Grainger CEME

On March 2, 2022, Professor Kiruba Haran was invested as the Grainger Endowed Director’s Chair in Electric Machinery and Electromechanics, and on January 7, 2022, he was named new Director of the Center for Power Optimization of Electro-Thermal Systems (POETS) in the Grainger College of Engineering.
Professor Haran has taken over leadership of the Grainger Center for Electric Machinery and Electromechanics (CEME) from founder and former director Professor Emeritus Philip Krein. In moving from Associate Director to Director, he is exchanging roles with Professor Krein, who is continuing his research in electrified transportation.
As POETS director, Professor Haran is stepping into the role of former Mechanical Sciences and Engineering Director Andrew Alleyne, recently appointed Dean of the College of Engineering and Sciences at the University of Minnesota. Professor Alleyne secured an $18.5M grant from the National Science Foundation in 2015 to found POETS, “a key enabler in providing an increase in power density through advanced technology and workforce development, considering both the electrical and thermal systems from initial design concept and optimization through actual deployment in fielded vehicle testbeds. The goal is to break down the silos between different disciplines to co-design and co-operate these power-dense electro-thermal systems.”
College of Engineering Dean Rashid Bashir stated, “Professor Haran will provide leadership for the POETS Center at the college level. He will advance the vision and mission of the center to raise the college leadership profile, nationally and internationally, in the areas of electrical and thermal systems. He has been a key faculty investigator in the POETS Center; thus, he has a vision and direct experience to lead it to the next level.”

For more information on the POETS Consortium, see https://poets-erc.org/ and on this appointment, see https://mechse.illinois.edu/news/44650 from which this article was excerpted.