Milad Gholami
Postdoctoral Researcher
Siena
Summary
Postdoctoral researcher with expertise in control engineering, distributed control and optimization, and renewable energy systems. My research focuses on the development of advanced control and optimization algorithms for microgrids, hybrid energy storage systems, and real-time operation of renewable energy communities, bridging fundamental theory with applied impact.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Postdoctoral Research Associate
University of Siena, Italy
02.2024 - Current
- Title project: SHESS4REC (EU, Next Generation EU) — Smart Hybrid Energy Storage Systems.
- Main Roles: Lead research on design, optimization, and control of hybrid storage for renewable energy communities.
- Achievements: Published recent works in Energy (2025) and Energies (in press).
- Scientific Directors: Prof. Marco Casini, Prof. Gianni Bianchini
Postdoctoral Research Associate
University of Siena, Italy
07.2022 - 01.2024
- Title project: PRIN 2017 (Italy) — Optimal control of microgrids and energy communities.
- Main Roles: Developed distributed optimization algorithms for microgrid management.
- Achievements: Resulted in IEEE CDC publications (2023, 2024).
- Scientific Directors: Prof. Antonio Vicino, Prof. Gianni Bianchini
Postdoctoral Researcher
University of Cagliari, Italy
05.2021 - 04.2022
- Title project: SISCO (Fondazione di Sardegna), Virtual Energy (PORFESR).
- Main Roles: Designed and tested robust control algorithms for inverter-based microgrids.
- Achievements: Resulted in energies and IEEE publications (2021).
- Scientific Director: Prof. Alessandro Pisano
Visiting Researcher
Technical University of Berlin, Germany
09.2019 - 09.2020
- Main Roles: Research on optimization-based control for sustainable energy systems.
- Advisors: Prof. Jörg Raisch, Prof. Christian A. Hans
Invited Lecturer
Iran (various universities)
10.2012 - 06.2016
- Main Roles: Delivered courses and seminars on control engineering and mechatronics, mentored MSc and BSc students in applied control and robotics.
Education
PhD - Control Engineering
University of Cagliari
04.2021
MSc - Mechatronics Engineering
Islamic Azad University
03.2013
BSc - Electrical Engineering (Electronics)
Islamic Azad University
09.2009
Associate degree - Electronics
Shahid Babai University
08.2006
Skills
Programming Languages: Python, MATLAB/Simulink, C/C, Assembly
Software & Tools: LaTeX, Visual Studio Code, SPICE, PROTEL, Altium Designer, PLC Programming (Ladder Logic, FBD, STL), Microsoft Office Suite
Languages: Persian – Native, English – Full Professional Proficiency, Italian – Intermediate Proficiency
Awards
First-Ranked PhD Candidate, University of Cagliari, Italy (26/09/2017) - Selected as the top-ranked applicant for the fully funded PhD program in Control Engineering, based on academic excellence and research potential., Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Siena, Italy (16/07/2022) - Competitively selected for a postdoctoral research position under the Italian PRIN 2017 project, focused on optimal control of microgrids and energy communities., Postdoctoral Grant – SHESS4REC Project, University of Siena (01/02/2024) - Competitively selected for a postdoctoral research grant funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU
Affiliations
- Member: IEEE (Region 8 – Europe, Middle East, and Africa)
- Reviewer: peer-reviewed journals and conferences, including:
- IEEE Transactions and IEEE-sponsored conferences (e.g., CDC)
- Elsevier journals in energy systems and control, ISA Transactions
- MDPI journals (e.g., Energies, Electricity)
Publications
- Bianchini, M. Casini, and M. Gholami, “Optimal Prosumer Storage Management in Renewable Energy Communities under Demand Response. Energies (In Press.). Contributions: Methodology, software, validation, data curation, writing—original draft preparation, writing—review and editing.
- Bianchini, M. Casini and M. Gholami, “Optimal operation of renewable energy communities under demand response programs”, Energy, Elsevier, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2025.136076. Contributions: Methodology, software, validation, data curation, writing—original draft preparation, writing—review and editing.
- Milad Gholami, Gianni Bianchini, Antonio Vicino, “Distributed Secondary Control for Battery Energy Storage Systems in AC Microgrids under Multiple Time-Varying Communication Delays”, 2024 IEEE 63rd Conference on Decision and Control (CDC), pp.3483-3488, 2024. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10886527. Contributions: Conceptualization, methodology, software, validation, data curation, writing—original draft preparation, writing—review and editing.
- M. Gholami, G. Bianchini and A. Vicino, “Distributed Robust Secondary Frequency Control of Inverter-Based Microgrids Under Time-Varying Communication Delays,” 2023 62nd IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC), pp. 5568-5573, 2023. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10384108. Contributions: Conceptualization, methodology, software, validation, data curation, writing—original draft preparation, writing—review and editing.
- Gholami, M., Pisano, A. “Model Predictive Operation Control of Islanded Microgrids under Non-linear Conversion Losses of Storage Units”, Electricity, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/electricity3010003. Contributions: Conceptualization, methodology, software, validation, data curation, writing—original draft preparation, writing—review and editing.
- Gholami, Milad, Alessandro Pilloni, Alessandro Pisano, and Elio Usai. 2021. "Robust Distributed Secondary Voltage Restoration Control of AC Microgrids under Multiple Communication Delays" Energies 14, no. 4: 1165. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14041165. Contributions: Conceptualization, methodology, software, validation, data curation, writing—original draft preparation, writing—review and editing.
- Pilloni, M. Gholami, A. Pisano, and E. Usai, “On the robust distributed secondary control of islanded microgrids”, in Variable-Structure Systems and Sliding-Mode Control. Springer, 2020, pp. 309–357. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36621-6_11. Contributions: Conceptualization, methodology, software, validation, data curation, writing—original draft preparation, writing—review and editing.
Training
- EECI International Graduate School on Control (IGSC), Paris, France (03/06/2019 – 07/06/2019) Topic: Multi-Agent Distributed Optimization and Learning over Wireless Networks. Instructor: Prof. Ruggero Carli.
- EECI International Graduate School on Control (IGSC), Berlin, Germany (06/05/2019 – 10/05/2019) Topic: Distributed Coordination of Multi-Agent systems Instructor: Prof. Wei Ren.
- PhD on-line lectures live from L2S-CentraleSupelec, Univ Paris Saclay, France (21/09/2020-25/09/2020) Topic: Stability and stabilisation of nonlinear time-varying systems: application to multiagent system Instructors: Prof. Antonio LORIA and Prof. Elena Panteley
Key Competencies
- Microgrid Control & Renewable Distributed Generation
- Distributed Optimization & Consensus Algorithms
- Energy Storage & Real-Time Operation
- Multi-Agent Systems & Cyber-Physical Integration
- Smart Grids & Energy Management Systems
Timeline
Postdoctoral Research Associate
University of Siena, Italy
02.2024 - Current
Postdoctoral Research Associate
University of Siena, Italy
07.2022 - 01.2024
Postdoctoral Researcher
University of Cagliari, Italy
05.2021 - 04.2022
Visiting Researcher
Technical University of Berlin, Germany
09.2019 - 09.2020
Invited Lecturer
Iran (various universities)
10.2012 - 06.2016
PhD - Control Engineering
University of Cagliari
MSc - Mechatronics Engineering
Islamic Azad University
BSc - Electrical Engineering (Electronics)
Islamic Azad University
Associate degree - Electronics
Shahid Babai University