Picture of me by a CTD on Lake Ontario

Hi there!

Welcome! I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Davidson School of Chemical Engineering at Purdue University under the advice of Prof. Can Li . I used to be a Buckeye! I received a Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The Ohio State University, advised by Prof. Antonio Conejo in 2022.
I am passionate about developing analytic and algorithmic tools to analyze and mitigate modern power grids' challenges by blending concepts and techniques from mathematical optimization and machine learning. My research focuses on the planning and operation of energy and power systems. I am interested in working with large-scale and stochastic optimization problems, complementarity models, and machine learning algorithms.
For more information about me, please view my CV here. Always happy to chat, so please feel free to reach out via Twitter or email.

News

  • Aug. 13, 2023: Accepted! Our paper G. E. Constante-Flores, Antonio J. Conejo, and Feng Qiu, "Daily Scheduling of Generating Units with Natural-Gas Market Constraints" has been accepted for publication in the European Journal of Operational Research.
  • Jul. 17, 2023: I will be presenting our work in "Security-Constrained Unit Commitment: A Decomposition Approach Embodying Kron Reduction" at the International Conference in Stochastic Programming in Davis, CA.
  • Jun. 8, 2023: Accepted! Our paper G. E. Constante-Flores and Antonio J. Conejo, "Security-Constrained Unit Commitment: A Decomposition Approach Embodying Kron Reduction" has been accepted for publication in the European Journal of Operational Research.
  • Dec. 7, 2022: I will be joining the group of Prof. Can li at Purdue University in January 2023 as a postdoctoral researcher.
  • Nov. 15, 2022: I passed my Ph.D. oral exam!
  • Oct. 14, 2021: Accepted! Our paper: G. Constante-Flores, A. Conejo, J.K. Wang, “Stealthy Monitoring Control Attacks to Disrupt PowerSystem Operations” has been accepted for publication in Electric Power Systems Research.
  • Oct. 10, 2021: Accepted! Our paper: G. Constante-Flores, A. Conejo, Feng Qiu, “AC Network-Constrained Unit Commitment via Relaxation and Decomposition” has been accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Power Systems.
  • Oct. 7, 2021: I passed my Ph.D. candidacy exam!
  • Jun. 15, 2021: Accepted! Our paper: G. Constante-Flores, A. Conejo, Feng Qiu, “AC Network-Constrained Unit Commitment via Conic Relaxation and Convex Programming” has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems.
  • Mar. 9, 2019: Accepted! Our paper: G. Constante, J. Abillama, M. Illindala, and J.K. Wang, “Conservation Voltage Reduction of Networked Microgrids” has been accepted for publication in IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution.
  • Jan. 28, 2019: Submitted. We submitted our revised paper: G. E. Constante, J. Abillama, M. Illindala, and J.K. Wang, “Conservation Voltage Reduction of Networked Microgrids”.
  • Sep. 7, 2018: Presented our paper: G. E. Constante, and Jiankang Wang, “Hierarchical Mechanism of Voltage Instability with Active Distribution Networks” at 2018 Clemson University Power Conference.
  • Aug. 23, 2018: Accepted! Our paper: G. E. Constante and M. S. Illindala, “Data-Driven Probabilistic Power Flow Analysis for a Distribution System With Renewable Energy Sources Using Monte Carlo Simulation” has been accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications.
  • Aug. 21, 2018: I started my Ph.D. in ECE at OSU!
  • Jul. 13, 2018: Successfully passed my Master’s oral examination!
  • Jun. 15, 2018: Presented the paper: Ziran Gao, Danielle Meyer, Jiankang Wang, “Visualizing the Impact of PEV Charging on the Power Grid” at ITEC 2018.

Research Interests

My research interests lie in the intersection of optimization and control of power systems, data-driven planning and operation of sustainable energy systems, cyber-physical security for the future power grid, and integration of renewable energy and electric vehicles into electric power systems.

  • Large-scale and stochastic optimization
  • Sustainable electric power systems
  • Machine learning for optimization
  • Data-driven planning and operation of sustainable energy systems

Publications

For papers listed by citation count, see my Google Scholar page

Journals

About me

I grew up in a small city surrounded by mountains and active volcanoes (above 15,000 feet) in Ecuador. My home country is the land of the Chimborazo volcano, the highest point from Earth's center, and the Galapagos Islands, which were visited by Charles Darwin in 1835 and served as important evidence for his Theory of Natural Selection.
I moved to Quito, Ecuador's capital, to attend college and received a degree in Electrical Engineering from Escuela Politécnica Nacional (EPN) in 2014. When I was in college, the engineering program lasted more than 5 years. On a positive note, higher education in Ecuador is completely free (no tuition and fees)! I worked for the Department of Electrical Energy at EPN for two years as an undergraduate instructor teaching courses and laboratory practices in the power engineering program. Those two years were instrumental in discovering my passion for teaching and academia!
In 2016, I moved to the Midwest to pursue my M.Sc. degree at THE Ohio State University (OSU) as a Fulbright Scholar and continued pursuing my Ph.D. degree at OSU until 2022, when I graduated. Despite missing my family and friends, the food, and the mountains (I really miss the smell of Eucalyptus!) that were part of my childhood and adolescence, I stayed in the Midwest and moved to Purdue University to work as a Postdoctoral Researcher. I deeply believe in the need for humans to make decisions for the greater good. I hope that with my research, teaching, and mentoring, I can make the world a better place. I am convinced that education is one of the most powerful tools for empowerment and social change.
In another life, I used to practice karate do and compete at national tournaments and once as part of the national team in a Panamerican championship. Beyond the overall health benefits, I used to love how karate strengthened my mind and helped me develop a clearer thought process under stressful situations while learning self-control and integrity. In a less disciplined manner, I used to play table tennis a lot when I was in high school.

Contact me

Feel free to reach out via email at geconsta@purdue.edu or on Twitter at @gconstantef