Biosketch CV
Vijay Modi is a Professor in Columbia University’s Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Earth & Environmental Engineering, and in the Climate School. He is the director of the Quadracci Sustainable Engineering Laboratory (QSEL). Modi is a member of Columbia Water Center (CWC), Data Science Institute (DSI), CEEC, CCAE

Modi received a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering in 1978 from the Indian Institute of Technology and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 1984 from Cornell University. Subsequently, he worked as a post-doctoral associate at MIT from 1984 to 1986 before joining the Mechanical Engineering Department of Columbia University. His expertise spans energy resources, conversion technologies, and energy systems, focusing on their transformation to expand access and drive economic growth in emerging markets, as well as to enable transitions toward more affordable and sustainable energy supplies in both rural and urban contexts.

Between October 2011 and 2012, Modi was a member of the U.N. Secretary General’s high-level task force on “Sustainable Energy for All” (SE4All), and Modi currently leads the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network working group on Energy Access for All. Modi has since supported the efforts of SE4All, WorldBank, Vienna Energy Forum, and U.N. agencies.

Modi’s early work was on computational fluid dynamics applied to optimal design of thermofluid systems, design and use of micro-electro-mechanical systems for flow measurements and use of heat/mass transfer analysis/measurements for electrochemical applications.

In the last decade, his laboratory, QSEL, has carried out pioneering work in digital mini-grids that integrate electricity supply/demand monitoring, dynamic allocation of energy/power resources to individual customers and the use of IoT for system, battery, customer commercial account management with integration of communication and controls. QSEL has developed network expansion tools for electric utilities in low-resource settings and data-driven analysis of such utilities for demand estimation and forecasting. Developing data-driven models for electrification of heating and transport. Much of this effort involves modeling tools that aim to replicate the key features of the supply, demand, transmission, reserves, regulatory and market systems. QSEL has been responsible for technologies such as “SharedSolar” and “Acacia” along with widely used tools including “Network Planner” and FormHub (today Kobo).

Modi is currently working closely with city and national agencies to understand how energy services can be more accessible, efficient, and clean. Modi’s recent research on minigrids is providing a unique understanding of consumer behavior, demand for energy, and business models for deploying energy solutions and energy efficiency.