Edward Randy Collins, Jr.

Dr. Edward Randolph Collins, Jr. is a native of Rockingham NC. In 1984, he earned the Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering magna cum laude from NC State University. Dr. Collins earned a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 1989 from Georgia Tech, with a focus in power electronics and machines. In 1989, he joined the faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Clemson University, and currently holds the rank of Professor. Dr. Collins has taught widely at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and supervised numerous graduate students. He has received numerous awards for teaching, including both of the College of Engineering and Science’s top teaching awards. Dr. Collins has been active in online education as well, and was recognized with Clemson University’s Ralph D. Elliott Endowed Award for Off-Campus and Distance Education in 2015.

Dr. Collins’ research has focused on power quality and the compatibility between the power grid and connected devices. Years of research has culminated in the world’s largest electric grid emulator, called the Duke Energy “Electrical Grid Research Innovation and Development” (eGRID) center, which enables compatibility testing at power levels up to 15MW. His work in the power quality area has resulted in two issued patents, and another patent pending. Additionally, Dr. Collins received several prize paper awards for his research work, including from the IEEE Power and Energy Society.

Since 2008, Dr. Collins has served in leadership capacities at Clemson. From 2008 – 2014, he served as Associate Dean for Undergraduate and International Studies in the College of Engineering and Science. In 2012, he was selected as a Fellow of the American Council on Education, and spent 2012-2013 on an ACE fellowship at Virginia Tech. In 2014, Dr. Collins was named the Executive Director of Academic Initiatives, where he coordinates new and expanding academic programs. In this capacity, he leads Clemson’s new graduate-level engineering and computing expansion in Charleston SC.