e-Motion Laboratory Staff

Academic Staff

Dr Pedram Asef Co-Director Email: pedram.asef@ucl.ac.uk Webpage: https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/94972-pedram-asef Dr Pedram Asef is an Assistant Professor/ Lecturer in Advanced Electrical Machines at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, University College London (UCL). He is the Co-Director of the e-Motion Laboratory and a member of the Advanced Propulsion Laboratory (APL).  In 2018/19, he received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering with Cum Laude grade from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), in Spain. Recently, he was a Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at the University of Bath and University of Hertfordshire. He was also a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Surrey, and a senior engineer at RL Auto LTD, in the UK. He is a Senior Member of IEEE and a Chartered Engineer in the UK. He is a Panel Member for multiple national funding bodies in the UK. He led over £6m in research and commercial projects in the UK. He is an Associate Editor for IET's The Journal of Engineering. He is a chair, speaker, and committee member of multiple renowned International IEEE and IET conferences annually. His research focuses on electrical machines, electric drives, electric propulsion systems, electric vehicles, energy systems, and applied machine learning and optimisation in related applications.

Dr Shun Cai Dr Shun Cai was born in Hubei, China. He received the B.Eng. and M.Sc. degrees from Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, in 2014 and 2017, respectively and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Sheffield, Sheffield, U.K., in 2020, all in electrical engineering. He currently serves as an Assistant Professor/Lecturer with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University College London, London, U.K. Prior to that, he was a Research Fellow with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and Senior Engineer with Dyson Technology LTD, Malmesbury, U.K.  He has authored more than 60 technical papers and was the recipient of IEEE Power & Energy Society Prize Paper Award. His major research interests include electrical machine and drive system, advanced propulsion system, and high-precision actuator system.

Professor Dan M Ionel Dan M Ionel, PhD, FIEEE, is an Honorary Professor at University College London (UCL). He is a member of the e-Motion Laboratory at UCL. His tenured academic appointment is as an ECE Professor and L. Stanley Pigman Chair in Power at University of Kentucky in the US, where he also directs the SPARK Lab and the PEIK Institute. Before joining academia full-time, he worked in the industry for more than 20 years for large multinational technology-leading companies, most recently as engineering fellow, chief scientist and engineer. He designed electric machines with ratings between 0.002 and 10,000hp, contributed to technological developments long-lastingsting industrial impact, to many premier and large volume products, and holds more than 40 patents. His research has been supported directly by industrial companies and utilities and by NASA, NSF, DOE, DoEd, ONR, NIST. Current research and teaching include electric machines and power electronic drives, electrified transportation, renewable and sustainable energy technologies, electric power systems, smart grids and buildings. Professor Ionel is an IEEE Fellow, received multiple IEEE Best Paper Awards, and the CG Veinott Award, the highest distinction for electromechanical energy conversion from the IEEE Power and Energy Society. He was an Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, the Editor-in-Chief of the Electric Power Components and Systems journal, and chaired large IEEE society committees and conferences, ECCE and IEMDC.

Research staff 

Mohammad Amin Jalali Kondelaji Mohammad is an Electrical Machines Specialist currently working at the e-Motion Lab and Advanced Propulsion Lab within the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University College London (UCL). His expertise spans the design, electromagnetic modelling, optimisation, and prototyping of advanced electric motors, particularly those aimed at enhancing electrified transportation systems. He completed his B.Eng. and M.Eng. degrees in Electrical Engineering at Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), graduating with first-class honours in 2016 and 2019, respectively.   In 2021, he furthered his academic journey by joining the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as a Ph.D. student. He has contributed to the field by publishing more than 20 papers in top-tier journals and presenting his work at international conferences. He is the recipient of two “Best M.Eng. Thesis Awards,” which he received for his work on the “Design, Simulation, and Prototyping of Novel Modular Switched Reluctance Motors for EV Applications”.  As part of his ongoing work at UCL’, Mohammad continues to collaborate with academic peers, contributing to the next generation of advanced propulsion technologies.

Yuwen Xu Yuwen received the B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering and Automation from Harbin University of Science and Technology, Harbin, China, in 2021, and the M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from Southeast University, Nanjing, China, in 2024. He is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree at University College London, U.K. His research interests include the design, analysis, and control of electric machines, with a particular emphasis on non-rare-earth permanent magnet machines.

