SPARK Lab researchers within the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky (PEIK) and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Kentucky Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering received a best student demo award at the 2025 IEEE International Conference on Electric Machines and Drives (IEMDC), which was held in Houston, TX. The winning team of PhD students was led by Oluwaseun Abraham Badewa, who worked together with colleagues Donovin D. Lewis, Diego A. Lopez Guerrero, David R. Stewart, and Matin Vatani. All students are advised by Dan M. Ionel, PhD, ECE Professor and L. Stanley Pigman Chair in Power, Director of the SPARK Lab and of the PEIK Institute.
The awarded demonstration entitled “Stator Excited Synchronous Motors” was based on an innovative concept of an electric machine, originally developed a few years ago as part of a Department of Energy (DOE) Vehicle Technology Office (VTO) sponsored project, followed more recently by research for design variations and other applications sponsored directly by industry and by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The IEMDC is the largest series of biannual conferences organized by the IEEE devoted to electrical machines and electric drives topics. The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) is headquartered in New York City and is the world's largest association of technical professionals with almost half a million members.
The SPARK Lab researchers also presented papers that have been published in the conference proceedings. The papers are based on research sponsored by NSF, NASA, the Leverhulme Trust, and directly by industry, and include collaboration with colleagues from University of Bath and University College London (UCL):
Author’s manuscript versions are available directly from the above links on the SPARK website at UK and will also be available from the UKnowledge online database.
UK student demonstrations at 2025 IEEE IEMDC Conference. From left to right: Oluwaseun Abraham Badewa, PhD student, Dan M. Ionel, PhD, ECE Professor and L. Stanley Pigman in Power, and Matin Vatani, PhD student.
UK researchers at the 2025 IEEE IEMDC Conference Awards Ceremony. From left to right: Oluwaseun Abraham Badewa, PhD student, Dan M. Ionel, PhD, ECE Professor and L. Stanley Pigman in Power, and Matin Vatani, PhD student.
