Zhenyu (Henry) Huang

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is recognized annually throughout May. It celebrates the history, culture, contributions, and achievements of Asian and Pacific Islanders. IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) would like to spotlight Zhenyu (Henry) Huang, IEEE Fellow and Interim Deputy Associate Laboratory Director and Distinguished Fellow at Argonne National Laboratory. Henry also serves on the IEEE PES 2026 Governing Board as Member-at-Large for Emerging Technologies. Henry, a power engineer by training, wants to remind the world of the importance of energy to our society and to provide solutions to real-world problems.

Spending much of his early childhood in a small town in China without electricity, his curiosity and interest in electricity grew strong. He had to learn about how it powered things like telephones and light bulbs solely from textbooks, without actually seeing it himself. He did not have the now-considered-typical childhood of watching TV or playing video games. Through this experience, where electricity was critical yet unseen, were planted the initial seeds that led Henry down the path of learning about it, as well as mathematics, physics, circuits, and eventually the power grid. This all contributed to his choice to further his education and study electrical engineering. Once Henry started college, taking on various tasks and seeking to acquire as much knowledge as possible, it reaffirmed his fascination with engineering and the importance of electricity in everyday life.

After obtaining his Bachelor’s at Huazhong University of Science and Technology and his Ph.D. at Tsinghua University, both in electrical engineering, Henry wanted to further his knowledge and studies in power and energy and their significance in our world. Henry was on a mission to meet the growing energy demand. Coming to the United States in the early 2000s, he undertook various research projects and held roles crucial to understanding the ins and outs of power systems. His research has a strong multidisciplinary focus. Henry was a pioneer in bringing in modern high-performance computing and data science to advance the understanding of emerging power system dynamics.

Henry notes one important factor in electrical engineering that he thinks about often: the challenge of delivering reliable electricity from power plants to homes, especially how many moving parts are involved in every detail during power outages. Henry highlighted one event in particular, when he just started his career at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) – the 2003 Northeast Blackout, which left many people without power for quite some time and caused significant economic damage. This unprecedented event in modern history made it very clear to him that a more reliable power grid was essential and further solidified his 20-year career at PNNL, which continued at Argonne since 2023.

Henry highlighted that rising electrification and digitization, driven by technological advancements, will continue to increase electricity demand. He expressed that throughout his career, he has focused on the larger mission at hand: to continuously grow the output of the grid, meet societal demands, and advance quality of life and economic prosperity to create a positive energy future for everyone. He shared, “It is a time rare for sole heroic efforts in scientific and technological advancements. We need society and stakeholders to work together to advance our power grid. That’s how we can make an impact. We definitely need to bring the world together.”

Henry’s introduction to PES began through publications, specifically the IEEE Transactions, while he was in graduate school. He recognized the importance of collaboration, shared work, and bringing members of the society together through journal publications and active involvement in conferences, to ensure the research has an impact. Naturally, this realization led Henry to become a member in 2001 and actively participate in IEEE activities since then.

Henry’s involvement in PES grew as he became actively involved in various leadership roles. He currently serves on the IEEE PES 2026 Governing Board as Member-At-Large for Emerging Technologies, which aligns with his career focus of integrating multidisciplinary technologies into power systems to improve reliability and resilience. He is also Chair of the Power System Dynamic Performance Committee (PSDP) and Vice Chair of the Analytical Methods for Power System Committee (AMPS). Henry’s participation in these key committees just goes to show how involved he is in societal matters, how he strives to lead efforts on various power and energy initiatives, and how he encourages engagement throughout the PES.

In highlighting his new role as part of the IEEE PES Governing Board, as part of Argonne’s Awards and Recognition feature, he shared in an interview, “Serving on the board is a way of giving back to the society — helping to set directions and to build an even stronger platform for the next generation so they, too, can benefit in their careers.”

When asked what IEEE PES means to him, he shared, “PES has three major aspects that I appreciate. Firstly, I love sharing my knowledge with others, and secondly, learning from others. Lastly, it allows us to come together and focus our efforts.”

Henry further explains that he views PES as a window to the world for sharing work through publications and conferences, a way to learn from others, and a mechanism for bringing together groups and pursuing focused society efforts. Over more than 20 years of engagement, Henry feels he has benefited both professionally and personally, and now has a strong desire to contribute his experience and knowledge to make PES even better for others.

Throughout his career, Henry has focused on one key word: impact. While keeping that at the forefront of his mind, he has been able to develop new methods and make a difference. Looking ahead, Henry shared his goals for the future, “I hope to share my knowledge and contribute to the building of society in a meaningful way. I wish to create platforms and forums so others can participate, contribute, and advance their own critical thinking and career.”

Henry also shared advice for those entering the field: “Put yourself out there. Be brave. Open yourself up to embrace the challenges.”

He further explained that one should take risks, ask questions, and share ideas, not being afraid to step out of one’s comfort zone. Even if the ideas are not fully developed, that is okay, as this is how new knowledge is gained, and ideas are improved. Henry believes that all individuals are equal in conversation and encourages young professionals not to feel intimidated by more senior colleagues and to actively volunteer and participate. The same advice he offers his own children is to always be open to engaging and sharing your thoughts and ideas. That is how one would learn and grow!