Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Electric Power Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2006
  • M.S., Electric Power Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 2001
  • B.S., Electrical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran, 1996
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Electrical, California, #18599
  • Licensed Private Pilot, Federal Aviation Administration, Certificate
Academic Appointments
  • Lecturer, San Jose State University, Spring 2017-2021
  • Lecturer, San Francisco State University, Spring 2013-Fall 2016
Professional Honors
  • Elected senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
  • Recipient of IEEE Certificates of Appreciation, featured speaker of the San Francisco Power and Energy Society Technical Meetings, March 16, 2009 and September 16, 2015.
  • Recipient of the Graduate Fellowship Award from the Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society (DEIS) of IEEE, October 2005; Department Scholarship Award, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, September 2002; Honorary Diploma, Undergraduate School
Professional Affiliations
  • IEEE, Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society—DEIS, 2001-current (member)
  • IEEE, Power Engineering Society—PES, 2001-current (member)
  • California Faculty Association
Languages
  • Farsi

Dr. Shahsiah specializes in electrical and electronic systems particularly energy and power systems. He has provided technical consulting services in numerous engineering and scientific areas for over seventeen years. 

Dr. Shahsiah has consulted in the areas such as electric utility substation equipment failure, transmission and distribution faults and outage analysis, large generator design reviews, utility wildland fires, environmental impacts and infrastructure hardening, and Electric Vehicle charger stations and utility infrastructures. Dr. Shahsiah has provided on-site consulting services during major events. He has investigated arc-flash events, building electrical system failures, stray voltage effects, vehicle systems, electromagnetic interference, electrical equipment safety, and reliability of SCADA and advanced metering systems. Dr. Shahsiah has provided expert witness testimony in the United States and the International Court of Arbitration.

Dr. Shahsiah's responsibilities at Exponent include conducting studies, performing research and investigating failures related to power equipment and systems in industrial and commercial power systems including medium and high voltage systems, performing passive and active lifetime and reliability and safety evaluations of electrical equipment, and failure analysis of electrical and electronic systems and components including power storage and conversion systems. Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Shahsiah worked on mathematical and experimental characterization of liquid dielectrics in high voltage devices and published an award-winning Ph.D. dissertation in that area. He has extensive experience in electric power systems including extensive knowledge of power transformers and their liquid dielectric testing, power system analysis and computer modeling, power quality, switching transients and harmonics studies, electric machines and drives, relaying and protection, Distributed Energy Resources integration and code compliance.

Dr. Shahsiah was a lecturer in the California State Universities where he taught Power Systems, and Electric Machines and Drives for nearly seven years. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses as well as an engineering education course sponsored by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) in collaboration with California State University at East Bay on the topic of Electrical Transmission and Distribution to mostly working professionals in the power industry. Dr. Shahsiah is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and a member of the California Faculty Association. He has authored more than a dozen technical publications including a book and a book chapter.