Directory
Photo for Harikrishna Rao Mohan Rao

Harikrishna Rao Mohan Rao, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholars, Faculty of Engineering - Electrical & Computer Engineering Dept

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Contact Overview Announcements

Contact

Postdoctoral Scholars, Faculty of Engineering - Electrical & Computer Engineering Dept
Email
mohanrao@ualberta.ca

Overview

Area of Study / Keywords

Advanced Alarm Systems Industrial Alarm Monitoring Process Diagnostics Data Analytics Decision Support Systems

About

Harikrishna Rao (Hari) is a postdoctoral scholar at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and is affiliated with the Advanced Alarm Management and Design Research Group. He received his Ph.D. in Control Systems from the University of Alberta, under the supervision of Dr. Tongwen Chen and the mentorship of Dr. Sirish L. Shah. His Ph.D. thesis, titled "Toward Next-Generation Alarm Systems: Data-Driven Alarm Analytics for Process Industries", earned him the George Walker Award for the Best Doctoral Thesis (Spring 2026) and a nomination for the Governor General's Gold Medal for outstanding academic excellence. His research focuses on developing advanced data-driven solutions to improve industrial alarm systems by developing reliable decision-support systems that enhance operations and reduce operator workload in the process industries. He holds a B.Tech degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kerala, where he was awarded the Proficiency Prize for the Best Outgoing Student. Hari joined the graduate program at the University of Alberta with 7+ years of industrial experience in process control and automation, alarm management, and fault detection. He holds two patent-approved invention disclosures classified as trade secrets in the field of early detection and prediction (online implementation) of abnormality and component failures using process data. He is a professional member of the International Society of Automation.

Outside work, he enjoys tennis (Roger Federer fan forever! 🙌), ice hockey (Let's go Oilers!), architecture, public transit systems, exploring Edmonton's vast river valley, and discovering hidden gems in the city!

Quote of the month (May 2026): "Data does not give you control over the world. It gives you a better relationship with uncertainty." - an original reflection.

Research

Research Interests: His research interests fall under the broader area of Process Intelligence in industries, including 

  • Industrial Alarm Systems, 
  • Process Control, Monitoring, and Diagnostics
  • Decision Support Systems
  • Visual and Data Analytics
  • Scalable Real-time Implementation of the above.

Google Scholar Profile

Refereed Publications: 

Select Recognitions

  • George Walker Award for the Best Doctoral Thesis, Spring 2026 (Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta): Research
  • Nominated for the Governor General's Gold Medal, Spring 2026: Outstanding Academic Excellence
  • 2025 Leonard E. Gads Graduate Student Teaching Assistant Award (Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta): Teaching
  • 2025 Graduate Student Teaching Award (Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Alberta): Teaching
  • 2025 Graduate Student Service Award (Graduate Students' Association, University of Alberta): Leadership, Community Service, Research, and Teaching
  • 2024 ISA Student Volunteer of the Year Award (Celebrating Global Excellence Award, International Society of Automation): Leadership
  • 2024 Graduate Student Teaching Award (Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Alberta): Teaching
  • 2023 IEEE Systems Council James O. Gray Graduate Scholarship: Research and Academics
  • Bob Connell Scholarship for 2023-2024 by the International Society of Automation (ISA) Edmonton section: Leadership, Volunteering
  • J Gordin Kaplan Graduate Student Award, 2023 (Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Alberta): Research
  • Reviewer's Choice Award for the Best Abstract at the Prairie Advanced Manufacturing Meeting (PAMM) 2025, Edmonton, Canada: Research
  • Named inventor in the Invention Disclosure, designated as a patent-approved Trade Secret (2019, Bloom Energy Patent Review Board): Invention/Research
  • Named inventor in the Invention Disclosure, designated as a patent-approved Trade Secret (2018, Bloom Energy Patent Review Board): Invention/Research
  • 2012 Chancellor's Leadership Medal and Proficiency Prize for the Best Outgoing Student (University of Kerala): Academics, Leadership, Community Engagement

