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Daniel Ludois

Daniel Ludois

Professor
H.I. Romnes Fellow

We live in a world that uses energy at an ever increasing rate. As a society striving to be sustainable and environmentally conscious, there is demand for high performance energy systems which utilize fewer resources. Of the various methods to deliver and utilize energy, I am most enamored with electricity. Electric motors and generators, or more generally “electric machines,” are a fundamental building block of modern society. In fact, over 99% of all the electricity on the planet originates from an electric generator regardless of the power source (wind, coal, nuclear, etc.) and roughly 2/3 of that energy goes on to power electric motors. Additionally, power electronics facilitate power conversion in nearly every modern commercial or industrial facility, home, vehicle or device ranging from microwatts to gigawatts.

Recently, my work focuses on a multi-facetted power electronics, fluid mechanics and electrodynamics approach to develop capacitive (rather than inductive) electrical and electromechanical power conversion devices. Applications include wind turbines, electric and hybrid electric vehicles, aerospace, energy storage and infrastructure. My group uses extensive analytical and computer based analysis to design and construct laboratory prototypes for model validation.

Department

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Contact

2557B, Engineering Hall
1415 Engineering Dr
Madison, WI

Professor Dan Ludois - Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UW–Madison

  • PhD 2012, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison
  • MS 2008, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison
  • BS 2006, Bradley University

  • Power electronics
  • Electric machines
  • Non-contact power transfer
  • Sustainable engineering technologies and practices

  • 2024 U.S. Dept. of Energy, Innovating Distributed Embedded Energy Prize, InDEEP, Stage 2
  • 2023 IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS), Best Oral Presentation Paper Award for Emerging Technology
  • 2023 University of Wisconsin-Madison, H.I. Romnes Faculty Fellow
  • 2023 U.S. Dept. of Energy, Innovating Distributed Embedded Energy Prize, InDEEP, Stage 1
  • 2023 Bloomberg NEF, Bloomberg NEF Pioneers Finalist
  • 2023 IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS) Electric Machines Committee, Third Prize Journal Paper
  • 2022 Cleantech, Cleantech’s “50 to Watch” list
  • 2022 Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor Award
  • 2022 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Vilas Faculty Fellow
  • 2022 Wisconsin Innovation Award
  • 2020 Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Jean van Bladel Associate Professorship
  • 2018 IEEE Power & Energy Society, Star Reviewer
  • 2017 Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dugald C. Jackson Faculty Scholar Award
  • 2017 IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS), First Prize Journal Paper
  • 2017 Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, Moore Inventor Fellow
  • 2017 IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics (JESTPE), Second Prize Journal Paper
  • 2016 IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS) Electric Machines Committee, First Prize Conference Paper
  • 2016 Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Gerald Holdridge Teaching Excellence Award
  • 2016 Midwest Energy News, Midwest Energy News “40 Under 40”
  • 2016 IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics (JESTPE), Second Prize Journal Paper
  • 2015 National Science Foundation, NSF CAREER Award
  • 2012 Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), Innovation award for invention
  • 2012 Weinert Applied Ventures in Entrepreneurship Fund
  • 2012 State of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Competition, 2nd place
  • 2011 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress & Exposition, 1st Place Poster Presentation Award
  • 2011 University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2nd Place & Incubator Award, Burrill Business Plan Competition
  • 2011 IEEE Presidents’ Change the World Competition, 2nd Place “Distinguished Student Humanitarian”
  • 2011 College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 3rd Place, UW Engineering Expo
  • 2010 Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Grainger Power Engineering Fellowship
  • 2010 University of Wisconsin-Madison, Grand Prize – Nelson Climate Leadership Challenge
  • 2009 College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1st Place, UW Engineering Expo
  • 2007 College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1st Place, UW Engineering Expo
  • Wiscontrepreneur 100 Hour Challenge, Most Social Value Award

