Dr. Dan M. Ionel is Professor of Electrical Engineering and the inaugural L. Stanley Pigman Chair in Power at University of Kentucky (UK), where he was appointed in the fall of 2015. At UK within the Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering, he is also the Director of the SPARK Laboratory and of the PEIK Institute. Following his 2024 sabbatical in England as a Leverhulme Visiting Professor with University of Bath, expanding also the collaboration at University of Oxford, he has been appointed an Honorary Professor with University College London (UCL). He received the M.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, Romania. His doctoral program included a Leverhulme Visiting Fellowship at the University of Bath, England. He was a Postdoctoral Researcher in the SPEED Laboratory, University of Glasgow, Scotland.
Dr. Ionel worked in industry for more than 20 years, most recently with very large multi-national companies, as Chief Engineer for Regal Beloit Corp., and previously as the Chief Scientist for Vestas Wind Turbines. Concurrently, he was also a Visiting and Research Professor at the University of Wisconsin and Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. While in industry, Dr. Ionel conducted major developments for new technologies with long-lasting impact, products, and facilities for large industrial Fortune 1,000 companies. Projects included some of the first IPM motors and drives, widely used software for electric machine design, most successful range of ECMs, electric machines and drives with ratings between 0.002 and 10,000hp, record setting highest-power wind turbines, first generation commercially available sports and professional racing EVs, award-winning analysis methods for solar PV, and large-scale co-simulators of smart buildings and grids for electric power distribution. More recent research in academia has also included US national programs for new electric machines and drives for EV and aircraft, spatiotemporal power systems studies, demonstrators of renewable energy resources, energy storage, and smart grids in KY and the US, and collaboration with national labs and international universities. Research has been supported by NSF, DOE, NIST, NASA, DOD, DoEd, and directly by leading industrial companies and electric power utilities.
Dr. Ionel is an IEEE Fellow, was the inaugural Chair of the IEEE Industry Applications Society Renewable and Sustainable Energy Conversion Systems Committee, Chair of the IEEE Power and Energy Society Electric Motor Subcommittee, Editor of IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy, Technical Program Chair of the IEEE ECCE 2015 Congress, and the General Chair of the IEEE 2017 IEMDC Conference Anniversary Edition. He was the Editor-in-Chief of the Electric Power Components and Systems Journal and the Chair of the Steering Committee for the IEEE IEMDC Series of Conferences. Dr. Ionel holds more than 40 patents, including a medal winner at the Geneva Invention Fair. He co-authored four books, including “Renewable Energy Devices and Systems – Simulations with MATLAB and ANSYS” with CRC Press, and “Multiphysics Simulation by Design for Electrical Machines, Power Electronics and Drives” with IEEE – John Wiley Press, and published more than 300 hundred papers, including many winners of best paper/poster awards. He has been included in the Stanford-Elsevier List of World’s Top 2% Scientists. In 2020, he received the CG Veinott Award, the highest distinction for electromechanical energy conversion from the IEEE Power and Energy Society. He taught and advised student research on subjects of electric machines and power electronic drives, electromagnetic devices, alternative and renewable energy technologies, electric and hybrid vehicles, electric power systems, smart grids and buildings.
Dr. Vandana Rallabandi is an academic research collaborator and mentor for SPARK Lab students. She is a full-time Senior R&D Staff at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), TN where she has been since 2022. Her research topics include electric machines, power electronics drives, renewable energy devices and systems, energy storage, and power systems. At ORNL, her recent work includes wireless power transfer for electric vehicles, high-speed traction motors, and advanced magnetic materials as documented in publications listed on her ORNL profile. In between 2016 and 2018 Vandana was the inaugural post-doc in the SPARK Lab at UK. She then moved to General Electric Research, Niskayuna, NY in 2018, where she was a Lead Engineer. She received the M.Tech. and Ph.D. degrees from IIT Bombay in 2008 and 2013, respectively, and worked at GE Research Bangalore, India as a Research Engineer from 2013-2016. She is an inventor on multiple US patents and patent applications covering power converters, electric-machine cooling, fault-current mitigation, and soft magnetic materials. She has also written for IEEE Spectrum, and has given invited talks at international conferences, including a recent talk on electric motors using non-rare-earth permanent magnets. She has over 2,500 citations and an h-index of 26 across more than 50 publications, including papers in IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, and IEEE Access. Vandana is a Senior Member of IEEE and an Associate Editor for IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications. She served as the Technical Program Chair for IEEE ECCE 2023, IEEE IEMDC 2025, is currently Technical Program Chair for IEEE IEMDC 2027 and has been elected General Chair for IEEE IEMDC 2029.
