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 170 journal and conference proceeding papers, co-authored a Wiley-IEEE Press book, and holds 15 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/ultra-fast chargers, energy management, and integration of energy storage systems in the power grid.

Principal Research Engineer

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.

Post-Doctoral Fellow (PDF)

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. Gayatri Tanuku  received her PhD in Electrical Engineering from Concordia University, Canada, in 2022, specializing in emulation of induction machines under power system faults. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at McMaster University, contributing to advanced research in microgrids, DER controller integration, and real-time simulation. She has previously held research positions at McGill University and Senior engineering roles at Generac Industrial and Sungrid Solutions, where she led projects on BESS, container control systems, and microgrid optimization using tools like XENDEE and Hypersim. Dr. Tanuku has authored multiple IEEE journal, and conference papers and brings over a decade of academic and industrial experience. Earlier in her career, she served as an Assistant Professor in India, mentoring undergraduate research and driving curriculum development.

Research Topic real-time PHIL/CHIL systems, microgrid design and optimization, DER controller testing, induction machine emulation, BESS control, and FPGA-based power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) development.

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.

PhD Student

Bushra Sabir received the Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India followed by Master’s degree in electrical engineering specialization power electronics from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei City in January 2023. After Master’s She had one-year of industrial experience as an Electrical engineer in Taoyuan, Taiwan, Additionally she is certified ISO 262262 Automotive functional safety Engineer from TUV NORD Taiwan Co.,Ltd. In summer 2024, she joined Ph.D. program at McMaster University in High-Power Electronics Laboratory (HiPEL).

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

PhD Student

Mona Soliman received her B.Sc. (Hons.) in Electrical Power Engineering from Cairo University, Egypt, in 2023. As an undergraduate she spearheaded the “Solar-Ride” capstone project that retrofitted a passenger car with an integrated photovoltaic drivetrain, earning her team the university’s Green Mobility Award. In 2024 she joined McMaster University’s High-Power Electronics Laboratory (HiPEL) as an MASc. researcher and transitioned to the direct-entry PhD program in 2025. Her work focuses on modular solid-state transformer architectures for medium-voltage drive systems and ultra-fast EV charging stations.

Research topic: Solid-State Transformers for Medium-Voltage Drives & Ultra-Fast EV Chargers.

PhD Student

Sakineh Pashaee received her B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from Sahand University of Technology, Iran, in 2016. She then completed her M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering with a specialization in Control Systems at Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Her master’s research focused on motor fault detection using data-driven techniques. She has over two years of professional experience in the oil and gas sector, working as an Instrumentation and Control Engineer. In Winter 2025, she joined the High-Power Electronics Laboratory (HiPEL) at McMaster University as a Ph.D. student.

Research topic: Fault-tolerant control systems for switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives.

PhD Student

Merna Khaled received her M.Sc. in electrical power engineering from Ain Shams University in 2022 & B.Sc. in energy and renewable energy engineering from Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt in 2017. In her M.Sc. she worked on enhancing the performance of wind energy conversion systems while providing ancillary services to the MV grid. During her undergrad studies, she participated in the Shell Eco-marathon competition with the ASU Racing team as a member in 2015, and as a team captain in 2016. In 2017, She participated in NHL wind turbines competition in Netherlands as a part of her graduation project. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the McMaster High Power Electronics Research Lab (HiPEL), with her research focused on the modeling and control of renewable energy resources.

Research topic: Wind energy conversion systems, Renewable energy, Distributed generation, power quality, power systems.

PhD Student

Omar Ghazal received his B.Sc. (Hons.) and M.Sc. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt, in 2017 and 2024, respectively. From 2017 to 2018, he worked as an Industrial Automation Engineer at ABB Egypt. He then joined Schneider Electric Egypt as an Automation Project Engineer, a role he held until 2020. Subsequently, he became a Teaching Assistant in the Electrical Power and Machines Department at Ain Shams University. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the McMaster High Power Electronics Research Lab (HiPEL), with his research focused on the modeling and control of solid-state transformers for ultra-fast chargers.

Research topic: Solid-State Transformers, Ultra-Fast Chargers, Modeling & Control of power electronic converters.

PhD Student

Ehab M. Attia received his B.Sc. degree (Hons.) in Electrical Engineering from Kafr El-Sheikh University, Egypt, in 2018, and his M.Sc. degree in Electrical Power and Machines Engineering from Tanta University, Egypt, in 2024. In his M.Sc., he proposed a consensus tracking technique that integrates SoC balancing with effective energy management among distributed batteries to extend battery lifetime. From 2019 to 2024, he served as a Teaching Assistant in the Electrical Engineering Department at Kafr El-Sheikh University. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the McMaster High Power Electronics Research Lab (HiPEL). His research interests include Energy Management of Microgrids, Power converters, BESSs, and advanced control applications in power and energy systems.

