McMaster University & Mohawk College
About
The Battery Workforce Challenge team from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and Mohawk College in Hamilton,
Ontario, includes 71 active members. Together, they are dedicated to advancing battery technology and workforce readiness
through hands-on learning and collaboration.
Mission
Our team is committed to shaping a skilled and diverse workforce for the battery industry. Our mission is to foster learning,
ignite passion, and bridge the gap in battery technology careers, empowering individuals and advancing the energy
revolution.
Goals
- Goal1: Deliver a Fully Validated Battery Pack System
- Our engineering focus for Year 3 is to ensure the battery module, battery disconnect unit, and battery pack
control module are fully tested, documented, and approved by subject matter experts for pack integration. The
objective is to deliver a complete and reliable battery pack that is built, validated, and integrated into the RAM
ProMaster EV in accordance with Argonne design rules and KPIs. This milestone represents our team’s
commitment to technical excellence, safety, and innovation in battery system development.
- Our engineering focus for Year 3 is to ensure the battery module, battery disconnect unit, and battery pack
- Goal2: Strengthen Communications and Outreach Impact
- To enhance visibility and engagement, our team is aiming to increase social media followers across all platforms by 35% during Year 3 and maintain an average posting rate of 4 posts per month. Through consistent, high-quality content, we aim to highlight our progress and inspire broader interest in sustainable transportation technologies.
- Goal3: Advance Research and Academic Contributions
- We aim to publish three peer-reviewed papers in leading IEEE conferences or journals, such as ITEC, IECON, or IEEE Access. These publications will showcase the team’s research excellence, promote collaboration within the academic and industry communities, and contribute to advancing knowledge in battery systems and workforce development.
Team Members
Saeid Habibi
Lead Faculty Advisor
McMaster University
Phillip Kollmeyer
Faculty Advisor
McMaster University
Ryan Ahmed
Faculty Advisor
McMaster University
Mariano Arriaga
Vocational Faculty Advisor
Mohawk College
Majlinda Qarri
Vocational Faculty Advisor
Mohawk College
Moein Mehrtash
Additional Faculty Advisor
McMaster University
Kimia Ghalkhani
Additional Faculty Advisor
McMaster University
Romulo Vieira
Project Manager
McMaster University
Lewis Gross
Engineering Manager
McMaster University
Amir Akbari
Engineering Manager
McMaster University
Mahir Abdul Nasar
Vehicle Systems Integration Lead
McMaster University
Kavish Wadehra
Battery Pack Hardware Lead, BattScholar 1
McMaster University
Primo Wang
Battery Pack Software Lead
McMaster University
Anna Ying
Communications Lead, BattScholar 2
McMaster University
Lamar Webb
BattScholar 3
Mohawk College
Andrei Veremeenko
BattScholar 4
Get Involved
Role: Overall University PR Contact
Name: Keiko Kataoka
Title: Associate Director, Communications and Marketing
Email: [email protected]
Role: Overall Vocational PR Contact
Name: Erica Daly
Title: Business and Project Manager
Email: [email protected]
Role: Engineering School Communications Contact
Name: Keiko Kataoka
Title: Associate Director, Communications and Marketing
Email: [email protected]
Role: Liberal Arts and Sciences Communications Contact
Name: Keiko Kataoka
Title: Associate Director, Communications and Marketing
Email: [email protected]
Role: Vocational School Communications Contact
Name: Erica Daly
Title: Business and Project Manager
Email: [email protected]
General Information: Interested in designing and building a fast-charging battery pack for a production electric vehicle? How about building connections with international industry leaders in electrification and transportation? We are looking for students like you to join our team! McMaster University is among one of the 12 universities across North America, and one of two universities in Canada, to be selected to participate in an exciting student-led competition.
The Battery Workforce Challenge is a three-year student competition that kicked off since November 2023 and challenges universities and vocational schools from across North America to design, build, test and integrate an advanced EV battery pack into a Stellantis vehicle. Managed by Argonne National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy in partnership with Stellantis and other government and industry sponsors, Battery Workforce Challenge will help prepare a diverse workforce for future battery engineering and manufacturing careers.
Location for Team meetings: Our weekly meetings occur on Microsoft Teams (online) and one-time per week at McMaster Automotive Resource Centre (MARC) – Room 269. Send an email to [email protected] and we will provide more information about the access on these meetings.
Recruitment Process: Our recruitment process occurs three times a year: Fall, Winter and Spring, and this involves an interview with the Project Manager and Mentors, and CV analysis. Send an email to [email protected] and we will provide you with more information about our available positions now.
