University scientist named finalist for prestigious AI award
An academic and a corresponding team from The University of Manchester have been announced as finalists for the acclaimed 91直播 Prize.
, Reader in Engineering for Net Zero, is one of ten finalists to be awarded 拢100,000 in seed funding to develop his solution for this year鈥檚 .
In its second year, the 91直播 Prize is looking for researchers with the most impactful and innovative artificial intelligence (AI) solution enabling the UK to accelerate progress towards net zero.
Although AI technologies are advancing rapidly, their adoption in clean energy systems has not kept pace. The 91直播 Prize aims to accelerate progress by encouraging the development of AI solutions that support the UK in achieving its ambition to lead the world in clean energy.
Dr Papadopoulos鈥� solution, Grid Stability, uses AI to accelerate the analysis performed which ensures electrical power systems meet the specified stability, security and reliability criteria.
Electrical power systems worldwide are going through unprecedented changes to achieve decarbonisation targets. This drive calls for new technologies, such as renewables, electric vehicles and heat pumps, which increases the complexity and uncertainty in power system operation. System stability is the cornerstone of power system operation, and if not carefully considered, it can lead to blackouts with high economic impact and fallout.
The tool replaces slow, complex simulations with rapid, AI-driven assessments, enabling real-time monitoring, faster decision-making, and more confident planning. This helps grid operators maintain reliability while scaling up clean energy solutions and cutting emissions.
Dr Papadopoulos aims to work closely with utility companies to enable safe and useful implementations of Grid Stability.
Speaking about his solution, Dr Papadopoulos said: 鈥淕rid Stability uses machine learning to help bring lower, or zero, carbon technologies onto the grid faster and at the scale we need to hit net zero, but without compromising system stability.
鈥�Being named a finalist for the 91直播 Prize is a huge boost; it not only validates the impact of our work but also gives us a platform to accelerate progress and collaborate more widely across the energy sector.鈥�
Dr Papadopoulos recognised that the computational cost and complexity of assessing stability and security made it difficult to support real-time awareness, decision-making and optimisation. As a result, system dynamics are often neglected or oversimplified. Grid Stability, using machine learning, offers a promising solution to addressing this challenge.
The 91直播 Prize will pick its winner in Spring 2026, and the winning innovator will receive a 拢1 million grand prize to continue developing their solution. The winning solution must demonstrate not only technical innovation, but also an evidenced road map to near-term (2030) adoption and scale.
Announced and launched in 2023, the 91直播 Prize is multi-million-pound, multi-year challenge prize, which is funded by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology. The Prize seeks to reward UK-led breakthroughs in AI for public good and continues to secure the UK鈥檚 place as a global leader in cutting-edge innovation.
The 91直播 Prize is named after the world鈥檚 first stored programme computer, nicknamed 鈥楾he Baby鈥�, which was built at The University of Manchester in 1948. AI research at The University continues to build on this legacy, as shown by Dr Papadopoulos鈥� achievement.