Smart Energy Systems & Optimization Lab (SESO Lab)

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We advance intelligent, low-carbon energy systems by fusing modeling and optimization with power electronics, smart grids, and embedded/edge computing. Our work targets real-world impact—from resilient microgrids and blockchain-enabled energy markets to next-generation fuel cells and high-efficiency PV systems.

What We Do

Smart grids & microgrids: stability, control, optimal power flow, N-1 contingency planning, and distributed generation placement.

Optimization & AI for power systems: fractional-order swarms, hybrid metaheuristics, robust control, and learning-based dispatch.

Power electronics & energy interfaces: multilevel inverters, DC microgrids, drives, and stabilization of constant-power loads.

Renewables & materials: perovskite/PV modeling, SOFC cathodes and interconnects, and very-low-energy buildings.

Embedded/edge & security: TinyML at the edge, FPGA/SoC acceleration, and blockchain smart contracts for energy transactions.

Current & Recent Projects

Nature-inspired metaheauritic algorithms for power system optimization: solving objective functions for economic load dispatch (ELD) and optimal power flow (OPF), (2022–ongoing).
Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC): oxygen exchange kinetics and long-term cathode stability for high-performance cells (IMSIU research partnership track, 2025–2026).
Smart grids + blockchain: integrating economic load dispatch with secure smart contracts and fractional-order optimizers (IMSIU grants, 2023–2024).
PV-driven systems & drives: fuzzy-optimized solar water pumping and high-efficiency control.
Edge intelligence for IoT/IoMT: TinyML with post-quantum cryptography for secure monitoring.

Selected Publications (highlights)

Saim Saher, Affaq Qamar, Chou Yong Tan, S. Ramesh, “Pulse isotopic exchange reveals enhancedoxygen surface kinetics in Sm-doped La2NiO4+δ for solid oxide fuel cellcathodes”, in Elsevier Journal of the European Ceramic Society, vol 46, Issue 4, Apr 2026.

Impact Factor: 6.2

Umar Hayat Khan, Affaq Qamar, Rahim Khan, Fahad Alturise, Abdul Rahman Alshaabani, Salem Alkhalaf, “Secure edge-based IoMT framework for ICU monitoring with TinyML and post-quantum cryptography" in Springer Nature Scientific Reports, 15-36195, Oct 2025.

Impact Factor: 3.9

Muhammad S. Aslam, Affaq Qamar, Hazrat Bilal and Athanasios. V. Vasilakos, "Actuator–Fault–Tolerant Adaptive Tracking Control of Delayed Fuzzy Systems Using Reinforcement Learning," in IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, Sep 2025.

Impact Factor: 6.4

Babar Sattar Khan, Affaq Qamar, Abdulrhman Alshaabani, Wasiq Ali, “A novel gravitational acceleration enhanced fractional order swarming intelligence for multi-objective load dispatch problem", Elsevier Energy Reports Journal, Vol 13, pgs 6525-6547, June 2025.

Impact Factor: 5.1

Saim Saher, Affaq Qamar, Chuan Yee Tan, Subash Ramesh, and Waleed Alfraidi, “Enhanced oxygen exchange kinetics and long-term stability of a Ruddlesden–Popper phase Pr₄Ni₃O₁₀+δ cathode for solid oxide fuel cells," Journal of Materials Chemistry A, vol. 12, pp. 33766-33778, Nov 2024,

Impact Factor: 9.5

A. Alkuhayli, A. M. Noman, A. A. Al-Shamma'a, A. M. Abdurraqeeb, M. Alharbi, H. M. H. Farh, and Affaq Qamar, "Enhancing photovoltaic-powered DC shunt motor performance for water pumping through fuzzy logic optimization." MDPI Journal of Machines, 12, no. 7, Jun 2024.

Impact Factor: 2.1

Babar Sattar Khan, Affaq Qamar, Abdul Wadood, Khalid Almuhanna, and Abdullrahman A. Al-Shamma, "Integrating economic load dispatch information into the blockchain smart contracts based on fractional order swarming optimizer", Frontiers in Energy Research, vol 12, Mar 2024.

Impact Factor: 3.4

Hussein Farh, Hassan M., Abdullrahman A. Al-Shamma, Affaq Qamar, Fahman Saeed, and Abdullah M. Al-Shaalan, "Optimal Sizing and Placement of Distributed Generation under N-1 Contingency Using Hybrid Crow Search–Particle Swarm Algorithm", MDPI Sustainability 16(6), page 2380, Mar 2024.

Impact Factor: 3.9

Muhammad Noman, Ihsan Nawaz Khan, Affaq Qamar, Khalid AlSnaie, Hassan M. Hussein Farh, “Mathematical Modeling and Optimization of Highly Efficient Nontoxic All-Inorganic CsSnGeI3-Based Perovskite Solar Cells with Oxide and Kesterite Charge Transport Layers", ACS Omega, 9(10), pages 11398–11417, Feb 2024.

Impact Factor: 4.1

Akram M. Abdurraqeeb, Abdullrahman A. Al- Shamma, Abdulaziz Alkuhayli, Mohammed Alharbi, Hassan M.Hussein Farh, Faisal Alsaif, Hammed Olabisi Omotoso, Khaled E. Addoweesh, Affaq Qamar, “Stabilization of constant power loads and dynamic current sharing in DC microgrid using robust control technique", Elsevier Journal of Electric Power Systems Research, vol 230, page 110258, May 2024.

Impact Factor: 3.9

Babar Sattar, Affaq Qamar, Farman Ullah, Muhammad Bilal, “Ingenuity of Shannon entropy-based fractional order hybrid swarming strategy to solve optimal power flows", Science Direct Journal of Chaos Solitons & Fractals, Vol 170, Mar 2023.

Impact Factor: 9.922

Funding & Partnerships

We collaborate across academia and industry with support from IMSIU (Ministry of Education, KSA), Deanship of Scientific Research at IMSIU, and international partners, including funded work on SOFCs, smart grids, renewables, edge intelligence, and building energy efficiency. Prior support also includes USAID, EU FP7/ERC, and national programs.

Facilities & Tools

MATLAB/Simulink, optimization toolchains, and statistical modeling
Microcontroller prototyping
Power electronics testbeds and microgrid simulation environments
Materials/performance evaluation via partner labs for SOFC/PV research

Join Us

We welcome motivated students and collaborators in electrical engineering, power systems, optimization/AI, embedded systems, and energy materials.
Email: aaqamar@imamu.edu.sa

What We Do

Current & Recent Projects

Selected Publications (highlights)