# OMICRON Electronics
**Note on the title:** "OMICRON Electronics" is not a person. The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) roster entry behind this article names Dr. [Alexander Apostolov](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexander-apostolov), a 2025 NAE electee whose affiliation is OMICRON electronics. The title is an employer-affiliation label, and this article is a biography of Apostolov, not a company profile. He has been an employee of OMICRON electronics since September 2006.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Subject | Dr. Alexander Apostolov, power-system protection engineer |
| NAE election | 2025, "for leadership in the digital transformation of protection and control in electrical power systems" [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae) |
| Current position | Principal Engineer, OMICRON electronics, Los Angeles, CA, since September 2006 [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae) • [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215) |
| Training | MS in Electrical Engineering, MS in Applied Mathematics, Ph.D., Technical University in Sofia, Bulgaria [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215) |
| Experience | 52 years in power systems protection, automation, control, and communications [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae) |
| Standards work | 25+ years on UCA 2.0 and IEC 61850; IEC TC57 working groups 10, 17, and 19; Convener of CIGRE WG B5.69 [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215) |
| Output | Five patents; more than 600 technical papers per PAC World, though a Google Scholar-linked profile lists 75 indexed works with 1,384 citations, and an h-index of 15 [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae) • [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215) |
| Book | *Digitalizing the Electric Power Grid* (2022) [3](https://www.omicronenergy.com/fileadmin/user_upload/website/magazine/OM-2502/EN/43/) |
## Identity and the naming problem
The person behind this entry is Dr. Alexander Apostolov, a power-system protection engineer and Principal Engineer for OMICRON electronics in Los Angeles, California, elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2025 [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae). The NAE citation reads "for leadership in the digital transformation of protection and control in electrical power systems" [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae).
The company connection is employment only. Apostolov joined OMICRON electronics as Principal Engineer in September 2006 and holds that role today [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215).
## Education and career path
Apostolov received an MS degree in Electrical Engineering, an MS in Applied Mathematics, and a Ph.D. from the Technical University in Sofia, Bulgaria [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215).
He joined OMICRON electronics as Principal Engineer in September 2006, where he remains after roughly 19 years [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215).
## What he is known for
Apostolov's field is protection, automation, control, and communications in electrical power systems. He has 52 years of experience in this field [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae).
His NAE-recognized contribution is leadership in the digital transformation of protection and control [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae). Concretely, that has meant more than 25 years of involvement in developing UCA 2.0 (Utility Communications Architecture) and [IEC 61850](https://www.edgepedia.org/iec-61850) [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215). OMICRON's magazine, his employer, describes him as "one of the architects of this transformation, and a functional security pioneer" [3](https://www.omicronenergy.com/fileadmin/user_upload/website/magazine/OM-2502/EN/43/).
## Standards, committees and industry reach
Apostolov's influence runs through standards bodies and professional committees:
- Member of IEC TC57 working groups 10, 17, and 19 [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215).
- Convener of CIGRE Working Group B5.69, "Experience gained and Recommendations for Implementation of Process Bus in Protection, Automation and Control Systems" [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215).
- Member of the [IEEE Power and Energy Society](https://www.edgepedia.org/ieee-power-and-energy-society)'s Power Systems Relaying and Control (PSRC) Committee, and past Chairman of the IEEE Relay Communications Subcommittee [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae) • [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215).
- IEEE Distinguished Lecturer [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215).
He is also Editor-in-Chief of PAC World [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae).
## Key publications
His most substantial single work is the 2022 book, *Digitalizing the Electric Power Grid*, which OMICRON's magazine describes as reflecting his role in shaping resilient, renewable-ready energy systems [3](https://www.omicronenergy.com/fileadmin/user_upload/website/magazine/OM-2502/EN/43/).
Beyond the book, the publication record is reported inconsistently. PAC World states he has authored and presented more than 600 technical papers and holds five patents [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae). A [Google Scholar](https://www.edgepedia.org/google-scholar)-linked profile, by contrast, lists 75 indexed works with 1,384 citations and an h-index of 15, covering topics including smart grid, power systems fault detection, and [islanding detection](https://www.edgepedia.org/islanding-detection) [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215). The sources do not reconcile this discrepancy, and no individual paper's citation record was retrieved. The five patents are not identified in the sources.
## Honours and recognition
- **NAE membership, 2025** [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae). Election to the NAE is described as the highest professional honor accorded to an engineer in the United States [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae).
- **IEEE Life Fellow** [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae).
- **IEEE PES Distinguished Service Award, 2007** [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215).
- **CIGRE awards**: Technical Committee Award (2007), Distinguished Member Award (2014), USNC Attwood Associate Award (2014), Study Committee B5 Distinguished Service Award (2017), and the CIGRE USNC Dale Douglass Award for Technical Achievement [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215).
- **CIGRE Distinguished Member** [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae).
## Recent developments
The defining recent event is the NAE election, announced in February 2025, followed by OMICRON Magazine Issue 2 of 2025 carrying a profile of him as a globally recognized expert in power system protection [1](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae) • [3](https://www.omicronenergy.com/fileadmin/user_upload/website/magazine/OM-2502/EN/43/). He also appeared on Episode 99 of OMICRON's Energy Talks podcast, arguing that milliseconds, not megawatts, are what shape the future of protection engineering [3](https://www.omicronenergy.com/fileadmin/user_upload/website/magazine/OM-2502/EN/43/). He continues in his role at OMICRON [2](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215).
## References
1. [New Member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) | PAC World](https://www.pacw.org/new-member-of-the-national-academy-of-engineering-nae)
2. [Alexander Apostolov — LinkedIn profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-apostolov-940a9215)
3. [OMICRON Magazine – Issue 2 2025, p. 43](https://www.omicronenergy.com/fileadmin/user_upload/website/magazine/OM-2502/EN/43/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Energy technology › Grids and transmission › Grid equipment and concepts*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license