Joel Mugyenyi

Led collaborative projects with government agencies to identify grid challenges and partnered with private-sector actors to scale decentralized renewable energy (DRE) solutions.

Designed and executed household surveys, including instrument development, sampling strategy, and field deployment.

Developed and applied predictive models (machine learning and econometrics) to analyze electricity consumption behavior, tariff effects, and affordability.

Constructed geospatially informed energy access scenarios using utility data, survey data, and national infrastructure layers to guide grid expansion planning.

Engaged with utilities, policymakers, and development organizations to co-develop actionable tools that inform investment and planning decisions.

Co-authored peer-reviewed articles and policy briefs that influence clean energy policy and investment strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Analyzed household survey data to estimate electricity demand profiles and assess financial capacity for sustained electricity use.

Evaluated existing and potential mini-grid sites by identifying viable anchor loads, productive use opportunities, and community energy needs.

Refactored survey instruments to better capture household socio-economic characteristics and productive activity potential.

Designed strategies to strengthen productive use of electricity, focusing on applications that enhance rural livelihoods and ensure mini-grid viability.

Participated in interdisciplinary professional development workshops and seminars focused on global energy systems, decarbonization, and climate policy.

Engaged in networking events with energy sector leaders, policy experts, and fellows across academia, government, and industry to foster impactful careers in energy and climate.

Contributed to research discussions and roundtables on energy access, grid modernization, and clean energy transitions in emerging markets.

Collaborated with fellows and CGEP staff on energy policy briefings and knowledge-sharing initiatives, translating research insights into actionable recommendations.

Supported the planning and execution of fellow-led events to promote dialogue on equitable energy transitions and just development pathways.

Developed a Natural Language Processing (NLP) model to analyze historical maintenance and incident reports, enabling automated identification of root causes behind grid unreliability and system failures.

Built a classification pipeline to detect patterns indicative of electricity theft and other forms of non-technical losses using utility customer data and anomaly detection techniques.

Quantified the financial and operational impact of electricity outages by integrating geospatial outage records with consumption and revenue data, providing actionable insights for loss reduction and infrastructure investment.

Collaborated with engineers and utility data teams to validate model outputs and inform improvements in network monitoring, fraud detection, and service reliability planning.

Designed and deployed APIs to disseminate research data outputs—such as electricity demand forecasts and geospatial analytics—to global partners and stakeholders.

Spearheaded utility engagement efforts across Sub-Saharan Africa, leading data access negotiations, initiating data-sharing agreements, and coordinating follow-ups to finalize partnerships.

Led the design and implementation of small-scale irrigation surveys targeting smallholder farmers, supporting data-driven planning for productive use of electricity.

Conducted quantitative analysis to estimate electricity demand under both off-grid and grid-connected scenarios, informing integrated energy and agricultural planning.

Co-led the development of smallholder farmer irrigation pilot projects, working with field teams, local governments, and development partners to assess technical and economic feasibility.

Oversaw logistical and administrative coordination with key stakeholders—including funders, government agencies, and research collaborators—to ensure smooth project execution.

Directed the organization’s Internship Initiative, matching graduate students with practical energy sector opportunities and expanding the program’s reach and impact.

Led the design and implementation of smart metering strategies to enhance operational efficiency and customer engagement across PowerGen's mini-grid portfolio.

Assessed the functionality, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of emerging smart metering technologies, selecting optimal solutions for deployment at new and existing sites.

Monitored and maintained smart metering platforms, ensuring data reliability, system performance, and integration with billing and customer support tools.

Coordinated field testing and data collection efforts for productive use of energy (PUE) initiatives, working closely with customers, technicians, and monitoring teams.

Analyzed household electricity consumption patterns using high-resolution usage data to identify behavioral trends and recommend targeted interventions to improve energy use and customer satisfaction.

Applied the STEMM (Stochastic Techno-Economic Microgrid Model) framework to evaluate the financial viability of mini-grid projects, incorporating demand projections, technology costs, and revenue forecasts.

