Ali Emadi - 2005 Young Engineer Award Winner

Dr. Ali Emadi is the Harris Perlstein Endowed Chair Professor of Engineering and director of the Electric Power and Power Electronics Centre at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He also founded and served as president of spin-off company Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies, Inc.

Emadi is internationally recognized for his in-depth research on hybrid electric vehicle powertrains and electric drives. He holds a PhD in electrical engineering, with a specialization in power electronics and motor drives, from Texas A&M University. He received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Iran.

An extremely active researcher, Emadi has made significant contributions toward the development of hybrid powertrains, power converters, hybrid energy storage systems and powertrain adaptive controls. He has authored over 250 publications and conference papers, as well as several books, including co-authoring Vehicular Electric Power Systems: Land, Sea, Air, and Space Vehicles (2003); and Modern Electric, Hybrid Electric, and Fuel Cell Vehicles: Fundamentals, Theory, and Design (second edition, 2009).

Emadi has served as associate editor on several publishing committees of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the world’s largest and most respected professional engineering association. He has been awarded several patents, including one for his design of the digitally controlled electric motor—an energy-efficient motor available to manufacturers of everyday appliances at a lower cost than earlier versions of electric motors.

Emadi’s main research interests include electric, hybrid and plug-in vehicles; power electronics and motor drives; vehicle power and propulsion systems; transportation energy conversion; and renewable energy systems.