Dr. Mehdi Narimani received the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada, in 2012. He is currently an Associate Professor with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and University Scholar at McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. He also holds the NSERC Canada Research Chair (CRC) position in high power converter systems. Prior joining McMaster University, he was a Power Electronics Engineer with Rockwell Automation Canada, Cambridge, ON, Canada. He has authored/coauthored more than 150 journal and conference proceeding papers, co-authored a Wiley-IEEE Press book, and holds 8 issued/pending US/European patents. He has been Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology and vice chair and topic char for top tier conferences such as IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (IEEE ECCE) and IEEE Applied Power Electronics conference and Exhibition (IEEE APEC). His current research includes power conversion, control of power electronics converters, EV fast and ultra-fast chargers, and wireless EV charging systems.

Research Associate

Dr. Nasir Ali received the B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Pakistan, in June 2015. In September 2015, he moved to Shanghai, China for higher studies. He received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the School of Electronic Information and Electrical engineering (SEIEE), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Shanghai, China, in 2018, and 2022, respectively. From May 2022 to December 2022, he was a research associate with the Power Electronics and Industrial Control Research Group, at École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS), University of Québec, Montreal, Canada. He is currently working as a postdoctoral fellow (PDF) with the high-power electronics lab (HiPEL) at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, where he is leading a project on multilevel converters for switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives. His current research interests include high-performance control of electric motors, fault detection and fault-tolerant control of power electronic converters including multilevel power converters.

Research Topic Multilevel Inverters for Switch Reluctance Motor (SRM) Drives .

Post-Doctoral Fellow (PDF)

Dr. Anekant Jain received his Bachelor's degree and Master’s degree in India, in 2014 and 2018. In 2023, he completed his Ph.D. in the Electrical and Instrumentation Engineering Department from Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, India. His research focused on designing a multilevel PFC rectifier for electric vehicle charging applications. He has three years of teaching experience for undergraduate courses as an Assistant Professor (Contractual) at Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology in Patiala, India. Currently, he is working as a postdoctoral fellow (PDF) at the High-Power Electronics Lab (HiPEL) at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, where he is involved in a project on Advanced Power Converter Design for Medium-Voltage Cascaded H-bridge Motor Drives.

Research Topic Multilevel power converters, Solid-State Transformer (SST) design and control, and ultra-fast battery chargers for electric vehicles.

Post-Doctoral Fellow (PDF)

Dr. Omar Zayed received his PhD degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from McMaster University, Canada, in 2024. He is currently the Research Engineer and Team Lead at McMaster’s High Power Electronic Research Lab (HiPEL), Canada. He has authored/coauthored more than 11 journal and conference proceeding papers and holds four issued/pending US patents on power conversion for EV fast chargers. During his PhD, Omar played a pivotal role as a research team lead at HiPEL and a research assistant at the McMaster Automotive Resource Center (MARC). Omar developed fast charging power converters for electric vehicles, power-dense electric aircraft drives sponsored by EATON, and multi-level industrial motor drives sponsored by Rockwell Automation. During his BSc in mechatronics engineering from Ain Shams University, Egypt, he worked on powertrain development for electric vehicles, contributing to the ASU Racing team's success in international competitions.

Research Topic power electronic converters, fast/ultra-fast electric vehicle chargers, multi-level motor drives, power dense motor drives for propulsion applications.

PhD Student

Alireza Barmaki received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from ECE Department, University of Tehran, Iran in 2016. He received M.S. degree in Power Electronic engineering from Sharif University of Technology where he worked as Research Assistant in Electric Drives and Power Electronics Laboratory (EDPEL) from 2016 to 2018. Currently, he is a Ph.D. student at McMaster University and his main research interest is in Visible Light Communication (VLC) and its integration into Power Converters.

Research topic: VLC Integration into Power Converters, today’s growing demand for wireless communication has given rise to VLC (Visible Light Communication) which necessitates the existence of proper power converters (LED Drivers) to provide the system with good illumination and data transmission rate. Design and implementation of an efficient driver capable of producing modulated current to drive the luminaires is of great importance.

PhD Student

Mehdi Alimardani received his B.Tech. degree in power and energy engineering and Master of Applied Science degree in electrical engineering from McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, in 2015 and 2018, respectively. He is currently a PhD student at McMaster University and a specialist for the Power and Energy Laboratories. He is a Sessional Faculty with the WBooth School of Engineering Practice and Technology at McMaster University and also a Registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.

Research topic: The objective of his research is to evaluate the impact of the Fast EV Charging Stations on the Electrical Power Grid Systems with integrated Renewable Energy Sources and Energy Storage Systems.

PhD Student

Kyle Kozielsk received the B.Eng. degree in Electrical Engineering from McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada, in 2022, where he is currently pursuing the M.A.Sc. degree. Kyle joined the McMaster Automotive Resource Centre (MARC) team in May 2022 where he is working in two industry collaborated research projects sponsored by Eaton Corporation.

Research Topic Power electronics converters and solid-state protection circuits in electrified transportation applications.

