Active Projects

Research

AMPED research spans the full path from fundamental science to end-use application. Our work is organized around two priorities: electrification and integrated energy systems, and electric power for data centers and other large-scale systems. Within those priorities, four themes address industry needs: advanced transformer technologies, both conventional and solid-state; novel magnetics for ultrawide bandgap (UWBG) power electronics; rare-earth-element-free or -lean electric motors; and magnetics for extreme environments.

Five core capabilities, shared across Pitt and NC State, support these themes: magnetic materials and manufacturing; component design and optimization; magnetics characterization and standards, including at medium voltage; power electronics converters and controls; and electric motor design and controls. These capabilities are backed by shared laboratories at the Energy Innovation Center in downtown Pittsburgh, including alloy synthesis, in-line annealing, microwave processing, an additive manufacturing laboratory for functional materials, core loss testing from low to medium voltage, and a full-scale medium voltage power laboratory.

Because Pennsylvania is home to many of the nation’s soft magnetic materials producers, AMPED research is also designed to be translated to local manufacturing, with projects supported by the Manufacturing PA Innovation Program on Hiperco laminations, laser processing of nanocrystalline alloys, and automated core testing.

AMPED also works to standardize how magnetic materials and components are tested. In partnership with industry, we benchmark nanocrystalline cores, develop data sheets for components such as common-mode inductors, and contribute measured core-loss data to the open-source PSMA Core Data eXchange.

Active Projects

AMPED membership funding supports four project areas for the current year:

1. Ferrite-based magnetics for ultrahigh frequency UWBG power electronics
2. Advanced transformers, including novel materials, high-frequency modeling, extreme environment designs, and medium voltage standards
3. EMI measurement and mitigation
4. REE-free or REE-lean electric motors. 

Two testbeds are being established: a distribution transformer testbed to validate technologies that address industry pain points, and a MHz-class magnetics testbed for high power. 

Browse the student projects below to meet the researchers behind this work.