Invited Talks and Speaking Engagements

  • Data-driven alarm management tools in the era of digital transformation | 2025 Automation Expo and Conference | Edmonton, AB | Apr. 2025 | International Society of Automation (ISA) Edmonton Section. 
  • Intelligent alarm management toolbox developed at the University of Alberta | Workshop on Intelligent Alarm Management Techniques and Applications | Toronto, ON | Jul. 2025 | 12th IFAC Symposium on Advanced Control of Chemical Processes (ADCHEM 2024).
  • Advanced alarm management tools developed at the University of Alberta | 2024 ISA Calgary Show | Calgary, AB | Jun. 2024 | International Society of Automation (ISA) Calgary Section
  • MATLAB-based alarm management tools developed at the University of Alberta | AI and Predictive Maintenance in Chemical Engineering Webinar Series | Mar. 2025 | Mathworks Inc.
  • Alarm Management Toolbox (AMtool): An overview | Invited Talk with Dr. Sirish Shah | Mumbai, India | Jan. 2024 | Centre of Excellence in Oil, Gas, and Energy, IIT Bombay
  • Towards intelligent monitoring of industrial systems using the UofA's Alarm Management Toolbox (AMtool) | Automated Futures Symposium | Edmonton, AB | Sep. 2023 | Autonomous Systems Initiative
  • Intelligent Alarm Management Toolbox (AMtool) developed at the University of Alberta | Workshop on Data Analytics, Causality Inference, and Deep Learning Techniques for Intelligent Alarm Monitoring | Yokohama, Japan | Jul. 2023 | 22nd IFAC World Congress
  • Alarm Management Toolbox (AMtool): An overview (with Dr. Tongwen Chen) | Data-Driven Smart Systems (DDSS) International Workshop | Hiroshima, Japan | Jul. 2023 | Digital Manufacturing Education Research Centre, Hiroshima University.
  • Advances in the alarm management tools developed at the University of Alberta | 2023 Automation Expo and Conference | Edmonton, AB | Apr. 2023 | ISA Edmonton Section
  • Advances in the alarm management tools developed at the University of Alberta  | Process Management & Control Special Interest Group Webinar | Oct. 2022 | Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)
  • Guest of honour, 2024 ISA Automation Summit and Expo | Oct. 2024 |  Charleston, NC, USA | International Society of Automation
  • Invited attendee (one of the two students globally selected and sponsored) | 2023 ISA Automation Leadership Conference (now ASE) | Colorado Springs, CO, USA | International Society of Automation

Academic and Professional Services

  • Reviewer (Journals): Control Engineering Practice, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, Computers and Chemical Engineering, Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries
  • Reviewer  (Conferences): IFAC WC (2026), IFAC J3C2025,  IEEE ONCON (2024), IFAC ADCHEM (2024),  IEEE IECON (2023), IFAC AdCONIP (2022), 
  • Professional Member - International Society of Automation (2026 - present)
  • Program Committee Member - Young Professionals and Career Skills Track, ISA Automation Summit and Expo 2025.
  • Board Member, ISA Edmonton Section (2023 - 2025)
  • Member, Student Guardian Committee, ISA (July 2023 - 2025)
  • Co-facilitator, Certificate in Global Climate Change Leadership (2025) and Global Climate Change Simulation (2024), organized by the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU).
  • Student Organizer, Workshop on Analytics Tools for Alarm Systems Design and Rationalization, University of Alberta (2022)

Students Mentored (Degree, Years)

  • Yifei Tao (PhD in Control Systems, 2024 - Present): Industrial projects
  • Felipe Goncalves (MSc ECE, 2024 - 2025): Research/Thesis
  • Yashar Rahimi (MSc ECE, 2023 - 2025): Research/Thesis
  • Gaurang Bhana (BSc Computer Science, 2026): NSERC USRA
  • Alena Yu (BSc ECE, 2024 - 2026): Dean's Research Awards (x3) and NSERC USRA

University and Community Services

  • Past-president (Executive), University of Alberta Student Chapter of International Society of Automation (ISA) Edmonton Section (2025-2026)
  • President, University of Alberta Student Chapter of International Society of Automation (ISA) Edmonton Section (2023-2025)
  • Graduate Panel Member, University Appeal Board, UAB (2022-2025)
  • Graduate Student Member, UofA Student Experience Action Plan Support Team (2023-2025)
  • Student Library Advisory Committee (2020-2025)
  • International Students Advisory Committee (2020-2023)
  • Office of the Registrar's Student Advisory Committee (2022-2024)
  • Dean of Students Advisory Committee (2020-2021, 2023-2024)
  • Invited panelist, UAlberta International - Global Learning EDI, Jan. 2024.
  • Invited panelist on Teaching in the Canadian Classroom (GTLP Level-1), organized by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Alberta, Aug. 2024.
  • Invited panelist, International Student Mental Health Panel, organized by Wellness Supports and the International Students' Association (UAlberta), Jan 2023.
  • Vice President- Academic Affairs, University of Alberta International Students' Association (2021-2022)
  • Director -Student Engagement, University of Alberta International Students' Association (2020-2021)
  • Member of the award-winning Hybrid Delivery Project Team at the Faculty of Engineering (Fall 2021)
  • Judge, Edmonton Regional Science Fair (2024).
  • Delegate from the University of Alberta at the Healthy Campus Alberta Wellness Summit 2023 (nominated by the Dean of Students)


Teaching

Hari has served as a Teaching Assistant for the following courses:

  • Lead Teaching Assistant: ENGG 160 Introduction to Engineering Design, Communication, and Profession - Winter 2024
  • ECE 460 Control Systems II - Winter 2024
  • ECE 209 Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering (Lab) - Fall 2023, Fall 2022, Spring/Summer 2021, Winter 2021
  • ENGG 160 Introduction to Engineering Design, Communication, and Profession - Winter 2023, Winter 2022 (Control System Architecture Design)
  • ECE 360 Control Systems I - Fall 2021

He also worked as a Research Assistant at the Institute of Intersectional Studies at the University of Alberta for Fall 2024/Winter 2025, under the supervision of Dr. Janice Miller-Young, Faculty of Engineering (Project Sponsor: Dr. Ivan Fair, Vice Dean, Faculty of Engineering).

Announcements

Online features and other contributions and engagements:

Useful Links for students and community members

(This webpage was last updated on May 07, 2026)