We Couldn’t Do It Without You – Dr. Ali Emadi

Professor Ali Emadi, Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Hybrid Powertrain and director of McMaster Institute for Automotive Research and Technology (MacAUTO), is an award-winning expert who is exceptionally passionate about educating and empowering the next generation of engineers and leaders for the energy and automotive industries. Dr. Emadi has established a solid research program focused on pioneering sustainable energy-efficient solutions, from advanced power electronic converters and electric motor drives to electric, hybrid electric, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Dr. Emadi’s research group is a leader in electric-hybrid vehicular research. According to him, “One of the biggest challenges (and opportunities) of our time is in the area of energy and sustainability. Transportation is at the heart of this challenge (and opportunity) and electrification of vehicles is the best sustainable solution to move forward. We should increase the electrification level of vehicular systems as much as possible and as fast as possible.”

Upon his arrival at McMaster University, Dr. Emadi immediately set about resurrecting the McMaster Formula SAE team, one of the competitions longest running teams. Under his guidance the team shifted their focus from traditional internal combustion engines to hybrid powertrains, ushering in a new era in multidisciplinary experiential learning at McMaster University. In only 4 short years the McMaster Formula Hybrid Team went from newcomers to perennial front-runners. With multiple General Motors Best Engineered Hybrid, and IEEE Engineering the Future Awards, as well as top placements overall, Dr. Emadi and his team were poised to take on a new challenge.

The AVTC EcoCAR 3 competition is widely regarded as one of the top collegiate design and engineering competitions worldwide, and proved to be an ideal challenge by competing against the top 16 academic research programs in North America. With a 6^th place overall in the first year of EcoCAR 3, the best finish by a rookie team in AVTC history, McMaster Engineering EcoCAR 3 and Dr. Emadi are ready to bring about a vehicle revolution through ingenuity, student experiential learning and sustainability without compromise.

Dr. Emadi has been instrumental in the educational renaissance taking place at McMaster University. By taking learning outside the classroom, Dr. Emadi is giving his students the ability to apply what they have learned in class to a real world, high performance, and practical engineering problem with limited boundaries. This in turn has had a tremendous effect on his students, as many have found their true passions working with him on extracurricular vehicle projects, advancing on to successful careers all over the world. His commitment to experiential learning, and his students is second to none as he is available at all hours to answer questions and provide guidance related to technical issues, project management concerns, and communication messaging and execution.