Prospective Students
For
2024, we are hiring at least 2 PhD students. Special
interest is given to the following research areas but an
outstanding student from a broader Power/Energy
background is always welcome:
1) Modeling and control of multi-physical power
electronics based systems, including energy storage,
motor drives, electromechanics, thermal, etc.
2) High-power high-voltage SiC-based converter and
integrated system design, including hardware and
control.
Both topics offer opportunities in either transportation
electrification or renewable energy/microgrid related
applications.
Note1:
Please
feel free to inquire a start date all year round, not only
for Fall, even if the application deadline has passed or the
application is off season. We run on a "quarter" system that
starts Fall in September, Winter in January, Spring in
April, and Summer in July. Please indicate which
starting time(s) you are looking for when contact.
Note2: To improve communication, please send your
resume, all transcript(s), TOEFL/GRE scores with sub-scores
and test dates, when you initially email. If any document is
missing, please provide an explanation. Please keep each
document under 2 MB. A typical minimum expectation (these are
AND relationship, not OR): GRE verbal 145, GRE quant 160, GRE
writing 3.0, TOEFL 90 or IELTS 6.5, GPA 3.5 (for US GPA only;
other countries vary). TOEFL
(for international applicants) must be within recent two
years, except for those who have earned a degree in an
English-speaking country (see official admission website for
the list). For applications submitted after summer
2021, the department now requires the GRE, except for those
who have obtained a degree in the US. Students without GRE yet
are still welcome to contact; quality students will be
encouraged to take the GRE as soon as possible.
Postdoc scholar: Occasionally we hire postdocs for certain project needs. Feel free to inquire. Please send your full CV.
Undergraduate: Prof. Cao is grateful for the undergraduate research experience he received back then, so we want to pass down this excitement to you as well. Current OSU sophomores, juniors, and seniors strongly interested in Power and Energy Systems are encouraged to inquire.
You will help us define where the group is headed to, so ANY of the following knowledge and skills is highly desirable. Prof. Cao has worked on a variety of research and industry projects (current and past) since 2009. There will be some project that can fit your talent.
-
Experience in power electronics, power systems, machines and
drives, energy storage, control
- Things on paper: modeling, coding, embedded systems, data processing, math, writing papers
- Things
by hands: high voltage/power testing, SiC/GaN, schematics/PCB,
motors, controllers
-
Emerging interdisciplinary knowledge: machine learning, big
data, thermal, optimization, automation
- Really
interested in this research field - following the trends and
excited about innovations
- Highly self-motivated and dedicated - you know what to do next and get it done
- Independent explorer with creative ideas, but open to collaborative dialogues with professors and team members
- Strong communication skills, especially oral and writing
- Detail oriented with a plan, which usually results in high quality software, hardware, and documentation products
- Healthy
work-life balance - you have some other non-academic passions
- A
"business" sense - we are not selling for profit but you are
able to tell your vision and impact