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HomeAcademic staffDr Zunaib Ali
Dr Zunaib Ali

Dr Zunaib Ali

aliz29@lsbu.ac.uk

Electrical and Electronic Engineering

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4930-3240

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I am a lecturer in the Division of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, London South Bank University. I am also contributing to Innovate UK HAWKSBI project. I received my B.Sc. degree in electronic engineering from UET Peshawar, Pakistan, in 2013, my M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from COMSATS University, Pakistan, in 2015, and my Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from Frederick University, Cyprus, in 2018. From 2018 to 2019, I was a research assistant in Real-Time Power Laboratory, Queen Mary University of London, for Innovative U.K. project. I have also worked as a research fellow at Northumbria University, under UKERI project.

I am a researcher with a clear vision and in-depth knowledge of electrical and electronic engineering. My research area covers the design of power electronic converter controllers and machine learning algorithms for the integration of renewable energy systems (e.g. photovoltaic, wind) and low carbon technologies (e.g. electric vehicles) to provide sustainable and environmentally friendly energy and transport systems, ultimately leading to smart grids. My knowledge and experience cover control systems, power systems, and energy management concepts with a strong theory and mathematical background together with the necessary practical skills. My work primarily includes the use of MATLAB’s SimPowerSystem/Simscape toolbox in the design of real-time controllers for grid-connected converters and microgrid applications, such as those for renewable energy systems and electric vehicles. I have good experience in developing and testing algorithms for the control of renewable energy sources and battery energy storage systems using real-time simulators (such as dSPACE, Speedgoat) and other hardware equipment (such as power converters, power amplifiers AC/DC grid emulators). Prior to my appointment at LSBU, I worked at Northumbria University under a British Council project for the development of a small-scale microgrid comprising a PV system, bi-directional converters, controllable active loads, and electric vehicle batteries. I also worked as a Research Assistant on a project funded by Innovative UK at the Queen Mary University of London, where I worked on developing a demonstrator system delivering real-time performance data from a Nissan Leaf electric vehicle battery module using new sensors and image analysis algorithms. My research in power electronic and renewable energy systems is well cited by other researchers https://scholar.google.com.pk/citations?user=oZ1Ixu0AAAAJ&hl=en.

RESEARCH AREA: Analysis, design, and control of power electronics systems; Emerging power electronics (wide bandgap devices) and applications; Renewable energy systems (integration and control); Energy storage and smart energy systems; Vehicle to X technologies, Bidirectional charging converters, Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, Smart and microgrids.

Prospective Ph.D. students, research assistants, and postdocs with research in the above areas are very welcome to apply for research. Active collaboration with academic institutes (Queen Mary University of London, Northumbria University Newcastle, etc.) and industrial organizations (Otaskies Energy LTD, Neuville, etc.).

Current Funded Projects

• NetZero boot camp, £575k from Greater London Authority (GLA)

• Grant of £4k to establish a research connection between LSBU and Texas A&M.

• Secured a PAK-UK Education Gateway Mobility Partnership Grant For Faculty research initiative, £63.4k.

• Contributing to Innovative UK smart grant for monitoring and control of renewables, worth £1.8m

Courses taught

Electrical and Electronic Engineering - BEng (Hons)

Electrical and Electronic Engineering - MSc

Electronic and Electrical Engineering - PhD

Mechanical Engineering - BEng (Hons)

Electronic and Computer Systems Engineering - BEng (Hons)

Electrical Power Engineering - BEng (Hons)

Postgraduate Research Supervision
Current
Mr Ruthiraraja SenthooranTechno-Economic Analysis of Renewable Energy Systems in the Electricity Generation MarketplacePhD
Mr Ali HamzaAuto-condition monitoring of solar farm equipment for improved operational performance adopting deep-machine learningPhD
Bachelors of Science in Electronic Engineering

University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Abbottabad Campus

2009
2013
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering

COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Pakistan

2013
2015
PhD in Electrical Engineering

Frederick University, Nicosia Campus, Cyprus

2015
2018
Lecturer
University of Engineering and Technology, Abbottabad Pakistan

Worked as a lecturer and researcher in the Electronic Engineering Department

1. Lecturing, setting, and facilitating tutorials, facilitation of laboratory experiments, setting and marking examinations, curriculum development, and administrative duties.