Research topic: Control of Power Converters, Energy Management, Electric Vehicles, Renewable Energy, Energy Storage Systems.

PhD Student

Prarambhik Sur received his B.Tech degree in Electrical Engineering from Meghnad Saha Institute of Technology, Kolkata, India in 2021 and his M.Tech degree in Electrical Engineering (Power Electronics and Machine Drives) from National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, India. During his Masters, he pursued an internship on DSP power optimization . Following that , from 2023-2025, he has also worked as a Senior Research and Development Engineer at Hind Rectifiers, Mumbai on Traction Motor Control project. He is currently pursuing a PhD at McMaster High Power Electronics Lab (HiPEL). His research interests include Control of Power Electronics Converters, Fast EV chargers, Electric Vehicles, G2V integration.

Research topic: Bidirectional Power Electronics Converters and their closed loop control, Fast electric vehicle chargers, Grid to Vehicle based applications.

PhD Student

Sherif Fathallah received his B.Sc. (Hons) in Electrical Power and Machines Engineering in 2018 and went on to complete his M.Sc. in Electrical Power Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering at Cairo University in 2024, where his research focused on enhancing the inertial frequency response of power systems with high renewable energy penetration, a critical challenge in modern power grids. Sherif combines a deep theoretical foundation with practical experience, having served as a Teaching Assistant and then Assistant Lecturer in Electrical Power Engineering and Renewable Energy at the University of Sadat City. Professionally, he has contributed as a design and project engineer to large-scale power generation, transmission, and distribution projects across Egypt, the Middle East, and internationally, gaining hands-on expertise across the energy value chain. Sherif is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at McMaster University, Canada, where he conducts cutting-edge research at the High-Power Electronics Laboratory (HiPEL), His research spans several key areas: Power System Modeling and Analysis, Microgrid Design and Control, Energy Management of Microgrids, Technoeconomic Assessments, and Advanced Control Applications in Power and Energy Systems..

Research topic: Power System Modeling, Energy Management, Microgrids, Renewable Energy, Distributed Generation, Technoeconomic Assessment.

PhD Student

Ahmed Hassan Hammam received his B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Assiut University, Egypt, in 2020, graduating as the best achiever of his class. He later completed his M.Sc. degree in 2024 with a thesis on the optimal design and allocation of highway electric vehicle charging stations powered by photovoltaic systems. As a teaching and research assistant at Electrical Engineering department at Faculty of Engineering, Assiut University, he contributed to projects on smart grids, renewable energy systems, and electric vehicle infrastructure planning. In 2025, Ahmed joined McMaster High Power Electronics Research Lab (HiPEL) as a PhD student. His research focuses on optimal design, control, and operation of microgrids, renewable energy integration, and transportation electrification. His broader interests include EV charging stations, power converters, battery energy storage systems (BESSs), technoeconomic assessments, and advanced control applications in power and energy systems.

Research topic: Power systems design and analysis, Optimization and Sizing of Microgrids, Power converters, Distributed generation, Renewable Energy Integration, EV charging stations and Transportation Electrification.

PhD Student

Mohsen Seyyedhosseini received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology, Iran, in 2017, and his Master of Science in Power Electronics from Tarbiat Modares University, Iran, in 2020. He began his academic journey by developing an off-grid solar inverter during his undergraduate studies. He continued this line of research in his master's program, focusing on grid-tied solar inverters with an emphasis on condition and health monitoring of solar microinverters using the Internet of Things (IoT).

He has also worked as a researcher at the Advanced Automotive Technology R&D Company in Iran, where he spent three years developing battery systems for electric vehicles (EVs). During this time, he successfully led the development of several battery management systems (BMS) for high-power EV battery packs, gaining extensive experience in embedded hardware and software development, as well as EV powertrain systems. In September 2024, Mohsen joined the McMaster Automotive Resource Centre (MARC) to pursue a Ph.D. at McMaster University. He is currently working on battery-connected motor drive systems as a solution for transportation electrification. His research interests include battery systems, motor control, power electronic converters, and embedded systems.

Research topic: Battery systems, motor control, power electronic converters, embedded systems.

PhD Student

Xu Fan received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from the College of New Energy, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, China, in 2022 and 2025, respectively. He is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering in McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. His research interests include power electronic converters for electrified vehicles and modulation of multilevel converters.

Research topic: Multilevel converters, EV chargers.