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Plasma and Dielectrics Laboratory

Georgia Tech ECE Research Lab

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People

Meet our amazing team.

We’re a talented group of research-oriented individuals interested in plasma, cryogenic power electronics, switchgear contacts, heat pipe bushing, high current impulse generators, among others.

Lukas Graber

Associate Professor

Lukas Graber received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from ETH Zurich in 2002 and 2009 respectively. His Ph.D. research focused on SF6 leakage detection in gas-insulated switchgear and was awarded the ETG Innovation Prize. Before he joined Georgia Tech in 2015, he worked several years at the Center for Advanced Power System, Florida State University – initially as a post-doctoral research associate and later as a research faculty member. His focus was on superconducting power cables and fault current limiters, ultra-fast mechanical switchgear, short circuit forces in substations, and grounding aspects of power distribution on future all-electric Navy ships.

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Zhiyang Jin

Research Engineer

Zhiyang (Yang) Jin received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Canterbury(UoC), New Zealand in 2018, and B.E., M.S. degrees from North China Electric Power University. His current research focuses on the ultra-fast mechanical switchgear and applications of superconductivity in high-voltage power apparatus. He likes outdoor activities during his free time, such as tramping/hiking and climbing mountains. His current record is Mount Tapuae-o-Uenuku (2,885m), which took him three days to finish.

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Alfonso Cruz Feliciano

Research Engineer

I received my B.S in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University in 2017 and my M.S in ECE from Georgia Tech in 2019, focusing on Optics and Photonics. My research focuses on characterizing prespack IGBTs, capacitors, and coreless inductors at Cryogenic conditions. I am also researching supercritical fluid mixtures as new dielectrics to understand molecular clustering and its relationship to the electron mean free path. In my free time, I work on some DIY projects, take pictures, and read.

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Maryam Tousi

Postdoctoral Fellow

Maryam Tousi received her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech University in 2020. She also has received a B.S. in Physics in 2010 and M.S. in Condensed-Matter physics from Sharif University of Technology and Amirkabir University (AUT) in 2010 and 2012, respectively. Currently, she is conducting research on the ultra-fast mechanical switchgear and applications of superconductivity in high-voltage power apparatus. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, reading political articles, baking pastries, and spending time with her family.

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Kevin Whitmore

Research Engineer

Kevin received his M.S and B.S ECE degrees from Georgia Tech in 2019 and 2018. His graduate research involved developing electric field sensors for applications in atmospheric electricity sensing and designing calibration methods for said sensors. Before joining Georgia Tech full time he had experience working in the oil and gas, substation field service, and defense industries. Current research for PDL includes closed-loop control algorithm implementation, circuit breaker arc characterization and detection, and more. He enjoys ice skating in his free time.

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Graduate Students

Amrita Ghosh

Fall 2021- Present

I received my B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) in 2020. Currently, I am pursuing my Masters in Georgia Tech with focus on Electrical Energy. My area of research is the optimal control of piezoelectric actuators for DC circuit breakers. I have also worked on the prospect of manufacturing and using exotic cryogenic conductors for aircraft applications. In my spare time, I enjoy swimming, playing badminton and listening to music.

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Kayla Chuong

Fall 2022- Present

I received my B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering from Michigan State University in 2021 where I researched bioactive glass for the purpose of implant coatings. Now I am pursuing my Ph.D. degree at Georgia Tech, and my research has transitioned from biomaterials to electronics, specifically the synthesis and characterization of metal oxide varistors to be used in high voltage DC applications. In my spare time, I enjoy playing video games, reading, practicing kendo, and doing archery.

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Ajay Sukhwani

Fall 2022- Present

I received my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 2022. During this time, I was heavily involved in HyTech Racing, the school’s fully electric Formula SAE racing team. I primarily worked on Powertrain and Suspension design and manufacturing. I also interned at Toyota R&D in the Ride and Handling Department during my undergrad. After that, I interned at Gecko Robotics, where I worked on the sensor payload and base station subsystems. I enjoy weightlifting, rock climbing, hiking, cooking, and racket sports.

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Ning A Guo

Fall 2019 – Present

I received my B.E. in Electrical Engineering and Automation from Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China. Currently, I am pursuing my PhD degree at Georgia Tech with a focus on Electrical Energy. My research focuses on magnetic emanation characteristics from different equipment in substations and the surface flashover on ungrounded shipboard middle voltage power system. I enjoy Japanese cartoons, and I like playing badminton. I am planning to become a YouTuber and upload great videos someday.

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Yang Liu

Fall 2021-Present

I received my BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from Xi’an Jiaotong University in 2009 and 2012. Afterward, I worked for the State Grid Corporation of China as a High Voltage Engineer in multiple departments and institutes, including the central office of the provincial power company in the dept. of maintenance and local research institutes. I was also enrolled in IEC as a partner member in the system committee of smart manufacturing and the system committee of smart cities. My wife and I are big fans of dogs, we have two in our home country, Tesla and Snowy, now raised by my parents.

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Jeong Ho Choi

Fall 2019 – Present

I have worked as a senior engineer at Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) in South Korea since 2006. I am currently pursuing my Ph. D. degree at the Georgia Institute of Technology with core research on Electrical Energy. My research focuses on investigating high-temperature superconducting (HTS) power cable fault detection and analyzing the dielectric properties of electrical insulators in D.C. power systems. In my spare time, I enjoy playing soccer and board game with my kids, watching movies, and traveling with my family.

