Hanif and Ahmed awarded National Science Foundation grant

Senior Research Associate Athar Hanif and Assistant Professor Qadeer Ahmed have been awarded a Standard Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for their work on dynamic drive control schemes for energy-efficient electric drive systems. The goal of their project is to develop a learning-based control algorithm and produce the software for electric powertrains used in electrified aircraft and electric and hybrid vehicles to address the problem of a decrease in efficiency, aging, flux, and torque derating due to the change in operating and surrounding temperatures of an electrified powertrain. In addition to Hanif and Ahmed, mechanical engineering graduate student Ahmad Hussain Safder is helping on the project.

After being selected for the NSF regional program, Hanif and Ahmed applied for the national-level program and were selected again. The two are participating in NSF’s I-Corps program, which is an entrepreneurial training program that helps participants develop a market-viable product. This program gives the two the potential to make a product that is useful for future vehicles and can provide benefits to automotive and aerospace companies. Hanif had previously patented his idea with Ohio State’s Technology Commercialization office.

Hanif says, “I started working on this idea in 2018 and since then I have been considering how I can convert this work into a viable product. The NSF I-Corps Program is helping me toward that goal.”

Written by CAR Writing Intern, Cassie Forsha