Biography
James Adeche Momoh, a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science with Howard University, USA was inaugurated Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on May 3, 2018. The Senate had before the inauguration confirmed his nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari. As Chairman/CEO of NERC he is responsible for providing and executing regulations/policy for the privatized power sector for a safe and efficient electricity market in Nigeria. James Momoh joined the elite and prestigious group of the National and International peers of engineers with distinguished innovations and contribution to engineering with his election into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) was in recognition of his development of the Electric Grid Optimization Technique, Implementation of Advanced Technology, and Policy for Engineering Electric Grids in Africa.
A native of Igarra, Edo State, James Momoh graduated with a BSc Engineering and was top of his class. In 1976 he got the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Full Scholarship Award to study for his Masters in Electrical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, and went on to obtain his Ph.D. at Howard University. An academic of no mean accomplishments, James Momoh is a recipient of several awards including the coveted US Presidential Award, Best Teacher Award from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Excellence Award from the US Senate Energy Committee for developing fast computational tools for addressing Pacific West Power System Stability Problems. He is also a recipient of four (4) US patents his innovative research and works. Momoh has been honored with the Outstanding Scholarship Awards at Howard University Faculty Senate. As part of the testimonies of his outstanding scholarly imprint, he has published nine textbooks on the modern power system and over 300 published journal articles. His research and academic work span numerous aspects of power systems, communication, and computer engineering. Besides his exemplary academic career, Momoh has distinguished himself as an administrator and manager of resources. He was the Site Director of Power Systems Engineering Research Centre (PSERC) and Programme Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) where he developed a national initiative for designing Electric Power Network Efficiency and Security (EPNES) between NSF and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) which funded over Forty (40) universities in the US across different disciplines. He demonstrated his passion for linking the gown with the town through many of his research initiatives and collaborative efforts. He also developed STEM programs to motivate high school and university students in the areas of innovation and creativity.
He has attended many professional and developmental courses in Artificial Intelligence, Regulations, Advance Power Systems, Renewable Energy ad Policy Studies at MIT, IBM, and Havard University. He is a recipient of over 30 fellowships, honors and awards including Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE); Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow of the Nigeria Academy of Engineering (FAEng) and Fellow of the Academy of Science (FAS), and recently membership into the 2020 class of NAE with numerous awards and membership of professional associations and societies.