A West Virginia University engineering professor and leader in electric power systems research has been appointed to an endowed chair in the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.

Ali Feliachi is the first holder of the Electric Power Systems Chair. The College of Engineering and Mineral Resources created the chair to recognize faculty achievements in teaching, research and service and to strengthen its expertise in the area of power systems.

Dr. Feliachi joined the college in 1983 and has been working in the field of large-scale systems and power systems for more than 25 years. Currently, he is leading a National Science Foundation project on robust decentralized control of power systems.

While at WVU , he has received several awards, including the Outstanding Researcher Award and Outstanding Graduate Teacher Award from the college and a Benedum Distinguished Scholar Award from the University.

George Trapp, chairman of the Lane department, said Feliachi is deserving of the honor and will serve the college well.

“Unlike many other electrical engineering departments, WVU has maintained a strong program in electric power systems,”Trapp said.”We are fortunate to have a distinguished researcher like Dr. Feliachi to hold our chair position.”