Insights

Kristian Sevdari, Ph.D.

SUSALB Founder and General Director

Kristian Sevdari received the B.Sc degree in electrical engineering from the Polytechnic University of Tirana in June 2016, the M.Sc degree in electrical engineering from UiT Norges arktiske universitet in June 2020 and the Ph.D. degree from the Technical University of Denmark-DTU in February 2024. Since 2020 he has been working with the Technical University of Denmark-DTU, Denmark, where he is currently a Postdoctoral researcher. He is supervising Ph.D. and master students and has a leading role in national and European research projects.

His research interests include power system dynamics, renewable energy and electric vehicle grid integration, as well as providing grid services from distributed energy resources. In addition, he is the founder of IEEE REST (Renewable Energy and Smart Technologies) conferences, member and task leader for the IEEE PES Task Force on electric vehicle grid integration and member of IEA Task 53 – Interoperability of Bidirectional Charging (INBID).

Adhurim Haxhimusa, Ph.D.

SUSALB Founder and Board member

Adhurim Haxhimusa started his position as a Scientific Project Manager at the Center for Economic Policy Research (ZWF) on September 1. From 2013 to 2019, he worked as a research associate at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Vienna), where he completed his PhD in Economic and Social Sciences with a dissertation titled ‘Regulation of Network Industries’ in 2017. His research focuses on the econometric analysis of energy and climate policy developments in the EU. The main topics of his work include electricity price developments, generation mix, decarbonization, integration of renewable energies, carbon pricing, market integration, energy and climate policy.

Alban Kuriqi, Ph.D.

SUSALB Founder and Board member

Alban Kuriqi is a distinguished researcher and academic specializing in Civil Engineering with a focus on Renewable Energy and Water Management. He earned his Ph.D. in River Restoration and Management from the University of Lisbon in 2021, where he developed an innovative methodology for optimizing small hydropower plant energy output while reducing ecological disturbances. He also holds a five-year integrated diploma in Civil/Hydrotechnical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Tirana and an M.Sc. in Civil Engineering, specializing in Water Resources and Hydraulics, from Epoka University and Grenoble Institute of Technology. His interdisciplinary research interests encompass renewable energy (especially hydropower and its complementarities), river restoration, e-flows, flood and drought management, climate adaptation, fluvial hydraulics, sediment transport, and the use of artificial intelligence in water resources engineering. His work has been recognized through several awards, including his ranking among the World’s Top 2% Scientists in Civil Engineering and Environmental Science by Stanford University for multiple consecutive years.

Fitim Kryezi , Msc

SUSALB Founder and Board member

Fitim Kryezi is Senior Lead of the electrical design: North Sea Energy Island at Energinet the Danish TSO. He holds a Master of Engineering (MEng) in Electrical Power Systems and High Voltage Engineering from Aalborg University back in 2015. Employed at Energinet since 2015 manly involved in HVDC project both as technical lead and Project Manager. Chairman of the The project “MULTI-DC: Innovative Methods and Optimal Operation of Multiple HVDC Connections and Grids” (MultiDC), an international program were 3 universities, 2 TSO and Hitachi collaboration. Has worked with Energy Islands for 5 years has part of the team who started the North Sea Wind Power Hub Consortium (NSWPH). Currently has the overall responsibility of developing the electrical design: North Sea Energy Island as Senior Project Manager.

Valbona Karapici, Ph.D.

Researcher and Project Manager at SUSALB

Valbona Karapici completed her master’s degree at the University of Bologna with a thesis titled “Modeling and Forecasting Prices in the Electricity Market in Italy,” achieving top results  and her Ph.D. at the University of Bamberg, Germany. Her dissertation topic was: “Opportunities for Electricity Exchange in the Countries of the Southeastern Europe Region: The Case of an Integrated Market.” Her research primarily focuses on the analysis of the electricity market, liberalization, and the benefits of creating an integrated market in the region. She is the author of articles on the electricity market as well as on macroeconomic and financial topics. Since 2006, she has been a lecturer at the University of Tirana – Faculty of Economics, teaching Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Introduction to Economics at the undergraduate level.

Ersi Ago, Msc

Researcher and Power System Engineer at SUSALB

Ersi Ago is an experienced power systems engineer from Vestas, SHELL and recently RH Marine. His focus is modeling and developing electrical power system models, resolving complex challenges in environments such as MATLAB, PSS/E Siemens, DigSilent, PSCAD, and ETAP. Ersi specializes in power system planning and control, grid integration, grid compliance, power quality, protection systems, and network regulation. His expertise extends to renewable energy integration, artificial intelligence (AI), maritime ,machine learning, and big data applications, working alongside some of the biggest players in power production and integration globally. He focuses on optimizing AC and DC grid connections, ensuring dynamic system stability, and improving power electronics control under normal and fault conditions.

Bajram Ilazi, Msc

Researcher and Leading Engineer at SUSALB

Bajram Ilazi is a persistent entrepreneur focused on ambitious goals that aim to solve problems and contribute the humanity.
Business professional with extensive experience in home and building automation, industrial automation, and energy efficiency. Proven track record in managing startups, leading engineering teams, and driving growth through strategic planning and operational excellence.