Michael F. Stringfellow, Ph.D., P.E.
He spent nine years in South Africa, mostly with the Electricity Supply Commission (Eskom), the fourth-largest electric utility in the world, but also worked for a short period with the South African Bureau of Standards. While in Southern Africa, he carried out research work into lightning and transient protection of ac and dc high-voltage transmission systems, generating plant, distribution systems and low-voltage mains. He organized and participated in many international conferences, and authored numerous papers on lightning and transient protection. He was the principal author of the South African Code on the Lightning Protection of Structures, in which he developed the first use of measured lightning incidence and electrogeometric models to estimate lightning hazards to structures.
Dr. Stringfellow emigrated to the U.S.A. in 1985. He worked on low-voltage surge protection and lightning tracking and warning systems for a high technology company in Florida before moving to Atlanta, Georgia. He spent two years as Project Manager for Low-Voltage Surge Suppression for the Kearney Company, after which he started Stringfellow & Associates, his own consulting firm. In 1988, he joined EFI Electronics Corporation in Salt Lake City as Director of Research and Development. His responsibilities there included research into surge suppression technology, consulting on power quality problems and technical training. In 1992, he was appointed the company’s Chief Scientist, with responsibility for corporate research and development strategy and interfacing with external engineering and technical bodies. While at EFI, he was awarded a U.S. Patent for the development of a novel UHF surge suppression circuit.
In 1994, he joined PowerCET Corporation as Chief Scientist, where he is responsible for consulting, education and training in the fields of Power Quality, stray voltage and lightning protection of power and communication systems. He also manages the company’s Southwest regional office in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Dr. Stringfellow has published many scientific, engineering and technical papers in peer-reviewed journals, including Transactions of IEEE, IEE Journal, SAIEE Transactions and Nature. He is also the author of over 50 articles and shorter contributions to technical publications, magazines and newspapers.
He is an active member of several IEEE Committees, where he sits on a number of standards groups. He has also represented the U.S. on the national committee to IEC 37(A), Low-Voltage Surge Protection Devices.
He is a U.S. citizen and registered Professional Engineer.
When not involved in power quality, lightning and stray voltage projects, he participates in hiking, amateur astronomy and flying sailplanes.