Lab Alumni
Aaron Anderson
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Short Biography Aaron graduated from Purdue University West Lafayette in 2017 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He focused on electric machines and drives when pursuing his Master's degree. In his free time he likes riding his bike, climbing, traveling, and cooking. He joined NASA after graduation.
Owen Brown
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Short Biography Owen started working with Professor Kiruba Haran in the summer of 2018. He graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 2021 and currently works as a Test Engineer at Texas Instruments.
Yuanshan (Sam) Chen
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Short Biography Sam joined the group working as a research assistant after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois. He worked on the NASA Fixed Wing Project for a high power density electric motor while pursuing his M.S. in Electrical Engineering. He likes to go fishing in his spare time. He graduated with his Masters degree in 2016 and is currently working at Velodyne Lidar Inc.
Leslie Cheng
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Short Biography Leslie graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in May 2017 and a M.S. in May 2019. In his free time, he uses his headphone collection often and goes to the gym. He currently works as an Electrical Engineer at Northrop Grumman.
Han-Wook Cho
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Short Biography Dr. Han-Wook Cho received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D degrees from Chungnam National University, South Korea, in 2002, 2004 and 2007, respectively. From 2007 to 2010, he was with KIMM (Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials), as a senior researcher. Since 2010, he has been with Chungnam National University, where he is currently an associate professor with the Department of Electric, Electronic, and Communication Engineering Edu. He is currently working as a research scholar in Prof. Haran’s group (from June 2016 to June 2017). His research interests include design and analysis of motor/generator, and electromechanical systems.
Alejandro Longares Conejo
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Short Biography Alejandro is a senior student of the polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain) who was awarded with a scholarship to end his Bachelor degree at the University of Illinois. Although he is graduating in industrial engineering,he found his passion in the electrical field. Due to his interests in Electric mobility and power systems, he joined the team to cooperate in the design and manufacturing of a PMASynRM and study the global challenges of electric powertrains applied in electric transportation.
Digvijay Deswal
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Short Biography Digvijay Deswal completed his B.Tech. and M.Tech. degrees in Electrical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, West Bengal, India in 2014. He joined as a Research assistant at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign under Prof. Haran. His research interests include machine design, power electronics, and analysis of electrical machines.
Ranbir Dhillon
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Short Biography Ranbir Dhillon graduated from Syracuse University with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering. He is currently pursuing an M.S. in Electrical Engineering.
Richeek Dutta
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Short Biography Richeek is an undergraduate assistant majoring in Aerospace Engineering. He helps the group with the rotating cryocooler project. He is primarily involved with designing and fabricating test equipment, helping with setting up and running the tests, and making revisions to the CRUISE motor design to facilitate more accurate simulations.
Matthew Feddersen
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Short Biography Matthew graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2015 with a B.S. in Computer Engineering and joined the group as a research assistant while pursuing his masters degree. His hobbies and interests include electric cars, sci-fi novels, piano, and running. He worked for Zunum Aero after graduating with his Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.
Julianna Gecsey
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Short Biography Julianna joined the research group Fall 2020 with a passion for sustainable aviation. She is currently pursuing her B.S. in Electrical Engineering and is expected to graduate in 2021.
Sajal Harmukh
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Short Biography Sajal got his B.Tech degree in Electrical (Power) Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi, India in 2012. He then went on to work for NTPC Ltd, a power generation company in India. After working there for 2 years there as an operation engineer, he came to University of Illinois to pursue his Masters in Electrical Engineering. He worked for SEL after graduating with his Master of Science degree.
Austin Jin
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Short Biography Austin graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2016 with B.S. in Electrical Engineering and joined as a research assistant with focusing on electric machinery. He worked for Milwaukee Electric Tools Company after graduating in 2018 with his Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.
Jonathan Martin
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Short Biography Jonathan graduated with a B.A. in Physics from Colgate University in 2014. He joined UIUC to pursue a M.S. degree in electrical engineering under Professor Kiruba Haran with focus on electric machine design. He worked for Intel after graduation.
