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After a century of relative stasis, the grid is rapidly transitioning from a centralized, one-way, analog system to a decentralized, bidirectional, digital system. Dr. Nat Horner (EPP PhD '16), Director of Grid Cybersecurity and Communications in the Office of Electricity at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), thinks it's a particularly exciting time to be working on grid issues, and will visit EPP in person for a five-course discussion:

Appetizer: Key opportunities and risks of the ongoing grid transformation

(Alphabet) Soup: The role of DOE and its constituent elements in addressing grid issues

Main: R&D projects led by the Office of Electricity to enable a reliable, resilient, secure, and affordable electric system

Cheese: The necessity of bringing a multidisciplinary approach to this complex system

And, for dessert: Rewards of a government job, and how to get one!

Dr. Nat Horner is the Director for Grid Cybersecurity and Communications in the Office of Electricity at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where he oversees technology R&D programs focused on securing the information networks that underpin the electricity system. His career has spanned the energy and national security domains, including previous roles in systems analysis, policy analysis, program management, and software engineering at the Pentagon, DOE, the RAND Corporation, and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

Dr. Horner holds a PhD in engineering and public policy from Ò»±¾µÀÎÞÂë and master's degrees in systems engineering and computer science. He started his civil service career as a Presidential Management Fellow and completed the Cyber Leadership Development Program at National Defense University as a member of its inaugural cohort.