2. Taught courses related to Electronic and Electrical engineering such as Industrial Electronics (including PLCs), complex variables, power electronics, and microprocessor systems.

3. Laboratory demonstrations for electronic circuits, circuit analysis, control systems, electrical machines, PLCs-based automation course, and AVR/Atmel/PIC microprocessors/microcontrollers.

2014
2015
Education
Research Assistant
Queen Mary University of London

Worked as research assistant and project leader on current density imaging in EV battery modules, funded by the Innovative UK under Faraday Challenge

1. Maintaining real-time control and power system laboratory assisting students in their experiments.

2. Production of a demonstrator system delivering real-time performance data from a battery module using flux gate sensors and image analysis algorithms.

3. Investigation of state of charge estimation techniques for Nissan Lithium-ion batteries.

4. Nissan leaf battery condition monitoring and testing using Neware battery tester.

5. Designing algorithms for extracting and analyzing the images from magnetic sensors via dSPACE rti CAN blockset and MATLAB Simulink for the possible state of charge estimation.

6. Worked with Otaski Energy Solution Ltd. for preparing project grant proposals.

7. Worked in collaboration with CD02 company (University of Sussex) and INEX microtechnology, Newcastle.

8. Research activities and dissemination of results through conferences, workshops, and journals.

2018
2019
Education
Research Fellow
Northumbria University, Newcastle

Worked as a research fellow on a research project funded by British Council and UKIERI

1. Development of a university campus microgrid using several controllable and non-controllable units such as the Sunny Boy PV system, the BaSyTec bi-directional charger along with the Nissan Leaf and CALB EV batteries, the unidirectional Arbin charger, and temperature chamber.

2. Comparative performance analysis of two MGs (one in the UK and the other in India) for the evaluation of the EV battery storage, MG power converters, and control algorithms.

3. Implementation of intelligent operation of the microgrid in real-time via dSPACE 1103 digital signal processor together with CAN rti blockset, MATLAB Simulink, and dSPACE control desk.

4. Worked as project leader dealing with project and communicating with the Indian partners.

5. Served as a lab demonstrator for the basic electrical engineering modules.

2019
2021
Education
Research Fellow
London South Bank University, London UK

Worked as a research fellow on a HAWKSBI project funded by Innovative UK smart grant

1. Development and demonstration of hardware platform (HAWKSBI device) combining functions: Power Quality Monitor, Phasor Measurement Unit, and Sampled Value Merging Unit.

2. An open-access provision of real-world data sets collected during platform trials to researchers and industry providing a rich set of data for power systems and communication researchers.

3. Development of a HAWKSBI Digital Twin Development Laboratory, capable of emulating the triple-instrument functionality in software useful for research as well as teaching.

4. Publishing research articles, preparing project reports and grant applications

2021
2021
Education
FunderYear wonProjectRole
Greater London Authority2023Net Zero FuturesCo-Investigator
British Council Pakistan2023PAK-UK Education Gateway Mobility Partnership for FacultyCo-Investigator
AITL LIMITED2022PLATOON Transformer Digital Twins (Advanced Infrastructure)Principal Investigator
Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC)
2013
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
2015
Institution of Engineering and Technology
2022
Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
2023
Northumbria University

Research collaboration

Third sector
October 2019
Otakies Energy LTD

Research collaboration

Industry
August 2020
Prizes, awards, and accolades

Honorary Gold Pledge (Jun 2018)

Frederick University Cyprus

Honorary gold plaque and outstanding achievement award for academic excellence at the Frederick University, Cyprus 2018


PhD Fellowship (Jul 2015)

Erasmus Mundus

Awarded a 36-month Doctoral Scholarship under the Erasmus Mundus LEADERS program by European Union, 2015-2018


Reach and Impact

Apr 2023

Research Projects

• Secured an international collaboration grant of £4k to establish a research connection between LSBU and Texas A&M.

• Secured a PAK-UK Education Gateway Mobility Partnership Grant For Faculty research initiative, £63.4k.

• Contributing to Innovative UK smart grant, HAWKSBI technology development project for monitoring and control of

renewables (solar), worth £1.8m

• Contributed to project “Current density imaging in EV battery modules” under innovate UK, grant £45k.

• Project leader in the development of control and power electronics schemes for a smart microgrid with high penetration of PV generation and electric vehicles funded by UKERI and British council, grant worth £200k.

• Project lead on the development of transformer thermal digital twin funded by Platoon EU, worth £35k.

• MIMO DC-DC converter for renewable equipped smart infrastructure, submitted to Innovative UK, worth £368k.


Forecasting Global Solar Insolation Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter Based Clearness Index Model
Ray, P. K., Subudhi, B., Putrus, G., Marzband, M. and Ali, Z. (2022). Forecasting Global Solar Insolation Using the Ensemble Kalman Filter Based Clearness Index Model. IEEE CSEE Journal of Power and Energy Systems. 8 (4), pp. 1087-1096. https://doi.org/10.17775/CSEEJPES.2021.06230

Multiobjective Optimized Smart Charge Controller for Electric Vehicle Applications
Ali, Z., Putrus, G., Marzband, M., Gholinejad, H., Saleem, K. and Subudhi, B. (2023). Multiobjective Optimized Smart Charge Controller for Electric Vehicle Applications. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications. 58 (5), pp. 5602-5615. https://doi.org/10.1109/TIA.2022.3164999

Variable Structure-Based Control for Dynamic Temperature Setpoint Regulation in Hospital Extreme Healthcare Zones
Hamza, A., Uneeb, M., Ahmad, I., Saleem, K. and Ali, Z. (2023). Variable Structure-Based Control for Dynamic Temperature Setpoint Regulation in Hospital Extreme Healthcare Zones. Energies. 16 (10), p. 4223. https://doi.org/10.3390/en16104223

Microgrid Cyberphysical Systems ; Chapter 5 - Control of PV and EV connected smart grid
Ali, Z., Saleem, K., Putrus, G., Marzband, M. and Dudley-Mcevoy, S. (2022). Microgrid Cyberphysical Systems ; Chapter 5 - Control of PV and EV connected smart grid. in: Subudhi, B. (ed.) Elsevier Renewable Energy and Plug-In Vehicle Integration Elsevier Renewable Energy and Plug-In Vehicle Integration.

Performance Analysis and Benchmarking of PLL-Driven Phasor Measurement Units for Renewable Energy Systems
Ali, Z., Saleem, K., Brown, R., Christofides, N. and Dudley-Mcevoy, S. (2022). Performance Analysis and Benchmarking of PLL-Driven Phasor Measurement Units for Renewable Energy Systems. Energies. 15 (5), p. e1867. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15051867

A single-phase synchronization technique for grid-connected energy storage system under faulty grid conditions
Saleem, K., Ali, Z. and K. Mehran (2021). A single-phase synchronization technique for grid-connected energy storage system under faulty grid conditions. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics. 36 (10), pp. 12019-12032. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPEL.2021.3071418

Enhancement of flexibility in multi-energy microgrids considering voltage and congestion improvement: Robust thermal comfort against reserve calls
Kazemi-Razi, S.M., Abyaneh, H.A., Nafisi, H., Ali, Z. and Marzband, M. (2021). Enhancement of flexibility in multi-energy microgrids considering voltage and congestion improvement: Robust thermal comfort against reserve calls. Sustainable Cities and Society. 74, p. 103160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2021.103160

Online Sensorless Solar Power Forecasting for Microgrid Control and Automation
Ali, Z., Putrus, G., Marzband, M., Tookanlou, M., Saleem, K., Ray, P. and Subudhi, B. (2021). Online Sensorless Solar Power Forecasting for Microgrid Control and Automation. 2021 International Symposium of Asian Control Association on Intelligent Robotics and Industrial Automation (IRIA). Goa, India 20 - 22 Sep 2021 IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/IRIA53009.2021.9588690