Dr. Rosemary E. Alden is an academic research collaborator and mentor for SPARK Lab students. She is a full-time Research Engineer with ABB Corporate Research in Raleigh, NC. Rosemary graduated in 2025 with a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (EE) from University of Kentucky (UK), where she was advised by Dr. Dan M. Ionel in the SPARK Lab. She received the B.S. in EE in 2021 together with a minor in Math and the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Undergraduate Certificate. As an undergrad student she was a Pigman Scholar and was enrolled as a USP/AMP student for integrating undergraduate and graduate studies. During her studies at UK, she was a national merit NSF Graduate Research Fellow, a NASA Kentucky undergraduate and graduate researcher, an NSF REU student, and a summer visitor and remote research student collaborator with the University of Oxford in England. She started research as an undergraduate at UK on projects supported NSF, DOE and directly by major utilities such as TVA, LG&E and KU, and PPL. She also completed internships with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). At UK she received the H. Alex Romanowitz Memorial Award, the Maurice A. Clay Awarde, and in 2023, she was recognized by the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering with the Outstanding PhD Student Award and a Lighthouse Beacon Foundation Graduate Fellowship. Rosemary is a recipient of multiple IEEE best paper and poster awards. Her research topics include artificial intelligence, smart home and grid technologies, renewable energy, and electric power systems.
Dr. Donovin D. Lewis is an academic research collaborator and mentor for SPARK Lab students. He is a full-time R&D Engineer with ABB US Corporate Research Center in Raleigh, NC. Donovin graduated in 2025 with a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (EE) from University of Kentucky (UK), where he was advised by Dr. Dan M. Ionel in the SPARK Lab. He received the B.S. in EE in 2021 together with the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Undergraduate Certificate. As an undergraduate student he was a William C. Parker Diversity Scholar and was enrolled as a USP/AMP student for integrating undergraduate and graduate studies. During his studies at UK, he was a national merit NSF Graduate Research Fellow, a NASA Kentucky undergraduate researcher, a remote research collaborator and summer visitor with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee and with University of Oxford in England. He started research as an undergraduate at UK on projects supported NSF, DOE and directly by major industrial companies, including ANSYS and Regal Rexnord. He was an intern in industry with Midea Appliances R&D and Link-Belt Cranes while serving in a leading role with the national champion University of Kentucky Solar Car team. In 2021, Donovin was awarded the Otis A. Singletary Graduate Fellowship, the highest UK distinction for incoming PhD students, and in 2024, he was recognized by the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering with the 2024 Outstanding PhD Student Award and a Lighthouse Beacon Foundation Graduate Fellowship. Donovin is a recipient of multiple IEEE best paper and poster awards. His research topics include wireless power transfer, multi-physics modeling, electric machines and power electronic drives.
Matin Vatani is a Ph.D. candidate in the SPARK Laboratory, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at University of Kentucky (UK). He started his studies at UK in August 2022 after receiving his M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering (EE) with a minor in Power Electronics and Electrical Machines from the Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT - Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, Iran. At UK, his contributions as a Research Assistant included projects sponsored by NSF, NASA, and industrial companies. During his Ph.D., he worked as a summer and fall intern in electric motor and power electronics R&D teams at Toshiba International Corporation in Houston, Texas. His research has been recognized with multiple academic honors and awards for papers and experimental demonstrations, including at the IEEE International Conference on Renewable Energy Research and Applications (ICRERA), the IEEE International Electric Machines & Drives Conference (IEMDC), and the IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Expo (ECCE). He also received the Best M.Sc. Thesis Award among all engineering majors at AUT. His current research focuses on advanced electromagnetic analytical and finite element analysis (FEA), electric machine design optimization, hybrid machine learning-FEA methods, motor control, power electronic systems, and electrification of transportation.
Steven Poore is a Ph.D. candidate and an NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the SPARK Laboratory, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at University of Kentucky (UK). He received his B.S. in EE in May 2023 along with a minor in Math and the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky (PEIK) Undergraduate Certificate. During his undergraduate studies, Steven was enrolled in the University Scholars Program (USP), and was a L. Stanley Pigman Scholar, an NSF REU Student, and an Undergraduate Research Ambassador and Fellow supported by major utilities: PPL and TVA, on electric power systems projects. He was an IEEE PES Scholarship Plus Initiative Recipient, Chair of the IEEE PES & IAS Student Chapter at UK, H. Alex Romanowitz Memorial Awardee, Robert L. Cosgriff Awardee, and an intern and co-op with Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities (LG&E and KU). In 2023 he was awarded the most prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for his doctoral studies. As a graduate student, Steven has worked with industry collaborators from AO Smith, the world’s leading water heater manufacturer, as well as large regional utilities PPL and TVA. He is a remote research collaborator and summer visitor with the University of Oxford in England, and at the 2025 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference (ITEC), he received the Best Poster Award. His current research focuses include volt/var optimization, power hardware-in-the-loop simulation, distribution network reconfiguration, and electrification of transportation and water heating.
Kwabena A. Kyeremeh is a Ph.D. candidate with the SPARK Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA, where he began his doctoral studies in 2023. He received the B.Sc. degree in electrical/electronic engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, and the M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Prior to beginning his doctoral studies, he was a Lecturer in Electrical Engineering at the University of Energy and Natural Resources and a Research Fellow with the Regional Center for Energy and Environmental Sustainability. He also has industrial experience as an Electrical Design Engineer, working on electrical systems for residential, commercial, and industrial facilities. During his Ph.D. studies, he worked with PPL Corporation, a large regional electric utility company in the United States. His research interests include battery energy storage systems, renewable energy integration, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and power system protection. His research has been presented at international conferences, including the IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting, IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition, IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo, and International Conference on Renewable Energy Research and Applications.