Irin Jose
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Short Biography Irin graduated from National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli India with a Bachelors degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and joined UIUC to pursue her masters as a research assistant working with Dr. Haran. She worked for Delphi after graduating with her Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.
Billy Kamerow
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Short Biography Billy joined the team in the fall of 2016. He is interested in the field of electric machinery, space, and control systems. His research was focused on testing the magnetic qualities of different resins to be used in the NASA Fixed Wing Project. Outside of engineering, his interests include tinkering at the house, playing piano, cooking, and chilling with his friends. He worked for Boeing after graduating with his B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 2017.
Dongsu Lee
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Short Biography Dr. Dongsu Lee received his Ph.D in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea, in 2016. His research interests include coupled multi-physics analysis and design incorporating electromagnetic, structural, and thermal analysis, and optimization of electric machines with in-house FEM code and optimization schemes
Jackson Lenz
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Short Biography Jackson graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in May, 2016. His research focus is in electrical machines and drive systems. In his free time, he likes to play baritone saxophone and ride his bike. He worked for Ford Motor Company after graduating with his Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 2017.
Max Lewis
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Short Biography Max Lewis graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a M.S. in Electrical Engineering in Fall 2022. He graduated from Oklahoma State University in Fall 2020 with a B.S. in electrical engineering. At University of Illinois, his research focus was in insulation reliability of electric machines. His other interests include power systems and renewable energy. He currently works at Boeing in St. Louis, Missouri.
Shannon Lin
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Short Biography Shannon is currently pursuing a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and is expected to graduate in May 2021 at UIUC.
David Loder
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Short Biography David Loder graduated from Purdue University with a BSEE in May 2014. He joined the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a graduate research assistant under Dr. Haran. His research interests include genetic algorithm optimization techniques, computational electromagnetics applied to machine design, and superconducting electric machines. He worked for Rolls Royce after graduating with his Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.
Nathan Marchosky
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Short Biography Nathan Marchosky joined the group in Fall 2021 and is pursuing a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. He plans to graduate in Fall 2022. He is interested in Electric Machines, Renewable Energy and Power Electronics.
Vince Maxwell
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Short Biography Vince joined as a senior in Electrical Engineering looking to get his Bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at the end of the 2016 school year. He is interested in the field of power and joined the team in the summer of 2016. Outside engineering, his interests include Illini football and watching hockey.
Justin Meyer
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Short Biography Justin has is passionate about renewable energy and superconducting devices. He joined in fall 2019 and is expected to graduate with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in May 2020 and plans to continue his education afterwards.
Byung Hoon Min
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Short Biography Byung Hoon Min graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 2017 and M.S. in 2019. His research focused on design of electric machine and optimization. After graduation, he worked for Amazon.
Katherine O’Kane
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Short Biography Katherine earned her B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering from Oakland University, Rochester, MI in 2015. Her research is in electric machines and drives, particularly in relation to the high frequency, high specific power permanent magnet synchronous motor project. Katherine enjoys playing the violin, biking, and spending time in the company of friends. She joined General Motors after graduating with her M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering.
John David Reband
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Short Biography John graduated from Purdue University in 2017 with a B.S. in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering. He is a first year graduate student, with research focus is the design of power generation and distribution architectures for aerospace applications.
Nate Renner
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Short Biography Nate Renner graduated in May 2018 with a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, specializing in electric machines. His first year of research was focused on the manufacturing and testing of electric motor windings for the NASA 1MW permanent magnet synchronous machine project. He spent his second year working on the systems level integration of electric machines into harsh environments, such as turbo-electric engines. During his free time he likes to exercise and cheer Illini sports teams on to victory.
Noah Salk
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Short Biography Noah provides support on multiple superconducting machine projects. He has a passion for electric transportation and renewable energy, and plans to continue his education after graduating in May 2020 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering.
