Sustainable Energy Systems

In this panel session three distinguished University of Toronto professors in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering will discuss the emerging research trends and career opportunities within the field of Sustainable Energy Systems. Short presentations of current research in this area will include the development of novel photovoltaic materials and devices, development of tools and technologies for the smart grid, and high-efficiency circuit design and effective power management.

Part of the session will also focus on career opportunities within this area and pathways through undergraduate engineering education for such careers.

Biographies

Professor Nazir Kherani Nazir P. Kherani received his B.A.Sc. (Hons) in Engineering Science in 1982, M.A.Sc. in Nuclear Reactor Physics in 1983, and Ph.D. in Solid State and Experimental Radiation Physics in 1994, from the University of Toronto (UofT). He held the positions of Scientist-Engineer and Senior Scientist-Engineer at the Research Division of Ontario Hydro during the period 1983 to 2000. In 2002 he joined the ECE Department at UofT on a contractually limited term appointment and in 2006 was jointly appointed as an Associate Professor in the Departments of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering at UofT. Dr. Kherani's research interests lie in the general area of thin film semiconductors and nanostructured materials and devices for energy generation (photovoltaics, micropower sources, solar fuels), optics and photonics (thermal coatings, hard coatings, photonic materials), sensors, and allied applications. Dr. Kherani has over 170 publications including 6 generic patents and 1 text book.

Joseph Euzebe (Zeb) Tate received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA, in 2003 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2005 and 2008. In 2008, he joined the ECE department at the University of Toronto as an assistant professor. His current research focuses on combining advanced telemetry, data processing, and visualization techniques to facilitate renewable integration and improve the reliability and efficiency of the power grid.

Olivier Trescases (B.A.Sc, M.A.Sc., Ph.D.) received his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering at the University of Toronto in 2007. From 2007 to 2009, he worked as a concept engineer and mixed-signal integrated circuit designer for automotive applications at Infineon Technologies in Austria. Dr. Trescases joined the University of Toronto as an Assistant Professor in January 2009, where he conducts research on high-efficiency switched-mode power converters for automotive, industrial, aerospace, solid-state lighting and renewable energy applications.