Diego Lopez G. is a Ph.D. student in the SPARK Laboratory, Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at the University of Kentucky (UK). He began his Ph.D. studies after receiving his B.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering from the Universidad de La Sabana, Colombia, in 2024. Before starting his Ph.D., he worked as a Visiting Student Scholar at the SPARK Lab, where he contributed to the mechanical design of two lab prototypes for advanced concepts of electric machines. During his undergraduate studies, Diego was a member of the Shell Eco-Marathon team, which designs, builds, and races ultra-efficient electric vehicles, participating in the Brazil 2022 competition. He was awarded the Excellence Scholarship by Universidad de La Sabana throughout his undergraduate studies. He currently serves as a Teaching Assistant in the ECE Department and a Research Assistant in the SPARK Lab, with his research focused on electric machines, particularly electric propulsion for aircraft.
Lucas Gastineau is a Ph.D. student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the SPARK Laboratory, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, at the University of Kentucky (UK). He received his B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering in May of 2025 with the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Undergraduate Certificate. Lucas is a recipient of a highly competitive NASA REU through the NASA KY Space Grant for research on polyphase wireless charging coil design applications. He has also received many merit-based substantial scholarships at UK, including the Provost’s, DCI scholarship, the national competitive IEEE PES Scholarship Plus Initiative award, and the E.On for power and energy, which made it possible for him to support university attendance. He has previously worked as a Teaching Assistant and Undergraduate Research Fellow for the ECE Department at UK, served as the Vice Chair of the IEEE PES Student Chapter at UK, and was a project lead for PCB design on the nationally awarded University of Kentucky Solar Car Team (UKSC). Lucas was awarded in 2025 a most prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for his doctoral studies. As a graduate student, Lucas is a remote research collaborator and summer visitor with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee. His current research focuses on advanced electromagnetic FEA, electric machines, wireless charging of electric devices, and machine learning based design.
David Stewart is a Ph.D. student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in the SPARK Laboratory, Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at the University of Kentucky (UK). He received his B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering in May of 2025 with the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Undergraduate Certificate. As an undergraduate student at UK, David was a University Scholar’s Program student, a recipient of the IEEE Power and Energy (PES) Scholarship Plus Initiative award, a NASA KY REU student, and a recipient of the E.On Scholarship for Power and Energy. He previously worked as an undergraduate research fellow and TA for UK’s ECE Department and served as the Chair of UK’s IEEE PES Society Student Chapter as well as the Vice President and Treasurer for UK’s Beta Upsilon Chapter of the IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu (IEEE-HKN) National Electrical Engineering Honor Society. In 2025 David was awarded a most prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for his doctoral studies. As a graduate student, David has worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for UK’s ECE and First Year Engineering (FYE) Departments and as a Research Assistant, where his work includes collaborative research with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, NASA, and industry partners. His current research focuses on electric machine design using advanced electromagnetic finite element analysis (FEA) software as well as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) based optimization methods.
Spencer Goode-Kulchar is a Ph.D. student and DoW SMART Scholar in the SPARK Laboratory, Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at the University of Kentucky (UK). He received his B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering in May of 2026 along with a minor in Math and the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Undergraduate Certificate. As an undergraduate student at UK, Spencer was a USP/AMP student for accelerated graduate studies, and recipient of the L. Stanley and Karen Pigman Scholarship, E.On Scholarship, GRIP Scholarship, IEEE Power and Energy Scholarship (PES) Plus Initiative Award. He has previously worked as a teaching assistant, social media representative for the ECE Department, Vice Chair and Webmaster of the IEEE Power and Energy Society student chapter at UK, and is an active member of IEEE-Eta Kappa Nu (IEEE-HKN), the national electrical engineering honor society. Spencer completed three consecutive summer internships at Gray, a leading firm in data center construction. He was also selected and offered a 2026 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and decided to continue his doctoral work through the SMART Scholarship Program. His current research focuses on power electronic drives, advanced electromagnetic finite element analysis (FEA), and electric machine design.
Grant Fischer is a Ph.D. student and DoW SMART Scholar in the SPARK Laboratory, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, at University of Kentucky (UK). He completed his B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering in May of 2026 with the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Undergraduate Certificate. As an undergraduate student at UK, Grant was a USP/AMP student for accelerated graduate studies, a University of Kentucky E.On Scholar, and a recipient of the IEEE Power and Energy (PES) Scholarship Plus Initiative award. He previously worked as a teaching assistant and served as the Chair and Secretary of the IEEE Power and Energy Society student chapter at UK. He was a 2026 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow Program awardee, and he received a best poster award at the IEEE ITEC 2025 conference. He has interned and collaborated with PPL, which includes the largest electric utility in Kentucky. In 2026, Grant was awarded the SMART Scholarship Program with the U.S. Navy for his doctoral studies. His research focuses on electric power systems, including machine learning, data center loads, energy storage systems, microgrids, and power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL).