Bharath Rao

Dr. Bharath Varsh Rao is a deep-tech business developer and scientist at AIT Austrian Institute of Technology with 10+ years of expertise in power systems, smart grids, and digital energy innovation. He has coordinated numerous Austrian, European research projects in smart grids, energy markets, AI-driven grid operations, and flexibility services. At AIT, he leads the Digital Energy Ecosystem Services area, bridging advanced research and technology commercialisation to create market-ready solutions. With a deep understanding of how DSOs plan, operate, and evolve their grids, he brings a rare combination of technical depth and ecosystem awareness to strategic grid planning. His work has been recognised with the Houskapreis 2026, the 2025 ISGAN Innovation Award, and the 2023 ERA-Net Award. He holds a Dr.techn. from TU Wien, Austria and an M.Sc. from Grenoble INP, France.