Pia Milena Leminski
From Engineering Studies to International Energy Experience
Originally from Germany, Pia Milena Leminski came to ISE with a background in Energy and Environmental Engineering from Hamburg University of Technology and a strong interest in renewable energy. She chose the MSc Sustainable Energy Engineering programme to deepen her technical knowledge while studying in a country where renewable energy systems are part of everyday infrastructure.
At ISE, Pia combined coursework in areas such as wind power and hydropower with practical experience in Iceland’s energy sector. That mix of technical study and applied learning became an important part of her time in the programme and helped shape her interest in wind energy.
Gaining Industry Experience at Landsvirkjun
Pia completed an internship with Landsvirkjun, where she worked with wind data to assess the feasibility of potential projects. The internship gave her direct experience applying methods from her studies to real energy-sector questions and later led to a summer role in operation planning.
During that work, she contributed to questions around hydropower production, electricity demand, maintenance planning and reservoir recharge. The experience gave her a broader understanding of how renewable-energy systems are operated in practice, beyond the technical analysis of individual technologies.
Taking Her Studies Abroad
Pia later joined the dual-degree programme between ISE and INRS in Canada, where she completed a second MSc in Earth Sciences. Her research focused on using artificial neural networks to forecast wind speeds based on climate oscillation indices, exploring how improved seasonal forecasting could support wind-power planning.
She spent six months in Canada and described the international experience as one of the highlights of her studies. After completing her dual degrees and research, Pia returned to Germany and continued working in the renewable-energy field.