Zhong Gao Zhong is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at the e-Motion Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London (UCL). In 2018 and 2021, he received a B.Eng. and M.Eng. from Harbin University of Science and Technology and Beijing Jiaotong University in China, and a second M.Eng. was awarded in 2024 from UCL. From 2021-2023, he worked as an engineer at SAIC Motor, focusing on the development of high-performance Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSMs) for electric vehicles. His research interests include the Design, Optimisation, and Thermal Analysis of Electrical Machines, particularly PMSMs and Double Stator Switched Reluctance Motors. He has presented at international conferences and published in relevant fields. His Ph.D. research, titled "Novel Topologies and Technologies for Advanced Reluctance Machines," focuses on advancing magnet-free motors to achieve high performance under extreme conditions, comparable to existing technologies like PMSMs.

Esmaeil Mohammadi Esmaeil Mohammadi is a Ph.D. student at the e-Motion Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London (UCL). He holds two Master’s degrees, one in Electrical Engineering (power) in 2016 and the second in Power Systems from UCL in 2024. His research focuses on the design, optimisation, and performance analysis of electrical machines. His work bridges the gap between theory and application with significant industry experience from 2016 to 2023 in power systems analysis, development of advanced electrical machines for industrial and energy applications, and power system transmission and distribution. His Ph.D. research, titled "Advanced Design and Reconfigurable-Windings and Core," aims to develop novel, high-efficiency motor topologies that reduce reliance on rare earth materials, advancing sustainable and cost-effective technologies in electrical machine design.

Marcelo D. Silva Marcelo received his MSc in Electrical Engineering in 2018 at Porto University. His MSc thesis focused on torque ripple mitigation in induction machines and was developed in collaboration with the Research and Development Department of WEG in Santa Catarina, Brazil. After that, he worked as a Research and Development Engineer at the same organisation. He is currently pursuing his PhD degree in engineering science with a specialization in the science of electricity at Uppsala University, in Sweden. Since September 2024, he is also a Visiting PhD researcher at the e-Motion Laboratory at the Department of Mechanical Engineering UCL. His main research topics are the meta-modelling and optimization of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines (PMSM), the development and experimental verification of rare earth element-free electrical machines, and the modelling of permanent magnets. He is a member of the Swedish Electromobility Centre and participates in research projects with lead companies developing heavy-duty road and rail-bound vehicles. Currently, he is a guest researcher at University College London investigating the use of Bayesian Optimisation and Gaussian Process Regression for PMSM meta-modelling and optimisation.

Zhongyao Chen Zhongyao was born in Jiangsu, China, in 2001. He received the B.Eng. degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK, in 2023, and the M.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering from University College London, UK, in 2024. He is currently a research assistant at University College London, U.K. His research interests include the design, optimization and control of electric machines, with a particular emphasis on novel permanent magnet machines.

Xing Liu Xing received the B.Eng. degree and the M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from Nantong University, Nantong, China, in 2018 and 2022, respectively. He is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering with Southeast University, Nanjing, China and visiting scientist at University College London, U.K. His current research interests include the control strategies of power electronics and permanent magnet machines.

Jiaxing Ye Jiaxing (Graduate Student Member, IEEE) was born in Heilongjiang, China, in 1999. He received the B.E. degree in electrical engineering from Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China, in 2021. He is currently working toward the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering with the Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China and a visiting scientist at University College London, U.K. His main research interests include advanced motor drive technologies, motor control theories and high-precision power converters. The e-Motion Team at UCL East

We are accepting Doctoral, Post-Doctoral, and Visiting Researchers at e-Motion Lab. To join and collaborate with the e-Motion Lab.

