Capabilities

Research Staff

The Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group (PEEMRG) consists of more than 35 staff members and collaborates with numerous researchers in industry and academia. Staff members hold advanced degrees in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, nuclear engineering, and physics. Most are active members of professional societies such as the IEEE, IEE, ASME, and SAE, and hold leadership positions in these organizations.

Since 1990, 42 patents have been granted with several more pending. Researchers have published more than 300 technical papers with more than 60 papers published in IEEE Transactions of the following societies: Power Electronics, Industry Applications, Energy Conversion, Power Delivery, Industrial Electronics, Instrumentation and Measurement, and Magnetics.

PEEMRG Staff

Burak Ozpineci
Dr. Burak Ozpineci is the group leader of the of the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He received a M.S. and Ph.D. from The University of Tennessee in electrical engineering in 1998 and 2002, respectively, and his B.S. degree from the Orta Dogu Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. He joined the Post-Masters Program with the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 2001 and became a full time staff member at the PEEMRG in 2002. Dr. Ozpineci is the Chair of the IEEE PELS Rectifiers and Inverters Technical Committee and was Transactions Review Chairman of the IEEE Industry Applications Society Industrial Power Converter Committee, and He also has a Joint Faculty Associate Professor position with The University of Tennessee. His research interests include system-level impact of SiC power devices, multilevel inverters, power converters for distributed energy resources and hybrid electric vehicles, and intelligent control applications for power converters.