PhD Student

Eslam Younis received his B.Sc. in electrical power engineering from Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt in 2020. During his undergrad studies, he participated in the Shell Eco-marathon Urban-EV competition with the ASU Racing team as a powertrain team leader in 2019, and as a team captain in 2020. In 2021, Eslam joined the McMaster High Power Electronics Research Lab (HiPEL) as a MASc. student. His research is focused on solid-state transformer-based EV Ultra-fast charging stations.

Research Topic Solid-State Transformers for Ultra-Fast Chargers

PhD Student

Seelam is a former Senior Researcher in Research and Development (R&D) departments in South Korean companies for approximately three years. He graduated with his Masters in Electrical Engineering from Pusan National University in 2020. He obtained his Bachelors in Electronics and Communication Engineering from ITM University, India, in 2018. Currently, Seelam is a PhD student at McMaster University's High Power Electronics Lab (HiPEL) since September 2023. Seelam's research focuses on 3rd-generation EV fast Chargers and Motor Drives, marking his commitment to pioneering advancements in sustainable transportation technology. His journey embodies relentless dedication to electrical engineering innovation

Research Topic Research topics – Ultrafast EV Charging Module Development, Grid Connected Distributed Charging Systems, Power Electronics, and Closed loop Control Systems, On-Grid & Off-Grid Systems.

PhD Student

Saad joined the group as a Ph.D. student in Fall 2023. He completed his MS from Oregon State University, USA, where he was a part of the WSERF group. During his MS years, Saad worked on the reliability analysis of traction inverters for e-truck applications. He completed his bachelor's degree at the College of Engineering Pune, India, in Summer 2021. Saad has completed internships at Varroc, Larsen & Toubro, and Bajaj Auto, where he gained experience in onboard chargers, medium voltage switchboards, and magnetic circuit designs. His research interests include power electronics, electric vehicles, microcontrollers, magnetic circuits, and power systems. In his leisure time, he enjoys reading, driving, and following motorsports.

Research Topic Research topics – Research topics – DC-DC Converters, Motor Drives, Gate Driver Circuits, High-frequency Magnetics Design, Liquid-cooled Converters, Energy Storage.

PhD Student

Ali completed his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Isfahan University of Technology in August 2019. He also received his Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, specializing in power electronics and electrical machines, at the University of Isfahan in August 2022. During this time, he conducted research and authored a thesis on sensorless vector control of a surface-mounted permanent-magnet synchronous motor. Currently, Ali is in the midst of his Ph.D. program in Electrical and Computer Engineering at McMaster University, specifically in the High-Power Electronics Laboratory (HiPEL), which commenced in September 2023. His doctoral research is centered around the design and development of multi-level inverters for switched-reluctance machines.

Research Topic Multilevel Inverters for Switch Reluctance Motor (SRM) Drives.

PhD Student

Shuo Qu received the B.Eng. degree in electrical engineering from China University of Mining and Technology in June 2021. From September 2021 to January 2024, Shuo had been studying power electronics technology and motor control at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China and was awarded the master’s degree in 2024. During this period, he conducted research on sensorless control for induction motors at low speed based on saliency effect. Shuo Qu currently is in the Ph.D. program of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McMaster University and in the High-Power Electronics Laboratory (HiPEL), specializing in multilevel converters for switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives.

Research topic: Multilevel Inverters for Switch Reluctance Motor (SRM) Drives.

MASc Student

Amirabbas Darvishpour received his BSc from School of Energy Engineering at Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic). After four years of Energy Engineering education, he gained a comprehensive understanding of how energy is generated, distributed, and stored (with a focus on renewable sources). In addition, he learned about the economic and environmental implications of energy. During my bachelor’s degree, he got familiar not only with the technical aspect of the electricity but also its economic and environmental effects. Simulating a solar power plant for an apartment by PVsyst and Optimizing the energy demand of an apartment by linear programming (MATLAB) are two outstanding ones which made him more interested in technological aspect of energy and they encouraged me to continue his academic career in the fields which are more related to Power Electronics.

Research Topic Power Electronics, Home Fast Chargers, Ultra-Fast Chargers for EVs.

MASc Student

Ahmed is an MASc student who earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from McMaster University in May 2023. During his undergrad journey, some of the work he did includes being a key member of the Formula One Electric team, where he tackled challenging tasks in the Electronics and wiring division. Furthermore, he has also participated in numerous internships, from delving into summer research for a communications team led by Dr. Hranilovic under an NSERC scholarship to contributing as a transmission planner for the IESO (Independent Electricity Sector Operator), where he helped enhance power transmission across Ontario.

Research Topic Fast mobile chargers for electric vehicles.

Research Assistant

Kresteen Al Shehadeh Kresteen Al Shehadeh is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering at McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. She actively participates in the McMaster Rocketry Team, focusing on avionics aspect of the team's projects. In May 2023, Kresteen joined the McMaster High Power Electronics Research Lab (HiPEL) as a research assistant, where she is currently involved in the development of a supply equipment charging controller (SECC) for an ultra-fast charging project.

Research Topic Supply equipment charging controller (SECC) designed for electric vehicles (EVs) and other high-capacity battery systems.