Publications 

2024

1. Chan K, Asef P, Benoit A, “Intelligent Energy Management using Multi-Agent Dynamic Learning for Scheduling Commercial Electric Vehicle Charging Stations,” 59th International Universities Power Engineering Conference, IEEE, Cardiff, UK, 2024.
2. Gao Z, Rossi A, Sundharam Y, Li Y, Ye Z, Jiang H, Zhang S, Asef P, Cai S, “Torque Improvement for Modified Double Stator Switched Reluctance Machines,” 59th International Universities Power Engineering Conference, IEEE, Cardiff, UK, 2024.
3. Abdolmaleki M, Asef P, Vagg C, “Unraveling Magnet Structural Defects in Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines—Harmonic Diagnosis and Performance Signatures,” Magnetics, vol. 4, no. 4, 2024.
4. Benoit A, Asef P, “Navigating Intelligence: A Survey of Google OR-Tools and Machine Learning for Global Path Planning in Autonomous Vehicles,” Advanced Intelligent Systems, vol. 6, no. 9, 2024.
5. Jafari R, Sarhadi P, Paykani A, Refaat SS, Asef P, “Optimal Torque Allocation for All-Wheel-Drive Electric Vehicles Using a Reinforcement Learning Algorithm,” 13th Mediterranean Conference on Embedded Computing (MECO), Budva, Montenegro, 2024.
6. Pooranian Z, Shojafar M, Asef P, Robinson M, Lees H, Longden M, “RCA-IDS: A Novel Real-time Cloud-based Adversarial IDS for Connected Vehicles,” 22nd International Conference on Trust, Security and Privacy in Computing and Communications (TrustCom), IEEE, Exeter, UK, 2024.
7. Asef P, Vagg C, “A physics-informed Bayesian optimization method for rapid development of electrical machines,” Scientific Reports, Nature, vol. 14, 4526, 2024.
8. X. Liu, H. Yang, S. Cai, H. Y. Lin, F. Yu. Y. Yang, "A novel finite-control-set model-free predictive current control incorporating event triggering mechanism for PMSM drives," IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., early access.

2023

9. Jafari R, Asef P, Sarhadi P, Pei X, “Optimal gear ratio selection of linear primary permanent magnet vernier machines for wave energy applications,” IET Renewable Power Generation, vol. 17, no. 16, 2023.
10. Jafari R, Asef P, Ardebili M, Derakhshani MM, “A High Thrust Force Spoke-Type Linear Permanent Magnet Vernier Machine with Reduced Thrust Force Ripple,” 6th International Conference on Smart Energy Systems and Technologies, IEEE, Mugla, Turkiye, 2023.
11. Robinson M, Asef P, Shojafar M, Pooranian Z, Lees H, Longden M, “AutoDetect: A Novel Real-Time Intelligent Sensor Failure Detection for Connected Vehicles,” IAS Global Conference on Emerging Technologies (GlobConET), IEEE, London, UK, 2023.
12. Asef P, Denai M, Paulides JJH, Marques BR, Lapthorn A, “A Novel Multi-Criteria Local Latin Hypercube Refinement System for Commutation Angle Improvement in IPMSMs,” IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, vol. 59, no. 2, 2023.
13. Enayati J, Jonnalagadda Y, Asef P, “A Novel Triple Radar Arrangement for Level 2 ADAS Detection System in Autonomous Vehicles,” 10th Conference on Systems, Process and Control (ICSPC), IEEE, 2023.
14. Enayati J, Asef P, Wilson P, “Resilient Multi-range Radar Detection System for Autonomous Vehicles: A New Statistical Method,” Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology, vol. 19, no. 1, 2023.
15. Asef P, Taheri R, Shojafar M, Mporas I, Tafazolli R, “SIEMS: A Secure Intelligent Energy Management System for Industrial IoT Applications,” IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, vol. 19, no. 1, 2023.
16. S. Cai, Y. X. Li, H. Chen, X. Yuan, and C. H. T. Lee, “Analysis and suppression of cross-coupling demagnetization in dual permanent magnet machine for direct drive application,” IEEE Trans. Transport. Elec., vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 474-487, March 2023.
17. S. C. Xie, S. Cai, Y. F. Zuo, L. B. Cao, J. W. Zhu, A. Li, Y. M. Yan, and C. H. T. Lee “A new hybrid concentrated-winding concept with improved power factor for permanent magnet vernier machine," IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 70, no. 11, pp. 11109-11120, Nov. 2023.
18. Y. M. Yan, Y. Fan, F. W. Shen, H. Chen, S. Cai, X. Yuan, and C. H. T. Lee, “Hybrid-magnet variable flux memory machine with improved field regulation capability for electric vehicle applications,” IEEE Trans. Transport. Elec., vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 586-597, March 2023.
19. Y. M. Yan, F. W. Shen, S. Wang, B. Cheong, C. Gajanayake, A. Gupta, S. Cai, X. Yuan, J. H. Chen, S. C. Xie, and C. H. T. Lee “Novel Memory motor drive with integrated winding concept for traction applications," IEEE Trans. Veh. Tech., vol. 72, no. 6, pp. 7171-7183, June 2023.
20. H. Chen, A. M. EL-Refaie, Y. Zuo, S. Cai, J. F. Tang, Y. J. Liu and C. H. T. Lee, "Design and analysis of a variable-speed constant-amplitude wind generator for stand-alone DC power applications," IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 70, no. 8, pp. 7731-7742, Aug. 2023.
21. H. Chen, Ayman. M. EL-Refaie, Y. F. Zuo, S. Cai, J. Tang, Y. Liu, and C. H. T. Lee, “A permanent magnet brushless doubly fed electric machine for variable-speed constant-frequency wind turbines," IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 70, no. 7, pp. 6663-6674, July 2023.

