PhD Students
Md. Tariquzzaman joined the group as a PhD student in Fall 2021. He received B.S. and M.S. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) from Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET), Khulna, Bangladesh, in 2016 and 2019, respectively. He joined as a Lecturer in the Department of EEE at Jashore University of Science and Technology (JUST) in 2017 and subsequently as an Assistant Professor, having participated in two government-funded projects. His research interests include power electronics converter control, motor drives, and renewable energy integration. During his undergraduate studies, he received merit-based scholarships as well as achieved three times Dean’s List Award. He likes to travel, play cricket and badminton in spare time. In 2025, he interned with Tesla in SF Bay Area and with Ford in LA Area.
Inyong
Kim (co-advised
with Dr. Brekken) received Bachelor’s in Konkuk
University, Seoul, South Korea, majoring in Mechanical
Engineering. His current research interest lies in power
electronics, motor drive systems, electrical propulsion,
and renewable energy. He spends free time playing acoustic
guitar, video games, and scuba diving.
Peidong Li joined the group as a Ph.D. student in Fall 2022. He received B.S. in Electric Engineering from Wuhan University, China, 2022, as a top 5 in graduating class. In 2021, he worked as an undergraduate RA at Center for Grid Power Electronics at Wuhan University where he worked on a high frequency high power density converter. His research interest includes power electronics, motor drives, renewable energy, and power systems. He enjoys cycling, hiking, and video games in his spare time.
Sam Barton joined the group as a Ph.D. student in Fall 2022. He graduated from OSU in Spring 2022 with a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and focused primarily on Power Electronics. His previous experiences include working alongside the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences in creating a system for measuring ocean swell characteristics, developing a prototype power distribution board for the HyperRail project through the OPEnS lab at OSU, and an internship at a local electric utility. His research interests include power electronics, renewable energy, and power systems. Outside of school he enjoys surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, and camping.
Shuvankar Podder joined the group as a Ph.D. student in Fall 2023. He graduated in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka, in 2014. He was a lecturer at Stamford University Bangladesh from 2014 to September 2015. Later, he joined Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Limited (PGCB) as an Assistant Engineer and was promoted to Sub-Divisional Engineer in 2019. He enrolled in M.Sc. at BUET and completed all theory courses. His research interest includes power electronics and its applications to energy storage systems, electric vehicles, renewable energy integration, and smart grid. During his undergraduate studies, he received merit scholarships four times and secured his name in the Dean’s List award two times. Shuvankar is fond of reading novels and enjoys playing cricket.
Adrian Gibson joined the group as a PhD student in Fall 2023. They received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Connecticut, US. Their primary interest is in the development of sustainable energy technology and infrastructure. As an undergraduate student, they participated in research relating to modeling PV panel health, and additionally received two summer REU awards to study hydropower energy storage and three-phase power modeling, respectively. Their other research interests include grid integration of renewable sources, distributed generation, and power electronics. In their free time, they enjoy reading, archery, martial arts, and drawing.
MS Students
Ethan Marreel joined the group in 2025 while pursuing his B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Oregon State University. He has professional experience in embedded systems, medical software, and legal software. Ethan has contributed to motor control systems, AI development, and Bluetooth technologies. Outside of academics, he enjoys working on robotics projects, building electric bikes, and playing water polo.
Visiting Scholars
Feel free to inquire.