	Curt W. Ayers Curt Ayers is a research engineer in the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He has worked at ORNL for 15 years in the areas of diagnostics and non-destructive examination methods. Presently he is involved in R&D work and machine design relating to applications of power electronics and advanced electric machine technologies to electric vehicles.
	Tim Burress Tim Burress began working with the Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group at the NTRC in June of 2004. He is currently working on benchmarking research and has worked with vector control of permanent magnet synchronous machines for traction drive applications. He received his BSEE at the University of Tennessee in December 2004 and a M.S. in electrical engineering at UT with a focus on control systems and power electronics.
	Steven Campbell Steven Campbell has been working as an Electromechanical Technician in the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group since June of 2004. He received his Associates of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering Technology from Pellissippi State Technical Community College and is currently working on his Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
	Madhu Chinthavali Madhu Sudhan Chinthavali received his M.S. degree in electrical engineering at The University of Tennessee in December 2003. He received a B.E. degree in electrical engineering in 2000 from Bharathidasan University , India . He is presently a post-masters participant at the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group and is in the Power and Energy Systems Group of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
	Chester L. Coomer Chester Coomer is a technical staff member of the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He graduated from Tennessee Institute of Electronics in 1971 and began work as an electrical and mechanical technician in centrifuge R&D at the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant. He has also been involved with seismic testing of operating centrifuges, flywheel development and testing, and electric machine fabrication.
	Kathy Gambrell Kathy Gambrell is a staff member in the Power Electronics and Electrical Power Systems Research Center at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Kathy attended Tennessee Technological University and Roane State Community College and has over 25 years experience in project management and outreach. She serves as an interface with ORNL staff members, sponsors, universities, and private industries to fulfill project-related objectives. She also defines and implements project goals, commitments, and milestones; performs financial analyses; and monitors technical projects to ensure sponsor satisfaction. Before coming to the center, Kathy was involved in intelligent transportation systems outreach activities for the US Department of Transportation.
	John S. Hsu Dr. John Hsu is the lead scientist in electric machinery research for the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He received a B.S. in electrical engineering from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Bristol University, England. He has worked in electric machine research and development areas for Newman Industry, Emerson Electric Company, and Westinghouse Electric Corporation. He served as head of the Rotating Machines and Power Electronics Program, Center for Energy Studies, the University of Texas at Austin for four years. Dr. Hsu is the author or co-author of over 100 technical papers and reports. He is involved with 31 patents in the design and control of electric machines, is a registered professional engineer, and is a fellow of IEE (IET).
	Mike Jenkins Mike Jenkins is a technical staff member of the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He has been a journeyman sheet metal worker and machinist for 28 years.
	Karen Lewis Karen Lewis is a program specialist with the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Group. She provides financial and proposal guidance to the group.
	Zhenxian Liang Zhenxian Liang is a R&D staff member of the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Group. He received his B.S (Eng.) in 1983 and the M. S (Eng.) in 1986, both from Xi’an Jiaotong University, China, and a Ph. D from Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, in 1993. Prior to joining ORNL in May 2010, he has worked with the R&A division of Ford Motor Company, the GRC of Generic Electric Company and the CPES at Virginia Tech. He was an associate professor with the Electrical Engineering School of Xi’an Jiaotong University. He has been mostly engaged in research to develop advanced electronics devices and modules. He is currently involved in the development of power semiconductor packaging technology and integrated power electronics modules for electric power process applications. Dr. Liang is a senior member of IEEE and a member of IMAPS.
	Laura Marlino Laura Marlino is a research engineer and the Director of Vehicle Electrification Partnerships in the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She received her B.S. degree in electronics engineering from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico and her M.S.E.E. degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. Her graduate thesis was on power electronics for low earth orbit satellites. During her engineering career she has been employed with Teledyne Camera Systems in California doing analog video design and Honeywell Aerospace and Marine in New Mexico as both a test and design engineer involved with cockpit displays and processors for military aircraft. She also has worked as an IC design engineer with ASIC International in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
	John M. Miller John M. Miller is a research scientist in the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group. He is an IEEE Fellow and received the BSEE degree from the University of Arkansas, the MSEE degree from Southern Methodist University, and the Ph.D. Degree from Michigan State University, all in electric engineering. He has authorized over 170 publications on automotive electrical and electronic systems, utility power systems and transportation systems. He holds 53 U.S. patents with several patents pending.
	Puqi Ning Puqi Ning received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, and the Ph.D. degree from the Center for Power Electronics Systems, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, in 2004, 2006, and 2010, respectively. In 2010, he joined the Oak Ridge National Lab, Knoxville, TN. His research interests include advance power module packaging, thermal management, high density converter development.
	Mitch Olszewski Mitch Olszewski is the director of the Power Electronics and Electrical Power System Research Center and a manager for the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Program. He has a B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked at ORNL for over 30 years in programs ranging from waster heat utilization to space power.
	Pam Olszewski Pam Olszewski is the secretary for the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group. She joined the Engineering and Technology Division in 1992 and in 1996 she transferred into her current position. She attended Pellissippi State Technical Community College.
	Larry E. Seiber Larry Seiber is a technical staff member of the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He graduated from Roane State in 1974 with an Associate Degree in Electronics Technology. He developed machine drive and instrumentation technology while working in the Power Electronics group of the Centrifuge Division at the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant from 1974 - 1985. In 1985, he joined the Y-12 Development Division where he provided mechanical and electrical design and Construction oversight support to the Continuous Automated Vault Inventory System program as well as technical support for the Local Area Network and several computer systems. He joined ORNL in 2000.
	Gui-Jia Su Gui-Jai Su is a research scientist in the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He received the B.S. in electrical engineering from Wuhan University of Hydraulic and Electrical Engineering, China, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Nagaoka University of Technology, Japan. He has worked as a research associate in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Nagaoka University of Technology conducting research on high-speed motor drive applications and high frequency power distribution systems. He is a member of the IEEE.
	Lixin Tang Lixin Tang received the B.Eng. and M.Eng. degrees in electrical engineering from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China, in 1991 and 1994, and Ph.D. from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia in 2004, respectively. From April 1994 to August 1998, he was with the Beijing Institute of Mechanical Equipment, first as an assistant electrical engineer, then as an electrical engineer since 1996. He participated in several projects on static frequency converters. In August 1998, he joined GE Hangwei Medical Systems Co. Ltd., Beijing , China as an electrical engineer, where he was in charge of the design, quality control, and technical support of the x-ray generator (XG) subsystem of several CT scanners. He worked as a part-time teaching/research assistant in UNSW from 2000 to 2004, while he was studying for his Ph.D. He worked for Central Queensland University (CQU) as a post-doctoral research officer in Rockhampton , Australia from April 2004 to March 2005. He joined PEEMRG in April 2005. His current research interests are AC drives control and power electronics converters.
	Leon M. Tolbert Leon Tolbert is an associate professor at the University of Tennessee and an senior research engineer in the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He received the B.E.E., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is a registered professional engineer in Tennessee and active member of the IEEE Industry Applications and Power Electronics Societies. He has worked at ORNL since 1991 on electrical distribution design, power quality, and power electronic inverters for motor drives and active filters.
	Fei (Fred) Wang Fred Wang received the B.S. degree from Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, in 1982, 1985, and 1990, respectively, all in electrical engineering. Dr. Wang was a Research Scientist in the Electric Power Lab, University of Southern California, from 1990 to 1992. He joined the GE Power Systems Engineering Department, Schenectady, NY, as an Application Engineer in 1992. From 1994 to 2000, he was a Senior Product Development Engineer with GE Industrial Systems, Salem, VA. During 2000 to 2001, he was the Manager of Electronic & Photonic Systems Technology Lab, GE Global Research Center, Schenectady, NY and Shanghai, China. In 2001, he joined the Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES) at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA as a Research Associate Professor and became an Associate Professor in 2004. From 2003, he also served as the CPES Technical Director. Since 2009, he has been with The University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Lab, Knoxville, TN as a Professor and Condra Chair of Excellence in Power Electronics. His research interests include power electronics, power systems, controls, electric machines and motor drives. Dr. Wang is a fellow of IEEE.
	Cliff P. White Cliff White is a technical staff member of the Power Electronics and Electronic Machinery Research Center at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He received an Associate of Science in electronic engineering technology from the State Technical Institute at Knoxville in 1979. He has worked at Texas Instruments in Johnson City, Tennessee, as a troubleshoot technician on their line of industrial controllers. In 1980, he began work at the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant. He has been instrumental in the design and assembly of several prototype inverters for use in laboratory experiments or as part of industry-sponsored projects conducted at ORNL.
	Randy Wiles Randy has worked at TVA as a designer for the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant, as well as a designer of robotic and remotely maintained hot cell equipment for Remotec in Oak Ridge. Randy received an Associate of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Pellissippi State in Knoxville . He joined ORNL in 1988 and the Nuclear Science and Technology Division. Responsibilities there were hot cell equipment design, as well as the design; fabrication, testing and QA qualification of curium recycle targets in support of the Heavy Element Research Program. Randy joined the Power Electronics and Electric Machinery Research Group at the National Transportation Research Center where he is involved in R&D work, machine design and operational testing relating to applications of power electronics and advanced electric machine technologies to electric vehicles.

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