2022

22. Jafari R, Asef P, Ardebili M, Derakhshani MM, “Linear Permanent Magnet Vernier Generators for Wave Energy Applications: Analysis, Challenges, and Opportunities,” Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 17, 2022.
23. Asef P, Padmanaban S, Lapthorn A, “Modern Automotive Electrical Systems,” Wiley, Print ISBN:9781119801047, DOI:10.1002/9781119801078, 2022.
24. Enayati J, Asef P, “Review and Analysis of Magnetic Energy Harvesters: A Case Study for Vehicular Applications,” IEEE Access, vol. 10, 2022.
25. Asef P, Milan M, Lapthorn A, Padmanaban S, “Future Trends and Aging Analysis of Battery Energy Storage Systems for Electric Vehicles,” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 24, 2022.
26. S. Cai, H. Chen, X. Yuan, Y. C. Wang, J. X. Shen, and C. H. T. Lee, “Analysis of synergistic stator permanent magnet machine with the synergies of flux-switching and flux-reversal effects,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 69, no. 12, pp. 12237-12248, Dec. 2022.
27. S. Cai, J. L. Kirtley, and C. H. T. Lee, “Critical review of direct-drive electrical machine systems for electric and hybrid electric vehicles,” IEEE Trans. Energy Convers., vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 2657-2668, Dec. 2022.
28. S. Cai, Y. Wang, H. Chen, et al., “Design and analysis of a doubly salient wound field starter generator for cost-effective automobile application,” IEEE Trans. Veh. Tech., vol. 71, no. 7, pp. 6900-6911, July 2022.
29. H. Chen, Ayman. M. EL-Refaie, Y. F. Zuo, S. Cai, S. C. Xie, and C. H. T. Lee, “Evaluation of a contra-rotating flux-modulated machine featured with dual flux-modulation for wind power generation," IEEE Trans. Ind. Elecon., vol. 69, no. 9, pp. 8770-8781, Sept. 2022.
30. Y. J. He, S. Cai, Y. Zhou, and C. H. T. Lee, “Comparative study of two degree-of-freedom rotary-linear machines with permanent-magnet mover for high dynamic performance," IEEE Access, vol. 10, pp. 90609-90622, 2022.
31. J. X. Shen, Y. Q. Lin, Y. Sun, X. F. Qin, W. J. Wan and S. Cai, "Permanent magnet synchronous reluctance machines with axially combined rotor structure," IEEE Trans. Magn., vol. 58, no. 2, pp. 1-10, Feb. 2022.

2021

32. Asef P, Denai M, Marques BR, Paulides JJH, Lapthorn A, “Commutation angle maps evaluation for magnet arrangements of interior permanent magnet synchronous machines in electric vehicles,” International Conference on Smart Energy Systems and Technologies (SEST), IEEE, 2021.
33. Asef P, Bargallo R, Lapthorn A, Tavernini D, Shao L, Sorniotti A, “Assessment of the Energy Consumption and Drivability Performance of an IPMSM-Driven Electric Vehicle Using Different Buried Magnet Arrangements,” Energies, vol. 14, no. 5, 2021.
34. Asef P, Lapthorn A, “Overview of Sensitivity Analysis Methods Capabilities for Traction AC Machines in Electrified Vehicles,” IEEE Access, vol. 9, 2021.
35. S. Cai, Z. Q. Zhu, J. C. Mipo, and S. Personnaz, “Investigation of novel doubly salient hybrid excited machine with non-overlapped field winding,” IEEE Trans. Energy Convers., vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 2261-2275, Sept. 2021.
36. S. Cai, Z. Q. Zhu, J. C. Mipo, and S. Personnaz, “Investigation of novel fractional slot non-overlapping winding hybrid excited machines with different rotor topologies,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., vol. 57, no. 1, pp. 468-480, Jan.-Feb. 2021.
37. X. Y. Sun, Z. Q. Zhu, S. Cai, F. R. Wei, B. Shao, “Influence of stator slot and rotor pole number combination on field winding induced voltage ripple in hybrid excitation switched flux machine," IEEE Trans Energy Convers., vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 1245-1261, June 2021.
38. F. Xu, T. R. He, Z. Q. Zhu, S. Cai, H. Bin, D. Wu, L. M. Gong, and J. T. Chen, "Influence of slot number on electromagnetic performance of 2-pole high-speed permanent magnet motors with toroidal windings," IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl., vol. 57, no. 6, pp. 6023-6033, Nov.-Dec. 2021.

