Muhammad Akram

Biographical notes and educational qualifications

He was born in Faisalabad, Pakistan, on  January 02, 1992.

August 2010 – August 2014: Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan. CGPA: 3.64/4.00. Awarded the Brown Medal (3rd position in the Department of Mathematics).

March 2019 – March 2021: Master of Philosophy in Mathematics, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Thesis title: An Algorithm to Extrapolate the Eigenvalues of Locally Toeplitz Matrices "
Supervisor: Dr. Fayyaz Ahmad
CGPA: 3.94/4.00

From 1 December 2023: PhD in Information Technologies for Engineering, Department of Engineering (DING), University of Sannio, Benevento.

• XXXIX Cycle, Energy and Environment curriculum
• Research topic: Thermoeconomic Optimization of Renewable Energy Communities
• Tutor: Prof. Maurizio Sasso
• Funding: PNRR scholarship (Investment 3.3, “Innovative doctorates that meet the innovation needs of companies”, Ministerial Decree No. 117 of 02/03/2023), in collaboration with Koala S.R.L.S.

International research mobility

From January 2026 to July 2026, he was a Visiting Researcher (6 months) at the IRESI Center (International Research on Energy Systems Integration, Education & Environment for Sustainability and Innovation), School of Business, Maynooth University, Ireland, under the supervision of Prof. Fabiano Pallonetto. His work there covered Renewable Energy Communities, digital twins, explainable AI, and multi-objective optimization.

Other training activities

1. He participated in the IEA Annex 83 & EXCESS Summer School "Economics and Replication of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs)", Graz, Austria, 8–12 July 2024;
2. He attended the mini-course "Discrete Nonlinear Optimization – Exact Algorithms and Applications in Power Transmission/Distribution Networks" (Prof. Pietro Belotti, Politecnico di Milano), Department of Engineering, University of Sannio, 23–25 September 2024;
3. He attended the seminar "Geothermal Resources for the Energy Transition" (Prof. Daniela Blessent, Universidad de Medellín) at the University of Naples "Parthenope", 25 June 2024.

Participation in conferences

He took part in:

1. CLOE Final Conference 2026, Genoa, Italy, 16–18 September 2026. Attendee. Conference theme: “Working with Complexity: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Rural and Mountain Sustainable Development and Conservation”.
2. 118th AEIT International Annual Conference 2026, Rome, Italy, 8–10 September SME & Startup Session: “AI-Based Energy Demand Forecasting for RECs: From Research to Operations”.
3. The 21st Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES), Gran Canaria, Spain, 30 August – 3 September 2026. Oral presentation, Recursive and Adaptive Electricity Forecasting for Renewable Energy Communities Using LightGBM.
4. KEY – The Energy Transition Expo, Rimini, Italy, 4-6 March 2026, Presented work: AI-Driven Load Forecasting for Energy Optimization in Commercial Buildings
5. Enlit Europe 2025, Bilbao, Spain, 18 November 2025, Presentation on energy consumption forecasting for RECs and panel discussion on digital innovation and energy democracy.
6. 80th National ATI Congress (Congresso Nazionale ATI), University of Sannio, Benevento, Italy, 10–12 September 2025  Oral presentation: “Machine Learning-Based Energy Forecasting for Energy Management in RECs.”
7. 11th International Conference on Time Series and Forecasting (ITISE 2025), Gran Canaria, Spain, 16–18 July 2025 Oral presentation of the Loureiro (Portugal) REC forecasting study.

University assistance and teaching activities

1. He co-supervised a Master’s student of the School of Business, Maynooth University (Ireland), in the Analytics Live business capstone project (BCP) “Financial Feasibility and Investment Analysis of a Renewable Energy Community” 2025/26
2. He was an instructor of a five-day MATLAB & LaTeX workshop for postgraduate students (18–22 July 2022) and a two-day MATLAB workshop for graduate students (1–2 July 2021), National Textile University, Faisalabad;

Other activities

Scientific collaborations and participation in projects

He carries out his doctoral research in collaboration with KOALA S.R.L.S. (Benevento), developing AI-based electricity demand forecasting for Renewable Energy Communities, from research to operational deployment;
He collaborates with the IRESI Center, Maynooth University (Ireland), on forecasting, battery dispatch and energy sharing in Renewable Energy Communities;
 

Research interests

Short-term electricity demand and load forecasting; Renewable Energy Communities and community energy management; machine learning and deep learning for power and energy systems; digital twins and explainable AI; uncertainty quantification and conformal prediction; multi-objective and thermoeconomic optimization of sustainable energy systems; demand response, energy sharing and peer-to-peer trading.

Awards and recognitions

1. Brown Medal for the 3rd position in the B.Sc. in Mathematics, Government College University, Faisalabad;
2. Laptop Scheme Award for ranking in the top 5% of the BS (Hons) Mathematics class, Government College University, Faisalabad.