Early Stage Researchers
Siamak Pourkeivannour
Siamak Pourkeivannour is from Iran. He received his Master Degree in Electrical Engineering from Middle East Technical University in Turkey at October 2019 and spent four years working with METU Center for Wind Energy as a scientific research project expert. During his Master program, he completed his Master Thesis titled "A Hardware in the loop simulator development for wind energy conversion systems", addressing the grid integration of renewable sources. He possesses a background in power electronics and electrical machines, and his interest in this field led him to join the ASSTRA program and start his PhD at TU/e in May 2020. His research topic focuses on winding topologies and heat management of Solid State Transformers. He will contribute to ASSTRA project by developing, simulating and prototyping relatively cost-effective and efficient SST topologies.
Andrea Cremasco
Andrea Cremasco was born in Pavia, Italy in 1990. He received his Bachelor and Master degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Pavia, Italy in 2014. He worked four years in Research and Development at ABB Switzerland, collaborating with Corporate Research Center, focusing on dry power transformers and inductors. He was active on numerical electromagnetic and thermal (CFD) analyses for creation of analytical models, definition of new methodologies for design and new product development.
His interest in advanced research on transformers motivated his involvement in ASSTRA, starting his PhD at TU/e in 2018. His research activity focuses on innovative concepts for medium frequency transformers in order to take advantage of superior switching behavior of new semiconductor technology. The increased compactness of resulting equipment will require innovative concepts to achieve higher thermal performance and meet superior electrical isolation requirements. The final concepts will be realized employing modern manufacturing technology, such as 3D printing.
Andreas Roovers
Andreas Roovers is from Belgium. He received his Bachelor and Master Degree in Electrical Engineering from KU Leuven and spent one year of his Masters at EPFL in Switzerland. During his Master programme, he completed his Master Thesis titled "Resonant switched-capacitor converters with Advanced Multiphasing". He possesses a background in power electronics, and his interest in this field led him to join the ASSTRA programme and start his PhD at TU/e in September 2018. His research topic focuses on advanced converter topologies, protection and overload capabilities of DC-DC conversion stage and the Power Electronics Conversion Unit. The trade-offs related to this protection functionality in the converter’s performance will be one of the main outcomes of his research.
ASSTRA Consortium
Eindhoven University of Technology
TU/e is the project coordinator in ASSTRA, whose role is to:
- direct the general progress and execution aspects,
- monitor the achievement of all research and training objectives (ROs and TOs),
- act as interface between the Supervisory Board and the European Commission,
- facilitate a smooth and close interaction between the ESRs and the participants,
- monitor and coordinate all the legal and financial aspects,
- take care of proper scientific work and avoidance of scientific misconduct,
- award the Ph.D. degree.
TU/e has a strong international reputation with regard to research projects in the field of advanced power electronics, aiming at driving innovation and opening new application fields in close collaboration with both Dutch and international industry. It has excellent facilities and state-of-the-art laboratory for construction, characterization, and validation of power electronic converters/components.
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ABB Corporate Research
ABB is global leader in power and automation technologies and has dedicated infrastructure to perform the ASSTRA program. There is more than 10 years of experience in the field of Solid State Transformers and the infrastructure has been subsequently build up to perform specific research activities. The ESRs will be exposed to all key competences of the Power Electronics Department (incl. the Power Electronic
Converters group), where research is conducted within several laboratories that are equipped according to the full value chain of power electronics (semiconductor, packaging, integration of magnetics and cooling, converter and control).
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ABB is going to host the secondments of the ESRs, which in case of the ASSTRA programme, lasts at least half of the training period.