2020

39. Asef P, Bargallo R, Lapthorn A, “Magnetic Noise Reduction of In-Wheel Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors for Light-Duty Electric Vehicles,” Vehicles, vol. 2, no. 1, 2020.
40. S. Cai, Z. Q. Zhu, C. Wang, J. C. Mipo, and S. Personnaz, “A novel fractional slot non-overlapping winding hybrid excited synchronous machine with consequent-pole PM rotor," IEEE Trans. Energy Convers., vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 1628-1637, Sept. 2020.
41. M. Zheng, S. Cai, and Z. Q. Zhu, “Investigation of a hybrid excited doubly salient machine with permanent magnets located on stator slot openings,” IET EPA, vol. 14, pp. 1541-1549, Sep 2020.

2019

42. Asef P, Bargallo Perpina R, Moazami S, Lapthorn AC, “Rotor Shape Multi-Level Design Optimization for Double-Stator Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors,” IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, vol. 34, no. 3, 2019.
43. Asef P, Bargallo R, Lapthorn AC, “Time-domain computation of rotational iron losses considering the bulk conductivity for PMSMs,” IET Electric Power Applications, vol. 13, no. 6, 2019.
44. Asef P, Perpina RB, Barzegaran MR, Lapthorn A, “A 3-D Pareto-Based Shading Analysis on Solar Photovoltaic System Design Optimization,” IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, vol. 10, no. 2, 2019.
45. Asef P, Bargallo Perpina R, Lapthorn AC, “Optimal Pole Number for Magnetic Noise Reduction in Variable-Speed Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines With Fractional-Slot Concentrated Windings,” IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, vol. 5, no. 1, 2019.
46. S. Cai, Z. Q. Zhu, J. Mipo and S. Personnaz, "A novel parallel hybrid excited machine with enhanced flux regulation capability," IEEE Trans. Energy Convers., vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 1938-1949, Dec. 2019.
47. Z. Q. Zhu and S. Cai, "Hybrid excited permanent magnet machines for electric and hybrid electric vehicles," CES Trans. Electrical Machines and Systems, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 233-247, Sept. 2019.
48. M. Zheng, Z. Q. Zhu, S. Cai and S. S. Xue, "A novel modular stator hybrid-excited doubly salient synchronous machine with stator slot permanent magnets," IEEE Trans. Magn., vol. 55, no. 7, pp. 1-9, July 2019.
49. M. Zheng, Z. Q. Zhu, S. Cai, H. Y. Li and Y. Liu, "Influence of stator and rotor pole number combinations on the electromagnetic performance of stator slot-opening PM hybrid-excited machine," IEEE Trans. Magn., vol. 55, no. 5, pp. 1-10, May 2019.

2018

50. Asef P, Bargallo Perpina R, Barzegaran MR, Agarwal T, “Electromagnetic-based evaluation of different Halbach array topologies with gap consideration for the permanent magnet synchronous machines,” Electrical Engineering, vol. 100, no. 3, 2018.
51. Asef P, Bargallo Perpina R, Barzegaran MR, Lapthorn A, Mewes D, “Multiobjective Design Optimization Using Dual-Level Response Surface Methodology and Booth's Algorithm for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generators,” IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, vol. 33, no. 2, 2018.
52. Asef P, Bargallo Perpina R, Barzegaran M, “Global sizing optimisation using dual-level response surface method based on mixed-resolution central composite design for permanent magnet synchronous generators,” IET Electric Power Applications, vol. 12, no. 5, 2018.
53. Asef P, Perpina RB, Barzegaran MR, Dong J, Lapthorn A, Mohammed OA, “A comparative study of Quasi-FEA technique on iron losses prediction for permanent magnet synchronous machines,” Progress In Electromagnetics Research C, vol. 81, 2018.
54. Asef P, Perpina RB, Barzegaran MR, Lapthorn A, Mewes D, “Load identification of different Halbach-array topologies on permanent magnet synchronous generators using the coupled field-circuit FE methodology,” Electric Power Systems Research, vol. 154, 2018.

2017

55. Asef P, Bargallo R, Lapthorn A, “Iron Loss Prediction Using Modified IEM-Formula during the Field Weakening for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines,” Machines, vol. 5, no. 4, 2017.