Dr. Chunyan Lai

ELEC 440/6491 Controlled Electric Drives

ELEC 331  Fundamentals of Electrical Power Engineering

ELEC 275 Principles Of Electrical Engineering

ELEC 439/6471 Hybrid Electric Vehicle Power System Design and Control

Research activities

Electric motor drives and controls
Electrified vehicles
Power electronics
Energy management

Samples of Published and Accepted Peer-Reviewed Journal Papers

1. Y. Zuo, C. Lai and L. V. Iyer, "Improved SingleCurrent Sensor Based PMSM Control under Low Frequency Ratio Using Discrete-TimeAdaptive Luenberger Observer," in IEEE Transactions on IndustrialElectronics, vol. 71, no. 9, pp. 10297-10308, Sept. 2024.

2. Y. Zuo, C. Lai, L. V. Iyer and N. C. Kar,"Enhanced Nonlinear Current State Observer Based Virtual Current Sensorsfor Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drives," in IEEE Journal ofEmerging and Selected Topics in Industrial Electronics, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 628-638,April 2024.

3. Y. Zuo, C. Lai, A. Galkina, M. Grossbichler and L. V.Iyer, "Adaptive Current Observer Design for Single Current Sensor Controlin PMSM Drives," in IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, Dec.2023.

4. Y. Zuo, C. Lai and K. L. V. Iyer, "A Review ofSliding Mode Observer Based Sensorless Control Methods for PMSM Drive," inIEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, vol. 38, no. 9, pp. 11352-11367, Sept.2023.

5. S. Hussain, O. Alrumayh, R. P. Menon, C. Lai and U.Eicker, "Novel Incentive-Based Multi-Level Framework for FlexibilityProvision in Smart Grids," in IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, vol. 15,no. 2, pp. 1594-1607, March 2024.

6. S. Hussain, M. I. Azim, C. Lai, and U. Eicker, “Multi-stageoptimization for energy management and trading for smart homes consideringoperational constraints of a distribution network,” in Energy and Buildings, Volume301, Dec. 2023, 113722.

7. S. Hussain, M. I. Azim, C. Lai, and U. Eicker, “Newcoordination framework for smart home peer-to-peer trading to reduce impact ondistribution transformer,” in Energy, Volume 284, Dec. 2023, 129297.

8. S. Hussain, C. Lai, and U. Eicker, “Flexibility:Literature review on concepts, modeling, and provision method in smart grid,”in Sustainable Energy, Grids and Networks, Volume 35, Sep. 2023, 101113.

9. Y. Lu, K. Huang, B. Wang, C. Lai and G. Feng,"Data-Driven Modeling and Compensation Strategy of PMSM Considering CoreLoss and Saturation," in IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics inPower Electronics, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 1894-1905, April 2024.

10. B. Ding, Y. Lu, K. Huang, G. Feng and C. Lai,"Permanent Magnet Temperature Estimation for PMSMs Using VirtualPosition-Offset Injection," in CES Transactions on Electrical Machines andSystems, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 51-60, March 2024.

11. K. Huang, B. Ding, C. Lai and G. Feng, "FluxLinkage Tracking-Based Permanent Magnet Temperature Hybrid Modeling andEstimation for PMSMs With Data-Driven-Based Core Loss Compensation," inIEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 1410-1421, Jan.2024.

12. B. Ding, K. Huang, C. Lai and G. Feng,"Correlated Inductance Modeling and Estimation of Permanent MagnetSynchronous Machines Considering Magnetic Saturation," in IEEETransactions on Power Electronics, vol. 38, no. 11, pp. 14463-14474, Nov. 2023.

13. K. Huang, W. Peng, C. Lai and G. Feng, "EfficientMaximum Torque Per Ampere (MTPA) Control of Interior PMSM Using Sparse BayesianBased Offline Data-Driven Model With Online Magnet TemperatureCompensation," in IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, vol. 38, no. 4,pp. 5192-5203, April 2023.

14. K. Huang, B. Ding, C. Lai, G. Feng and N. C. Kar,"PMSM Combination Modeling for Multiparameter Estimation Using BayesianLearning With Inverter Distortion Cancellation and TemperatureCompensation," in IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, vol. 38, no. 2,pp. 1004-1015, June 2023.

