Dr. Dan M. Ionel is Professor of Electrical Engineering, the L. Stanley Pigman Chair in Power, and the Director of the SPARK Laboratory and of the PEIK Institute at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. He previously worked in industry, most recently as Chief Engineer for Regal Beloit Corp., and, before that, as the Chief Scientist for Vestas Wind Turbines. Concurrently, Dr. Ionel was also a Visiting and Research Professor at the University of Wisconsin and Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. He received the M.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University Politehnica of Bucharest, Romania. His doctoral program included a Leverhulme Visiting Fellowship at the University of Bath, England. He was a Postdoctoral Researcher with the SPEED Laboratory, University of Glasgow, Scotland. He contributed to technological developments with long lasting industrial impact, including US’ most successful range of PM motor drives and one of the world’s most powerful wind turbines, and holds more than thirty patents, including a medal winner at the Geneva Invention Fair. His research has been supported by NSF, DOE, NIST, NASA, and directly by leading industrial companies and utilities. Dr. Ionel co-authored three books, including “Renewable Energy Devices and Systems – Simulations with MATLAB and ANSYS” published by CRC Press, and published more than two hundred papers, including five winners of IEEE Best Paper Awards. 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 sustainable and renewable energy technologies, electric machines and power electronic drives, electromagnetic devices, electric power systems, smart grids and buildings. 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 is 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.
Rosemary E. Alden 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). She received her B.S. in EE in May of 2021 along with a minor in Math and the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Undergraduate Certificate. During her undergraduate studies, Rosemary was enrolled in the University Scholars Program (USP), and was a L. Stanley Pigman Scholar, an NSF REU Student and an Undergraduate Research Fellow supported by major utilities: TVA, and LG&E and KU. She was an intern in industry with CMTA, Inc. and in research with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). She was an IEEE PES Scholarship Plus Initiative Recipient, the Inaugural Chair of the IEEE PES & IAS Student Chapter at UK, H. Alex Romanowitz Memorial Awardee, Maurice A. Clay Awardee, and received the IEEE 2020 PES GM Best Undergraduate Poster Award and the 2024 IEEE Transmission and Distribution (T&D) Graduate Student Poster Frist Prize. Rosemary was awarded in 2021 a most prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for her doctoral studies and has been recognized by the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman COE with the 2023 Outstanding PhD Student Award. As a graduate student, she is a remote research collaborator and summer visitor with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee and with the University of Oxford in England. Her current research focuses on artificial intelligence, smart home and grid technologies, EVs, and electric power systems.
Donovin D. Lewis is a Ph.D. candidate and 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 of 2021 with the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Undergraduate Certificate. During his undergraduate studies, Donovin was enrolled in the University Scholars Program (USP), a William C. Parker Diversity Scholar, a NASA REU student, and an Undergraduate Research Fellow on research projects sponsored by DOE, NSF, and directly by industry. He was an intern in industry with Midea Appliances R&D and Link-Belt Cranes while serving in a leading role on the University of Kentucky Solar Car team. In 2021, Donovin was awarded a most prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and an Otis A. Singletary Graduate Fellowship, the highest UK distinction for incoming PhD students. In 2024, he was recognized by the UK Stanley and Karen Pigman COE with the 2024 Outstanding PhD Student Award. As a graduate student, he is a remote research collaborator and summer visitor with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee and with the University of Oxford in England. His current research focuses on wireless power transfer, power electronics, electric machines and drives, and hardware in the loop systems.
Oluwaseun A. Badewa 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 January 2022 after receiving his B.Sc. degree from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria, and the M.Sc. degree from the Christian Albrechts Universitat zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany both in Electrical engineering in 2014 and 2022 respectively. From 2016 to 2020, he worked as a Senior Electrical engineer with DORCL, Nigeria specialized in electrical design and detailed engineering, electrical installation, and commissioning for petrochemical complexes. He was the co-recipient of the Best Paper Award at the 2022 IEEE International Conference on Renewable Energy Research and Applications (ICRERA) with a paper on multi-MW direct-drive wind-turbine generators employing a flux intensifying PM stator and reluctance rotor novel topology. At UK, he has been working as a Research Assistant with research interests in 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).