About
Julien Pestourie has been leading the EDF Innovation Lab since August 2021 and is Vice President of EDF Inc, Director of Innovation Lab. Prior to this role, Julien has held various positions at EDF since he joined in 2001, he was notably Director of the Smart Grid Department at EDF Lab in France (network development and advanced automation, quality of electricity supply and integration of new customer trends such as electric vehicles, advanced metering infrastructure, operational security, asset reliability and optimized maintenance, cybersecurity,...). He holds a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, 2001, from the Ecole Centrale Marseille. He later completed HEC's School of Management Executive Program in 2013. He has published multiple articles related to energy and power systems and has taught more than 600 hours in top engineering schools in France.
About
Olivier joined the EDF Innovation Lab in March 2021 and became the Innovation Director in March 2022, in charge of the Open-Innovation activity and managing the Energy Markets team. He brings his strong experience in economics and energy markets to help the team in developing its expertise on the electric system, deep carbonization technologies and new businesses. Prior to this role, Olivier has held various positions at EDF since he joined in 2010. He worked notably in the EDF Strategic Direction on long term challenges concerning the French electric system. Before joining the lab, he was Head of the Energy Market Analysis Team within the DOAAT, working closely with EDF Trading to hedge EDF assets in France and the Netherlands. He holds a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and graduated from the Ecole Centrale Paris.
About
Quentin Morel joined the EDF Innovation Lab in 2020 as head of the Smart Grid and Technology Program. His work focuses on the integration of renewable power plants into power grids and supporting EDF business units to accelerate the deployment of new products. Prior to this position, Quentin held various positions in France as a project manager and senior software engineer, particularly in the fields of smart grids, data & communication and renewable energy. He holds a Masters Degree in Energy and Technology Engineering from ECE Paris.
About
Sena Soysal joined the EDF Innovation Lab in 2021 as the lead of the Mobility Program. Her work focuses on various topics such as EV charging infrastructure, smart charging, AV, and micro-mobility. She also supports EDF business units to accelerate the deployment of new products and services in mobility. Before this role, Sena held various positions in Turkey and the US as a researcher and consultant, particularly in sustainable energy and mobility. She holds an M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley with a focus on smart cities and a B.S. in Civil and Industrial Engineering from Bogazici University.
About
David joined EDF Innovation Lab as Principal Net-zero Carbon Solutions Lead in October 2023 where he brings his experience in reducing EDF’s customers energy consumption.
Prior to this role, David held various positions at EDF since he joined in 2008. He was lately based at the EDF’s German research institute where he managed a European Union funded project which aimed at demonstrating innovative solutions to create energy-positive city districts. During his career David has been managing multiple projects to help EDF’s customers reduce their carbon footprint.
David holds a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Polytech Lyon in France.
About
Héloïse Pajot joined the EDF Innovation Lab in 2023 as the Digital Innovation Lead. Her work focuses on developing research activities and managing collaborations on various Digital topics such as Blockchain, Quantum Computing, Extended Reality and Web 3. She also contributes to the Open Innovation Team to accelerate the deployment of new digital products and services.
Prior to this position, Héloïse held various positions in Europe and in the US - first as a Consultant in Digital Transformation and then as a Diplomat for the Office for Science and Technology of the Embassy of France in the US. She holds a Masters Degree in Engineering and Innovation from Telecom SudParis.
About
Victor Reyes joined the EDF Innovation Lab team in July 2023 as a Smart Grid Engineer, focusing on innovative tools and algorithms that support the integration of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) into power grids. Before joining the team, Victor worked on analyzing demand flexibility and its impact on distribution grids. Additionally, he has experience in developing commercial solar projects and conducting energy and financial models. He holds an M.S. in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley, and a B.S. in Integrated Engineering with a concentration in Sustainability from the University of San Diego.