Conducted technical and operational assessments of innovative off-grid technologies, including their compatibility with mini-grid infrastructure, to inform R&D strategy and product integration.

Collaborated with cross-functional teams (engineering, operations, customer success) to iterate on metering solutions and align technical deployments with business and impact objectives.

Monitored the performance and operation of ten 18 MW hydroelectric turbines, ensuring optimal energy generation, system efficiency, and compliance with safety standards.

Conducted routine preventive maintenance and corrective interventions on mechanical and electrical systems, including turbines, generators, cooling systems, penstocks, gates, and auxiliary equipment.

Diagnosed equipment failures and implemented timely repairs to minimize downtime, collaborating closely with instrumentation teams during outages and inspections.

Assisted in drafting and updating standard operating procedures (SOPs), maintenance logs, and equipment service reports to support reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) strategies.

Participated in major equipment overhauls, including dismantling, inspection, and reassembly of turbine runners, bearings, and hydraulic control systems.

Supported safety audits and implemented plant safety measures, ensuring strict adherence to occupational health and safety protocols during maintenance activities.

2022 - Present: PhD in Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University

2017 - 2018: MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

2012 - 2016: BS in Electrical Engineering, Makerere University

Python (pandas, geopandas, scikit-learn, statsmodels, NumPy, Matplotlib, seaborn)

R (for econometrics and statistical analysis)

Machine Learning: Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), supervised learning, spatial prediction

Data cleaning, feature engineering, and model evaluation

Jupyter Notebooks, Git/GitHub

QGIS for spatial data analysis and visualization

GeoPandas for spatial data manipulation in Python

Satellite imagery analysis and prediction modeling

Raster and vector data processing

API development using AWS (Lambda, API Gateway, EC2, S3)

Cloud-based data pipeline design and deployment

RESTful API integration

DIGSILENT PowerFactory for load flow and power system simulation

Energy access modeling and grid planning

Tariff structure analysis and consumption modeling

Regression analysis: OLS, Fixed Effects, Instrumental Variables

Panel and time-series econometrics

Monte Carlo simulation and uncertainty quantification

Causal inference techniques; Instrumental Variables, Difference-in-Differences, Propensity Score Matching, Control Function Approach

Predicting levels of household electricity consumption in low-access settings
WACV 2022 open access
Simone Fobi, Joel Mugyenyi, Nathaniel J. Williams, Vijay Modi, Jay Taneja

Post-connection electricity demand and pricing in newly electrified households: Insights from a large-scale dataset in Rwanda
Elsevier - Energy Policy
Joel Mugyenyi, Bob Muhwezi, Simone Fobi, Civian Massa, Jay Taneja, Nathaniel J. Williams, Vijay Modi

Electricity Consumption: The Role of Grid Reliability in Appliance Ownership and Usage in Rwanda (Under Review)
Elsevier - Energy Economics
Joel Mugyenyi, Gabriel Gonzalez Sutil, and Vijay Modi

10 years after: Long-term adoption of electricity in rural Rwanda
*USAEE Working Paper *
Lise Masselus, Jörg Ankel-Peters, Gabriel Gonzalez Sutil, Vijay Modi, Joel Mugyenyi, Anicet Munyehirwe, Nathan Williams, and Maximiliane Sievert

Natural Language Processing Reveals Core Issues in Uganda's Power Grid: A Study of Outages from 2015-2022
2024 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC)
Joel Mugyenyi, Isaac V. Kinhonhi, Vijay Modi

Electricity Outages in Uganda: Causes, Trends and Regional Disparities
2024 IEEE PES/IAS PowerAfrica
Joel Mugyenyi, Isaac V. Kinhonhi, Vijay Modi

Smart Metering Technologies for mini-grids in Africa: An Overview
2021 IEEE PES/IAS PowerAfrica
Joel Mugyenyi, Edwin Mugume, Nathaniel J. Williams, Jeff Kimani, Kieran Campbell, Ekemezie Uche, Jane Dougherty