Dr. Tim Heidel is the chief technology officer at VEIR. Previously, Dr. Heidel served as deputy chief scientist at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), where he helped lead NRECA’s research and development activities, with emphasis in the areas of electric utility data analytics and grid cybersecurity. Prior to joining NRECA, Dr. Heidel served as a program director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), where he managed a portfolio of over 75 research projects. His focus at ARPA-E included new approaches for controlling and optimizing the transmission and delivery of electric power, particularly in the context of high renewables penetrations. Earlier in his career, Dr. Heidel served as the research director for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s 2011 “Future of the Electric Grid” study. He holds SB, MEng, and PhD degrees in electrical engineering and an MS in technology and policy from MIT.