About
Adam Levey joined the EDF Innovation Lab team as an Energy Markets & Innovation Analyst focusing on how US initiatives, policies, innovations, market drivers, and trends are shaping the future of energy and decarbonization. Prior to his current position, Adam worked as a researcher and consultant on power systems and carbon capture utilization, respectively. He holds a B.S.E. degree in Chemical Engineering and Engineering Physics with a focus in Energy Policy from the University of Michigan.
About
Matthieu Bancel joined the EDF Innovation Lab team in May 2023 as an Energy Market Analyst. The core of his work focuses on leveraging in-house capacity expansion modeling capabilities to perform long-term planning studies for the power sector. Matthieu has previously worked as a strategy consultant for a global firm’s US Energy Practice, advising clients across the EV charging, battery energy storage and hydrogen spaces. He is also actively involved in the Proto Ventures project at MIT, aiming at exploring current and future commercial & research opportunities across the fusion industry sector. He holds an M.Eng. in Systems Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and a M.Sc. in Civil Engineering from ESTP Paris.
About
Christine Wiley joined the EDF Innovation Lab team in 2023 as an Energy Markets Analyst. Her work focuses on evaluating how evolving technologies and policies are shaping energy market trends and opportunities. Christine is interested in exploring innovative pathways towards a decarbonized energy system. Prior to her current position, Christine has experience as an energy analyst working with building energy management systems, and has conducted research on state-level policy implementation and decarbonization strategies for the electric power sector. She holds an M.S. in Energy Policy and Climate from Johns Hopkins University, and a B.A. in Political Science with a Minor in Environmental Systems and Society from University of California, Los Angeles.
About
Austin Stack joined the EDF Innovation Lab team as a Smart Grid Analyst. His work focuses on utility-scale asset management & operations and wholesale power generation market dynamics. Before this, he worked on topics within DER integration, load monitoring, and energy equity. Austin holds a B.S.E. degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering – Atmosphere & Energy track – from Stanford University.
About
Mehdi Badri joined the EDF Innovation Lab team in 2024 as the Cloud Technology Lead. His work focuses on designing and testing scalable cloud-based data architectures to enhance the efficiency and integration of renewable energy systems within the industrial IoT landscape.
Mehdi holds a Master of Engineering in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Science in Mathematics and Computer Science from CentraleSupélec.
About
Yvan Lazard joined the EDF Innovation Lab as a Smart Grid Analyst. His work ranges from DER integration into power grids to climate change resilience and managing the supply-demand balance with high penetration of renewables.
Prior to this position, Yvan worked as a Solar project developer in the Pacific Islands for a French Independent Power Producer (IPP). He also developed closed-loop geothermal systems with heat pumps for low carbon heating solutions.
He holds a Master’s Degree in Construction and Energy from CentraleSupélec.
About
Garance Martin joined the EDF Innovation Lab as an Open Innovation Analyst. Her work focuses on identifying emerging trends or technologies in the energy innovation landscape. She is also part of the Customer solutions team working on topics ranging from energy management in smart and autonomous homes to digital experience and use of generative AI for customers.
Prior to this role, Garance held several positions at the World Bank Group. She worked on renewable energy projects in Africa for the IFC Infrastructure Investment team based in Dakar and on relations with the EU and Western partners at the IFC Brussels office. Garance also has knowledge in market and trends analysis as she previously worked at the Strategic Direction of TF1 Group.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Business and Management from HEC Paris and a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs from Sciences Po Paris.
About
Max began his part-time role with the EDF Innovation Lab in January 2023. Drawing on his previous experience in scaling up small startups in the US market, his expertise converges at the crossroads of business and engineering. A global citizen, Max was raised in Paris and Singapore. He holds a First Class Honours in Physics (BSc) from King's College London and pursued a Master's at UC Berkeley in the Nuclear Engineering department, refining his acumen in renewable & nuclear energy generation, markets, and policies. During his tenure at Berkeley, Max contributed to lunar surface power implementation along with micro-modular nuclear reactor company, USNC tech. In parallel to his role at EDF, Max leads the U.S. operations of EX-Fusion, Japan's first laser nuclear fusion company with the goal to build the first laser-powered commercial nuclear fusion reactor.
