Dr. Nathan Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering and Computing Systems at Arizona State University. He is an active researcher and teacher of sustainability, multidisciplinary design, and energy systems modeling and optimization. Dr. Johnson’s work combines field research, laboratory research, and computational modeling to develop decision-making tools that support the design of sustainable products and services around the world. These tools are primarily applied in the assessment and design of micro-grid power systems and heat systems.
His two years of field research in eight developing countries has provided him with a unique perspective on rural energy needs. Dr. Johnson’s dissertation research describes village energy system dynamics in West Africa. His analysis provides a set of quantitative and narrative design guidelines for sustainably addressing energy needs in rural Mali. During an NSF/ASEE postdoctoral fellowship at HOMER Energy, Dr. Johnson expanded the modeling and optimization capabilities of the HOMER micro-grid software to address the technical requirements of large distributed complex power systems.
In addition, Dr. Johnson has a long-term interest in domestic cooking technologies. His research in safety protocols for solid fuel cookstoves has been included in the ISO’s standards development process to reduce the incidence of burns, cuts, scalds, and property loss from open fires.