Mechanical Engineering
Vijay Modi is currently working closely with city and national agencies/utilities to understand how energy services can be more accessible, more efficient, and cleaner. Modi’s areas of expertise are energy resources and energy conversion technologies. His recent project on mini-grids is providing a unique understanding of consumer behavior, demand for energy, and business models for deploying energy solutions and energy efficiency. While his early work was on computational fluid dynamics and micro-electro-mechanical systems, his recent work has been on energy infrastructure design and planning, solar energy, energy efficiency in agriculture, and data analytics spanning urban settings to remote rural settings.
- Postdoctoral Associate, 1985-1986, Gas Turbine Laboratory - MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
- Professor (2001- )
- Department Chair (2002-2005)
- Associate Professor (1993 - 2000)
- Assistant Professor (1986 -1992)
- Member, American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- Member, ASHRAE
- Member, AAAS
- Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award 1996
- Great Teacher Award 1997 from Society of Columbia Graduates, 1997
- McMullen Fellowship, Cornell University
- Silver Medal in Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology
- Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, 1984
- Tuition Scholarship, ASEE
- Yuan, S., Kocaman, A., Modi, V. (2017). Benefits of forecasting and energy storage in isolated grids with large wind penetration – The case of Sao Vicente, Renewable Energy, 105 (1), 167-174.
- Waite, M., Cohen, E., Torbey, H., Piccirilli, M., Tian, Y., Modi, V. (2017). Global trends in urban electricity demands for cooling and heating, Energy, 127 (1), 1-17.
- Waite, M., Deshmukh, A., Modi, V. (2017). Experimental and analytical investigation of hydronic system retrofits in an urban high-rise mixed use building, Energy and Buildings, 136 (1), 173-188
- Howard, B., Waite, M., Modi, V. (2017). Current and near-term GHG emissions factors from electricity production for New York State and New York City, Applied Energy, 187 (1), 255-271.
- Waite, M., Modi, V. (2016). Modeling Wind Power Curtailment With Increased Capacity in a Regional Electricity Grid Supplying a Dense Urban Demand, Applied Energy, 183 (1), 299-317.
- Kocaman, A.S., Abad, C., Troy, T., Huh, W.T., Modi, V. (2016). A Stochastic Model for a Macroscale Hybrid Renewable Energy System. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 54 (1), 688-703.
- Demierre, J., Bazilian, M., Carbajal, J., Sherpa, S., Modi, V. (2015). Potential for Regional Use of East Africa’s Natural Gas. Applied Energy, 143 (1), 414-436.