Lt Col Derek C. Neal, Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering
Lt Col Derek Neal is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH. He is an Instructor Pilot, KC-135R/T with over 2200 flight hours including 300 combat hours supporting various conflicts and humanitarian efforts around the globe. During his time in operations, Lt Col Neal served in various positions at the squadron, group and wing level including Chief of Tanker Plans and Exercises, Deputy Chief of Special Operations Air Refueling and Chief of the Wing Commander's Action Group. He was an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and flight instructor at USAFA where he also directed research in unmanned aerial vehicles. His research interests include power systems, microgrids, smart grids, demand-side management, remote sensor networks and powerline communication.
Education
2004 BS, Electrical Engineering, United States Air Force Academy, CO
2013 MS, Electrical Engineering, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
2024 DPhil, Engineering Science, University of Oxford, UK
Publications
D. Neal, et al., "A Techno-Economic Analysis of Communication in Islanded Microgrids," in Elsevier RSER, vol. 209, 2025.
D. C. Neal and D. J. Rogers, "Broadband Powerline Communication for Low-Voltage Microgrids," in IEEE TPD, vol. 40, no. 1 Feb. 2025, pp. 215-225.
D. C. Neal and D. J. Rogers, "Predicting Broadband Powerline Communications Performance on Microgrid Networks," 2024 IEEE SmartGridComm, Oslo, Norway, 2024, pp. 511-516.
D. Neal et al., "Demand Side Energy Management and Customer Behavioral Response in a Rural Islanded Microgrid," 2020 IEEE PES/IAS PowerAfrica, 2020, pp. 1-5
D. Neal, et al., “Integrated Energy Storage and Generation in Support of Very Isolated Data Collection,” Power Sources Conference, 2014, pp. 546-549.
P. Robinson, D. Neal, et al., “Mountain Ecosystem Sensor Array (MESA), A Mesh Sensor Network for Climate Change Research in Remote Mountainous Environments,” American Geophysical Union 46th Annual Conference, 2013.