  • Skrovanek, D., & Ludois, D. (2024). Electrostatic Wave Energy Conversion: A Review of Devices, Theory, and Hurdles. IEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion, 39(2), 941-952 https://doi.org/10.1109/TEC.2024.3354122
  • Wang, S., & Ludois, D. (2024). A Capacitively-Coupled Single-Wire Power Tether for Aerial Platforms. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, 60(3), 4408-4418 https://doi.org/10.1109/TIA.2024.3371951
  • Behdad, N., Ludois, D., Mirmozafari, M., & Liben, M. (2024). A Class-E, Switched-Mode, Non-LTI Electrically-Small Transmit Antenna Design for Overcoming the Fundamental Bandwidth-Efficiency Product Limits. In 18th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, EuCAP 2024 https://doi.org/10.23919/EuCAP60739.2024.10501289
  • Behringer, S., & Ludois, D. (2024). Demonstration of 9kW, 97% Efficient Capacitive Power Transfer using Rotary Double Layers. In 2024 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo, ITEC 2024 https://doi.org/10.1109/ITEC60657.2024.10598943
  • Behdad, N., Ludois, D., Mirmozafari, M., & Liben, M. (2024). Overcoming the Bandwidth-Efficiency Product Limitations of Electrically Small Antennas Using A Class-E, Non-LTI HF Antenna Design. In IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society, AP-S International Symposium (Digest) (p. 797-798) https://doi.org/10.1109/AP-S/INC-USNC-URSI52054.2024.10686469
  • Liben, M., Mirmozafari, M., Ludois, D., & Behdad, N. (2024). Overcoming the Chu Limit Using Switched-Mode, Non-LTI, Electrically-Small Transmitting Antennas. In 2024 United States National Committee of URSI National Radio Science Meeting, USNC-URSI NRSM 2024 - Proceedings (p. 72) https://doi.org/10.23919/USNC-URSINRSM60317.2024.10464948
  • Liben, M. J., Akers, C. J., & Ludois, D. (2024). Synchronous Machine Rotor Excitation via Rotary Transformer with an Integrated Capacitive Resolver. In 2024 IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference and Expo, ITEC 2024 https://doi.org/10.1109/ITEC60657.2024.10598945
  • Liben, M. J., & Ludois, D. (2024). A 2kW, 6.78 MHz, Capacitive Power Transfer and Position Resolver System for Synchronous Machine Rotor Excitation. IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics https://doi.org/10.1109/JESTPE.2024.3420874
  • Tang, N., Sossong, D., Krause, N., Hou, X., Liben, M. J., Ludois, D., & Brown, I. P. (2023). Implementation of a Metamodel-Based Optimization for the Design of a High Power Density Wound Field Traction Motor. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, 59(6), 6726-6735 https://doi.org/10.1109/TIA.2023.3309616
  • Turnbull, J. E., Venkataramanan, G., & Ludois, D. (2023). Experimental Evaluation of Liquid Immersed Electronics for High Density Power Converters. In Conference Proceedings - IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition - APEC (p. 1600-1607) https://doi.org/10.1109/APEC43580.2023.10131599

  • E C E 713 - Electromagnetic Design of AC Machines (Spring 2025)
  • E C E 790 - Master's Research (Spring 2025)
  • E C E 990 - Dissertator's Research (Spring 2025)
  • E C E 411 - Introduction to Electric Drive Systems (Fall 2024)
  • E C E 790 - Master's Research (Fall 2024)
  • E C E 990 - Dissertator's Research (Fall 2024)
  • E C E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Summer 2024)
  • E C E 990 - Dissertator's Research (Summer 2024)
  • E C E 355 - Electromechanical Energy Conversion (Spring 2024)
  • E C E 377 - Fundamentals of Electrical and Electro-mechanical Power Conversion (Spring 2024)
  • E C E 790 - Master's Research (Spring 2024)
  • E C E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Spring 2024)
  • E C E 990 - Dissertator's Research (Spring 2024)
  • E C E 411 - Introduction to Electric Drive Systems (Fall 2023)
  • E C E 790 - Master's Research (Fall 2023)
  • E C E 890 - Pre-Dissertator's Research (Fall 2023)
  • E C E 990 - Dissertator's Research (Fall 2023)
  • E C E 790 - Master's Research (Summer 2023)