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Ebrahim Karimi

Fall 2021-Present

I received my B.S. in Physics in 2004 from Isfahan University of Technology (IUT), Iran, and my M.S. in Electrical Engineering in 2020 from Virginia Tech (VT). In my graduate research, I was involved in developing ion-implanted III-V photovoltaic devices. My current research focuses on creepage distance in MVDC shipboard insulation systems and piezoelectric-based fast mechanical switches. I enjoy planting, gardening, fishkeeping, listening to Persian classical music, daily news, and political analysis.

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Undergraduate Students

Adam M Weaver

B.S. Electrical Engineering

PURPLE Summer 2022

    Adele Payman

    B.S. Aerospace Engineering

    Project: Air-breathing Plasma-based Jet Engine

      Mehul Gupta

      B.S. Electrical Engineering

      PURPLE Summer 2022

        Nickolas Lee

        B.S. Electrical Engineering

        Project: EDISON

          Sebastian Calzolano

          B.S. Electrical Engineering

          PURPLE Summer 2022

            Group Graduates

            Jia Wei

            Research Scientist at ABB
            PhD Student (2017-2021)

            Research focused on investigating the dielectric properties of supercritical fluids, and the characteristics of supercritical fluids as an arc quenching medium.

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            Chunmeng Xu

            Research Scientist at ABB
            Ph.D. Student (2016-2021)

            Research focused on high-voltage equipment design and manufacture, dielectric property of electrical insulation materials, fabrication and characterization method of novel electrical materials.

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            Tushar Damle

            Project Engineer at S&C Electric Company
            Ph.D. Student (2016-2020)

            Research focused on characterizing the behavior of electrical contacts in high speed, high current switchgear with respect to contact materials, geometry, and manufacturing processes.

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            Chanyeop Park

            Assistant Professor at Mississippi State University – High Voltage Laboratory
            Postdoctroral Fellow (2018-2019)
            Ph.D Student (2013-2018)

            Research focused on the investigation of the dielectric properties of cryogenic media for high-temperature superconducting (HTS) power devices. 

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            Past Group Members

            Undergraduate Students

            Project: PAWS & ESCAPE

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            Mark Nicoletti

            Spring 2021

            Project: EDISON

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            Cody Kaminsky

            Fall 2021

            Project: Optimization of Coreless Cryogenic Inductors

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            Jackson Bush

            ORS Scholar 2020 – 2021

            Project: Electromagnetic signature of power components

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            Minuk Lee

            Fall 2020 – 2021

            Developed capacitor level sensor to measure the fill level of the cryogenic test bed.

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            Sebastian Tapias

            Fall 2019 – Fall 2020

            Analyzed the performance of an IGBT stack under cryogenic temperature to reduce power loss

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            Jeongmin Huh

            Fall 2018-Spring 2019

            Parameter shift of capacitors in an open bath of liquid nitrogen

            Siddarth

            Fall 2017

            Design of double pulse testbed for cryogenic power electronics

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            Tobias Niebur

            Spring 2017

            Design of a plasma chamber for Langmuir probe experiments

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            Delgermaa Nergui

            Spring 2016

            Project: Lightweight Conductor

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            Raymond Murphy

            Spring 2022

            Project: Optimization of Coreless Cryogenic Inductors

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            Lara Gunesen

            ORS Scholar 2020 – 2021

            Conductor critical heat flux analysis at cryogenic conditions.

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            William Cuthbertson

            Fall 2019-Spring 2020

            Characterized the effects and performance of a Piezoelectric actuator as contacts in Ultrafast Disconnect Switches

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            Adrian Munoz

            Fall 2018

            Properties of capacitors at 77 Kelvin

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            Sai Narra

            Summer 2017

            Life expectancy of capacitor banks in the power distribution system

            Augustine Wu

            Summer 2016

            Evaluation of contact materials for high-speed disconnect switch applications

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            Alice Huynh

            Fall 2015

            Project: EDISON

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            Selene Jordan

            Spring 2022

            Project: Optimization of Coreless Cryogenic Inductors

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            Afsara Khan

            ORS Scholar 2020 – 2021

            Microcontroller-Based Data Acquisition System for Solid-State Transformer

            Shivani Adusumilli

            Fall 2018

            Automation of a Langmuir probe experiment

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            Billbang Sayasean

            Spring 2017

            Evaluation of contact geometries for high-speed disconnect switch applications

            Gyu Cheol Lim

            Fall 2016

            Opportunity Research Scholars (ORS)

            • Modelling and development of a current impulse generator to characterize the fault behavior of electrical contact Students: Caitlin Choate (2017-2018), Jeffrey Q. Zhao (2017-2018), Baris Volkan Gürses (2016-2018), Sai A. Narra (2016-2017), Etitoghene O. Ovhori (2016-2017)

            Past Visiting Scholars

            Topic: Hybrid Circuit Breaker Topologies

            PhD student from Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

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            Swatiben Savaliya

            Feb 2018 – May 2018

            Topic: Cost-benefit analysis for the integration of solar powered electric vehicles into the city of Savannah

            MS Student at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Wels, Austria

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            Dominik Pfaffenbichler

            Mar 2016–Aug 2016

            Topic: Anode phenomena of vacuum arcs

            PhD Student at Xi’an Jiaotong University, China

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            Yunbo Tian

            Jan 2017 – Jan 2018

            Topic: Evaluation of available Landfill Gas at Dean Forest Road Landfill and its beneficial use

            MS Student at the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria, Wels, Austria

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            Philipp Steinlechner

            Mar 2016–Aug 2016

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