Samith Sirimanna
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Short Biography Samith graduated from University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 2016, MS from UIUC in 2020, and a Ph.D. from UIUC in 2023. His focus is on magnet loss analysis, validation and reduction strategies for PMSM. His other research interests include design optimization of PMSM, design and manufacturing methods of superconducting coils for armature and field coils of electric machines.
Reed Sanchez
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Short Biography Reed joined Dr. Haran’s group with a background in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines. His experience and education in both mechanical and electrical engineering contributes a multidimensional understanding of both sides of these machines to our team. When he isn't thinking about all things engineering, Reed enjoys problem solving, running, spending quality time with friends and participating in bible study. He graduated in 2018 with a M.S. in Electrical Engineering.
Kyung-Hun Shin
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Short Biography Dr. Kyung-Hun Shin received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D degrees from Chungnam National University, South Korea, in 2014, 2016 and 2019, respectively. His research interests include analysis, design, modeling, and optimization of electric machines, machine drives, and prototype developments for experimental study. Dr. Shin was a post-doc in the group in 2019-2020. He is now a faculty member at the Chonnam National University in South Korea.
Niraja Swaminathan
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Short Biography Dr. Niraja Swaminathan received the B.E. degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Anna University, India, in 2012, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), India, in 2019. She was a Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA in Fall 2021 and Spring 2022. Prior to this, She was a Postdoctoral Scholar at Oregon State University, OR, USA. Her current research interests include power converters for renewable energy and aviation applications, digital control for power converters, maximum power point tracking for solar PV, and energy-efficient green buildings.
Armando Terrones
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Short Biography Armando joined the team in fall 2018 after finding a love for electrical machines and research. He expects to graduate with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2020. In his free time, he plays double bass, camps, and exercises.
Thanatheepan Balachandran
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Email tb8@nospam662c4f0a81049.illinois.edu
Short Biography Theepan graduated from UIUC with a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in 2022. He is currently the Director of Engineering at Hinetics
Yalin Wang
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Short Biography Yalin Wang received his B.Eng. and Ph.D. degree from Xi’an Jiao Tong University in 2014 and Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2018. He is currently a post-doctoral researcher in Shanghai Jiao Tong University and visiting scholar in University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research interests include dielectric properties of polymeric insulation materials, condition monitoring, and reliability of power electronic packaging.
Yuyao Wang
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Short Biography Yuyao graduated from National University of Singapore in 2017 with a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering. He joined as a M.S. student focusing on electric machines and drives, and graduated in 2019 with a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Ciara Aquino Ward
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Short Biography Ciara graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2022. She is currently an Automotive Software Test and Validation Engineer at Lucid Motors.
Xuan (Melody) Yi
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Short Biography Melody's research interest is multi-physics optimization (EM+thermal) of electrical machines. She earned her electrical engineering bachelor degree in University of Wisconsin-Madison and continued with her MS in University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She hopes to gain both simulation and hardware experience through her research.
Andy Yoon
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Short Biography Andy Yoon is a phD student working with Professor Kiruba Haran. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2013.
Yovahn Yesuraiyan Ratnajeevan Hoole
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Short Biography Yovahn is a second year graduate student in Dr. Haran's group. He received his bachelor's degrees in Electrical Engineering and in Computer Science from Rice University in 2018.
Yangxue (Sherry) Yu
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Short Biography Yangxue (Sherry) graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in May 2018. She worked on the high-speed high-specific power machine and PM assisted synchronous reluctance machine for her master's degrees. After graduation, she joined the Milwaukee Electric Tools Company.
Junhan Zhao
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Short Biography Junhan Zhao graduated with an M.S. in electrical engineering from UIUC in 2023. He received his bachelor's degrees in Electrical Engineering from Zhejiang University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Fall 2020.
Lijun Zheng
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Short Biography Lijun graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in May, 2016 and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in May 2018. He worked in Dr. Haran's research group as a graduate research assistant with a focus on mechanical design and simulation analysis. His research interests include machine design, simulation and hardware. He is currently working at Tesla Inc. as a Senior Test Engineer.