As Director of the Monash Grid Innovation Hub, Ariel leads Monash's Digital Energy initiatives. He brings together researchers from across disciplines such as AI and Electrical Engineering. Ariel is also deputy director of MEMSI.

Ariel is an energy specialist with more than 20 years’ experience, including NEM price forecasting, investment planning, network regulation, and retail risk management.

Ariel led the Australia Indonesia Centre Energy Cluster  and recently led a project in collaboration with Indonesian and European NGO’s showing that a shift to renewables can cost Indonesia no more than their current coal based plans while reaching 50% renewables by 2030

Ariel is an architect of the Microgrid/Net Zero Initiative and lead researcher in the $3 mil ARENA funded Smart Energy City. The Clayton campus infrastructure includes 2MW of solar panels, 20 buildings, electric vehicle charging stations and redT  1MWh storage.

Ariel holds a PhD in Quantum Physics from the University of Queensland.