Daniel Molzahn joined the faculty of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech in Spring 2019. Prior to this position, Dr. Molzahn was a computational engineer at Argonne National Laboratory in the Center for Energy, Environmental, and Economic Systems Analysis (CEEESA), where he currently holds an affiliate position. He was a Dow Postdoctoral Fellow in Sustainability in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at the University of Michigan. He received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and the Master’s of Public Affairs degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. In his spare time, Dr. Molzahn enjoys hiking, waterskiing, and climbing. Also, as a shareholder of the world's greatest sporting franchise, he keeps an eye on his investment by watching and attending football games of the 13-time-champion Green Bay Packers football team.
- Dow Postdoctoral Fellow in Sustainability, University of Michigan
- Ph.D., Electrical Engineering, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- M.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Masters of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- B.S., Electrical Engineering & Mathematics, University of Wisconsin–Madison
Professor Molzahn's research focuses on optimization, control, and modeling of electric power systems. His work addresses grid reliability, renewable integration, and system optimization through advanced computational and mathematical techniques. He involves both graduate and undergraduate researchers in projects improving efficiency, affordability, resilience, and equity of electric grids.
Professor Molzahn's teaching interests include power systems and electric energy. He emphasizes power system analysis, optimization, and control across undergraduate and graduate courses, integrating theory with practical applications to prepare students for modern electric power systems and grid operations.
Fellowships:
- Dow Postdoctoral Fellowship in Sustainability (University of Michigan)
- National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (University of Wisconsin—Madison)
Positions held in professional organizations:
- Vice-chair of the technical program committee for the 21st Power Systems Computation Conference (PSCC 2020)
- Guest associate editor for a special issue on distributed control and optimization in IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid
Awards
- "High Quality Paper" Award (IEEE PowerTech Manchester 2017)
- "Best Presentation in Session" Award (American Control Conference 2016)
- 2014 Harold A. Peterson Best Dissertation Award, Second Place (University of Wisconsin—Madison)
- Grainger Power Engineering Award (2010, 2008)
- M. Alkhraijah et al., “On the Detection of Shared Data Manipulation in Distributed Optimization,” Electric Power Systems Research(PSCC 2026).
- B. Taheri, D.K. Molzahn, “AC‑Informed DC Optimal Transmission Switching Problems via Parameter Optimization,” IEEE Transactions on Power Systems 40(6), 5422–5433, 2025.
- M. Pollack et al., “Equitably Allocating Wildfire Resilience Investments for Power Grids,” Applied Energy 388, 125511, 2025.
- I. Aravena et al., “Security‑Constrained AC Optimal Power Flow: Challenge 1 Overview,” Operations Research 71(6), 1997–2014, 2023.
- D.K. Molzahn, I.A. Hiskens, “Survey of Relaxations and Approximations of the Power Flow Equations,” Foundations and Trends in Electric Energy Systems 4(1–2), 1–221, 2019.