Jay Johnson
About Jay Johnson
Jay Johnson is a Principal Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories, specializing in renewable energy research and cybersecurity solutions.
Current Role at Sandia National Laboratories
Jay Johnson has been serving as the Principal Member Of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories since 2010. Based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he leads multidisciplinary renewable energy research projects focusing on power system interoperability, control, optimization, and cybersecurity. His work includes developing cybersecurity solutions for various renewable energy systems such as photovoltaic systems, wind energy sites, and electric vehicle chargers. Additionally, he coordinates advanced distributed energy resource interoperability testing on an international scale.
Educational Background in Mechanical Engineering
Jay Johnson earned a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he studied from 2007 to 2009. Prior to this, he completed his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology between 2003 and 2006. He also participated in a study abroad program at the University of South Australia in 2005, enriching his academic experience with international perspectives.
Previous Experience in Renewable Energy and Research
Jay's professional journey includes various roles aimed at advancing renewable energy technologies. Before joining Sandia National Laboratories, he worked as a Graduate Research Assistant and later as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Georgia Institute of Technology. His previous affiliations also include positions at Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) as a Sustainability Fellow and at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in several capacities such as Research Program Participant (RPP) and SULI Intern. These roles provided him with extensive experience and knowledge in the field of renewable energy.
Leadership in Energy Research Projects
In his role at Sandia National Laboratories, Jay Johnson has led several significant energy research projects. These include a $5 million distributed energy resource management project aimed at providing voltage regulation and distribution protection and a laboratory-directed research and development project focused on Virtual Power Plants for ancillary services. He also led the US-Japan collaborative research project on utility-scale photovoltaic smoothing controls using a gas genset and battery.
Awards and Recognition
Jay Johnson's contributions to the field of renewable energy have been recognized with multiple awards. He received the IEEE Outstanding Young Engineer Award from the Albuquerque Section in 2016 and the SunSpec Alliance McCulloch-Pitts Award in 2015 for innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence in distributed energy resource control automation. Additionally, he was honored with the Sandia National Laboratories Up-and-Coming Innovator Award in 2014.