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Bryan Maldonado

As a mechanical engineer in building envelope materials research at ORNL, Bryan Maldonado sees opportunities to apply his scientific expertise virtually everywhere he goes, from coast to coast. As an expert in understanding how complex systems operate, he’s using machine learning methods to control the process and ultimately optimize performance. 

ORNL researchers demonstrated the use of drones equipped with cameras and other sensors to check power lines at an EPB of Chattanooga training center for electrical line workers.

Researchers at ORNL recently demonstrated an automated drone-inspection technology at EPB of Chattanooga that will allow utilities to more quickly and easily check remote power lines for malfunctions, catching problems before outages occur.

This photo is of a male scientist sitting at a desk working with materials, wearing protective glasses.

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and partner institutions have launched a project to develop an innovative suite of tools that will employ machine learning algorithms for more effective cybersecurity analysis of the U.S. power grid. 

ORNL researchers Phani Marthi and Suman Debnath work on developing and scaling up new EMT simulation software to analyze how power electronics in the electric grid will respond to brief interruptions in power flow. Credit: Genevieve Martin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Power companies and electric grid developers turn to simulation tools as they attempt to understand how modern equipment will be affected by rapidly unfolding events in a complex grid. 

Man in blue shirt and grey pants holds laptop and poses next to a green plant in a lab.

John Lagergren, a staff scientist in Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Plant Systems Biology group, is using his expertise in applied math and machine learning to develop neural networks to quickly analyze the vast amounts of data on plant traits amassed at ORNL’s Advanced Plant Phenotyping Laboratory.

ORNL researcher Louise Evans is working to ensure safeguards approaches and verification technologies are integrated early in the design process of advanced reactor technologies. Credit: Carlos Jones/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Researchers tackling national security challenges at ORNL are upholding an 80-year legacy of leadership in all things nuclear. Today, they’re developing the next generation of technologies that will help reduce global nuclear risk and enable safe, secure, peaceful use of nuclear materials, worldwide.

A team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers used Frontier to explore training strategies for one of the largest artificial intelligence models to date. Credit: Getty Images

A team led by researchers at ORNL explored training strategies for one of the largest artificial intelligence models to date with help from the world’s fastest supercomputer. The findings could help guide training for a new generation of AI models for scientific research.
 

ORNL researchers have teamed up with other national labs to develop a free platform called Open Energy Data Initiative Solar Systems Integration Data and Modeling to better analyze the behavior of electric grids incorporating many solar projects. Credit: Andy Sproles/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

ORNL researchers have teamed up with other national labs to develop a free platform called Open Energy Data Initiative Solar Systems Integration Data and Modeling to better analyze the behavior of electric grids incorporating many solar projects. 

ORNL researchers modeled how hurricane cloud cover would affect solar energy generation as a storm followed 10 possible trajectories over the Caribbean and Southern U.S. Credit: Andy Sproles/ ORNL,U.S. Dept. of Energy

ORNL researchers modeled how hurricane cloud cover would affect solar energy generation as a storm followed 10 possible trajectories over the Caribbean and Southern U.S.

ORNL researchers are developing algorithms and multilayered communication and control systems that make electric vehicle chargers operate more reliably, even if there is a voltage drop or disturbance in the electric grid. Credit: Andy Sproles/ORNL, US Dept. of Energy

ORNL researchers are working to make EV charging more resilient by developing algorithms to deal with both internal and external triggers of charger failure. This will help charging stations remain available to traveling EV drivers, reducing range anxiety.