Javier is originally from Spain. He started his PhD at Queen’s in March 2018 and completed his studies in February 2021.
Prior to his studies Javier worked as electrical and energy efficiency engineer for 3 years in private and public organisations in several European countries. Javier holds a BSc Electrical engineering and MSc Sustainable energy technologies from Polytechnic University of Valencia.
Javier’s PhD is on ‘Integration of Distributed Small-Scale Photovoltaic and Energy Storage Systems in Power Networks.’ His work proposes several methodological innovations related to the integration of distributed stand-alone PV and PV-plus-storage at regional level.
What attracted you to complete your PhD in this area?
I had worked in engineering positions, but sometimes those jobs become routine. You can always continue learning at a job, but I felt that a PhD programme could help me explore research more in depth.
What attracted you to study at Queen’s University?
Queen’s University Belfast has a strong long-lasting department of electrical engineering. I found that the Energy, Power and Intelligent Control (EPIC) research cluster at Queen’s was a good match for me. The SPIRE2 project gave the opportunity to work in an exciting project.
What were your expectations for study and were these met?
During the PhD, I met my expectations which were: being able to perform research, learn and develop new skills within data analytics applied to power systems.
What were the highlights/lowlights of the programme?
Highlights:
- Having the chance to participate in international conferences both physically and remotely to present and share my work with other researchers and industry professionals.
- The high-quality training received during the PhD programme.
Lowlights:
A PhD programme is a journey of at least 3 years and there are ups and downs. Aside of your personal situation, the PhD brings you additional pressure, from coping with the complexity of the research problems, deadlines and expectations to qualify and succeed in becoming a PhD graduate.
How has the PhD influenced your career aspirations?
The PhD has opened me a way to more many subdomains of electrical engineering and power systems than when I was working in engineering posts. I now look into applied research as a potential path for my career.
What’s next for you?
Just before finishing my PhD, I managed to secure a postdoctoral researcher position in FOSS Research Centre for Sustainable Energy at the University of Cyprus, Cyprus. Here I work in multiple national and international projects related to solar PV integration in distribution networks, which help continue developing my skills.