |
| MAE 795 | Continuing Registration |
| MAE 799 | Dissertation |
| EGR 593 | Applied Project |
| EGR 599 | Thesis |
| EGR 476 | Microgrid Design and Operation |
| CEE 792 | Research |
| EGR 792 | Research |
| EGR 598 | Special Topics |
| CEE 599 | Thesis |
| EGR 494 | Special Topics |
| EGR 494 | Special Topics |
| EGR 598 | Special Topics |
| EGR 799 | Dissertation |
| EGR 494 | Special Topics |
| EGR 598 | Special Topics |
| EGR 494 | Special Topics |