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
Lénaïg joined the EDF Innovation Lab in January 2025 as a Smart Grid Program Manager. She brings her strong experience on electric grid activities to help the team in developing its expertise in network development and modernization, DER integration, metering and communication protocols, flexibilities and new electric uses.
Prior to this role, Lénaïg has held various positions at EDF Group in France since she joined the distribution system operator Enedis in 2014. She was notably in charge of innovative smart grid projects and partnerships.
Before joining the Lab, she led the workpackage to connect Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games venues to the grid with the best quality of electricity supply, helping the organizing commitee in reducing carbon emissions.
She holds a Master's Degree in Science and Executive Engineering from Mines Paris and a PMP certificate from the Program Management Institute
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
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
Ningyu Gao is an Energy Market Data Analyst at the EDF Innovation Lab, where he uses data analytics to solve challenges in capacity markets, ancillary services, and load growth. He also provides cross-functional data support, streamlining processes and delivering data-driven insights for the lab. Before joining EDF, Ningyu interned at Tesla and Intel, optimizing logistics algorithms, and developing price forecasting tools. He holds a B.S. in Environmental Economics and a B.A. in Data Science from UC Berkeley.
About
Gabriel Reygrobellet joined the EDF Innovation Lab team in 2024 as a Smart Grid Analyst. His work focuses on leveraging data and cloud technologies to facilitate Distributed Energy Resources integration and enhance the efficiency and reliability of power grid operations.
Prior to joining the lab, Gabriel interned at the California ISO where he worked on resource adequacy & planning, and more specifically on long-term load/generation forecasting. He holds an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University, and an M.S in Sustainable Energy Systems from CentraleSupélec.
About
I joined the EDF Innovation Lab as a Smart Grid Analyst. My 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, I worked as a Power Grid intern for EDF SEI in a French Caribbean island. I also developed an expertise in the European battery industry, as an analyst at the French Ministry of Economy. Finally, I developed knowledge of AI thanks to a research internship at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden.
I hold a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs and Energy from Mines de Paris.
About
Yucheng joined the EDF Innovation Lab as an eMobility Analyst, where he focuses on emerging trends and technologies in the electric mobility industry. His work includes projects on smart EV charging, autonomous vehicles, and fleet electrification.
Prior to this role, Yucheng conducted industry and equity research across various stages of the electric vehicle value chain at financial institutions. His analysis supported investment decisions related to simulation software startups and publicly listed LiDAR technology companies.
Yucheng holds a M.S. in Business Analytics from the University of Southern California and a B.S. in Management Science from the University of California, San Diego.
About
Ivanna joined the EDF Innovation Lab in February 2024 as Executive Assistant. Ivanna has a very international career. After studying in Japan and Korea where she Majored in International Relations and Affairs from Yonsei University in Seoul. Ivanna worked in business management and export control for several years before moving to France for family reasons. After 10 years in France and several jobs in working in luxury retail, Ivanna and her family finally moved to California end of 2023. Ivanna speaks fluently Ukrainian, Russian, English and French and has advanced level in Japanese and Korean.
About
Quentin Morel joined the EDF Innovation Lab in 2020 as head of the Smart Grid and Technology Program. His work focused on the integration of renewable power plants into power grids and supporting EDF business units to accelerate the deployment of new products. In January 2025, he co-founded Nexalis from his previous research works and is now CEO of the new spin-off. Prior to those positions, 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
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. In 2025, he joined the Nexalis team as head of Edge Computing and Data Solutions Nexalis. 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
Mehdi Badri joined the EDF Innovation Lab team in 2024 as the Cloud Technology Lead. His work focused on designing and testing scalable cloud-based data architectures to enhance the efficiency and integration of renewable energy systems within the industrial IoT landscape. In 2025, he joined the Nexalis team as head of Cloud computing.
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.