15. P. G. Ipoum-Ngome, D. L. Mon-Nzongo, R. C. C. Flesch, J.Tang, T. Jin, M. Wang, and C. Lai, "Multiobjective Model-Free PredictiveControl for Motor Drives and Grid-Connected Applications: Operating WithUnbalanced Multilevel Cascaded H-Bridge Inverters," in IEEE Transactionson Power Electronics, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 3014-3028, March 2023.

PhD position 1 on wound-filed synchronous motor drive development for electric vehicles

Currently, PMSM are widely adopted for electric vehicle traction motors due to it high efficiency and power density. However, rare-earth PMs are highly expensive and are associated with inherent supply instability and demagnetization issues. In addition, high voltage or flux weakening currents are required for PMSMs to operate over base speeds under a constant magnetic flux of the PM. The aforementioned issues have led to numerous studies on motors without rare-earth PMs. To develop a low-cost traction motor and reduce the possibility of inadvertent demagnetization, the wound field synchronous machine (WFSM) without PMs is found to be advantageous specifically for operations at high speeds. This is because the field flux can be adjusted directly by controlling the field current in the WFSM enabling extra degrees of freedom (DoF) in both the design and control when compared with PMSM and other motor types. This project aims to develop a low cost and high performance WFSM drive in collaboration with 2 electric machine design experts.

PhD position 2 on modular multi-level converter design and control for EV powertrain

The multi-level converter enables the integration of energy storage, battery management systems(BMS), vehicle driving, and charging functionality in a single power electronics system. This can result in substantial efficiency benefits, cost and weight reductions compared to conventional power converter designs that have separate subsystems for each of these functions in EVs. This project aims to develop innovative control and modulations strategies for such modular multi-level converters for EV application.

PhD position 3 on power supply design for Dielectric Barrier Discharge based Ozone generation

An estimated two-thirds of the global population will not have access to clean water by 2025. Wastewater treatment is an important technology to close the gap on water scarcity. The restriction of treating water using products such as trihalomethane has encouraged the large-scale use of Ozone generator in Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) in many municipalities. This project aims to develop power supply solutions to increase Ozone generation efficiency. The proposed power supply solution will incorporate advanced power electronics technology and control algorithms, and it will also explore the synergy between the hardware and software design for the power supply to maximize the Ozone generation efficiency.

Eligibilities and skills

1. Masters’ degree in electrical engineering o rrelated discipline is required. GPA over 82% is required to receive a full scholarship package from the University.

2. Background knowledge in the related topic such as traction motors, motor control, power electronics and engineering mathematics, is essential.

3. Candidates should be passionate to conduct research in the given topics as assigned by the supervisor.

4. The positions are partially funded by industry partners, so the PhD candidates are required to have good communication and team-working skills as they will be collaborating and reporting to engineers from the industry.

5. Candidates are expected to disseminate their research results in patents and leading international journals and conferences, and also present their research in professional events. 

6. Experience in technical paper writing and publication is an important asset.

7. Experience in software tools such as Matlab/Simulink, PSIM, DSP/FPGA programming, Ansys Electronic Desktop, MotorCAD, RT-LAB, DSpace Target Link will also be an asset.

Please refer to other conditions and terms of Concordia University for graduate student admissions.

More information on application submission

Basic funding package and fees for an International PhD student admitted:
1. Receive a bursary of $25000 to $35000 per year. There could be additional scholarships and teaching assistance-ship subject to funding availability and student eligibility.
2. The Concordia International PhD student tuition awards will cover most of the tuition fees resulting in an annual fee of about $5,000 for International PhD students. Therefore, the admitted PhD students will have $20,000-30,000 per year for their living in Canada for 3-4 years.

3. Candidates are also encouraged to apply for additional merit-based internal and external scholarships provided by Concordia University, and various provincial and federal organizations.

Interested candidates are encouraged to send their applications to Dr. Chunyan Lai at chunyan.lai@concordia.ca with their CV and academic transcripts. Please indicate "Application to PhD position x_your name" in the email subject line. Only the most suitable candidate will be contacted. The selected candidate will be fully funded for their study and living in Canada for a maximum duration of 4 years.