Engineer Bridges Continents: Leveraging U.S. Research and Global Operational experience to build exportable digital twin frameworks for Energy Resilience – Samuel Lavoe writes

The true turning point in Selasi A. Aikins’s career didn’t happen in a classroom; it happened in the dark. For years, Selasi worked as an engineer at Twin City Energy, an American-owned power producer in Ghana, mastering the complex maintenance of GE combined-cycle gas turbines. He was responsible for high-stakes work, overseeing crucial Major Inspections and Overhauling that maintained plant availability.

Yet, after leaving the highly reliable plant floor, he often went home to areas plagued by unstable power sometimes even darkness.

“Managing a plant that kept a third of the country powered, only to go home and see the reality of power deficits, created a deep, personal commitment. I realized the core challenge wasn’t just generating power; it was ensuring its unwavering reliability.”

This stark contrast fueled his initiative, driving him to find solutions that transcended traditional, reactive maintenance cycles.

Expertise Forged at Temple University

This passion led Selasi to the U.S. and Temple University, where he is dedicated to merging his operational insight with advanced predictive science. His focus became the Digital Twin, a virtual system that could prevent mechanical failures before they impacted communities.

His academic journey itself demonstrates a remarkable dedication to acquiring the technical mastery necessary for this field. Returning to the rigorous classroom environment at Temple University after nearly six years in high-stakes industrial operations was a significant challenge, demonstrating a rare blend of determination and dedication to mastering complex theoretical skills.

Selasi Agbale Aikins

Selasi mastered the precise tools needed for this endeavor:

This academic rigor translated directly into influential published research:

Setting the Standard: Credentials that Drive Global Reliability

Selasi’s commitment to reliability extends through his comprehensive professional affiliations. He is a Senior Member of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), a standing that recognizes his distinguished contributions to energy efficiency and sustainability.

His active memberships in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and the Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP) confirm his dedication to advancing the technical and management practices that ensure operational excellence worldwide. This engagement with leading international bodies guarantees that the frameworks he develops are rooted in the highest industry standards for reliability and performance. His academic excellence and capacity for influence were also recognized by his NSLS Presidential Nomination.

The Global Commitment: Scaling Solutions for Export

Selasi is now launching his energy consulting firm, choosing the U.S. not as an endpoint, but as the essential validation environment. The goal is clear: to develop frameworks robust enough for the complexity of the U.S. grid, making them inherently scalable and export-ready for any market.

This effort is designed to deliver immediate benefits to the U.S. by accelerating grid resilience and supporting the decarbonization roadmap.

His primary mission is to ensure that the cutting-edge frameworks developed by his firm from Digital Twin modeling to AI-driven diagnostics remain robust, scalable, and adaptable for international implementation. By establishing this center of expertise and actively committing to training and mentoring the next generation of engineers and technicians, Selasi will secure the institutional knowledge necessary to drive and sustain global energy stability and efficiency. His contributions guarantee that innovative power generation technology wherever it is deployed meets the highest standards of reliability and sustainability for communities worldwide.