Autonomous energy management system with self-healing capabilities for green buildings (microgrids)
Mansour Selseleh, Jonban, Romeral, Luis, Akbarimajd, Adel, Ali, Zunaib, Seyedeh Samaneh, Ghazimirsaeid, Marzband, Mousa and Putrus, Ghanim, Jonban, M.S., Romeral, L., Akbarimajd, A., Ali, Z., Ghazimirsaeid, S.S., Marzband, M. and Putrus, G. (2020). Autonomous energy management system with self-healing capabilities for green buildings (microgrids). Journal of Building Engineering. 34, p. 101604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2020.101604

Diversifying the Role of Distributed Generation Grid-Side Converters for Improving the Power Quality of Distribution Networks Using Advanced Control Techniques
Ali, Z., Christofides, N., Hadjidemetriou, L. and Kyriakides, E. (2019). Diversifying the Role of Distributed Generation Grid-Side Converters for Improving the Power Quality of Distribution Networks Using Advanced Control Techniques. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications. 55 (4), pp. 4110-4123. https://doi.org/10.1109/TIA.2019.2904678

Three-phase phase-locked loop synchronization algorithms for grid-connected renewable energy systems: A review
Ali, Z., Christofides, N., Hadjidemetriou, L., Kyriakides, E., Yang, Y. and Blaabjerg, F. (2018). Three-phase phase-locked loop synchronization algorithms for grid-connected renewable energy systems: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. 90, pp. 434-452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2018.03.086

Variable structure based control strategy for treatment of HCV infection
Hamza, A., Uneeb, M., Ahmad, I., Saleem, K. and Ali, Z. (2024). Variable structure based control strategy for treatment of HCV infection. Biomedical Signal Processing and Control. 89, p. 105803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bspc.2023.105803

Distribution Substation Dynamic Reconfiguration and Reinforcement-Digital Twin Model
Brown, R., Wickramarachchi, W., Ali, Z., Saleem, K. and Dudley-Mcevoy, S. (2023). Distribution Substation Dynamic Reconfiguration and Reinforcement-Digital Twin Model. IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE). Center in Nashville, Tennessee | October 29 – November 2, 2023 29 Oct - 02 Nov 2023 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). https://doi.org/10.1109/ECCE53617.2023.10362160

Modeling and Experimental Investigation of Energy Management for Hybrid Electric Vehicle based on Variable Structure Control Strategy
Ali H., Muhammad U., Saleem K. and Ali Z. (2023). Modeling and Experimental Investigation of Energy Management for Hybrid Electric Vehicle based on Variable Structure Control Strategy. 2023 IEEE International Conference on Energy Technologies for Future Grids (ETFG). Wollongong, Australia 03 - 06 Dec 2023 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). https://doi.org/10.1109/ETFG55873.2023.10408458

Micro market based optimisation framework for decentralised management of distributed flexibility assets
Paladin, A., Das, R., Wang, Y., Ali, Z., Kotter, R., Putrus, G. and Turri, R. (2021). Micro market based optimisation framework for decentralised management of distributed flexibility assets. Renewable Energy. 163, pp. 1595-1611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2020.10.003

On Beneficial Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Services
Bentley, E., Putrus, G., Lacey, G., Kotter, R., Wang, Y., Das R,, Ali, Z. and Warmerdam, J. (2021). On Beneficial Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Services. 2021 9th International Conference on Modern Power Systems (MPS). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). https://doi.org/10.1109/MPS52805.2021.9492671

Heuristic Multi-Agent Control for Energy Management of Microgrids with Distributed Energy Sources
Ali, Z., Putrus, G., Marzband, M., Tookanlou, M.B., Saleem, K., Ray, P.K. and Subudhi, B. (2021). Heuristic Multi-Agent Control for Energy Management of Microgrids with Distributed Energy Sources. 2021 56th International Universities Power Engineering Conference (UPEC). https://doi.org/10.1109/UPEC50034.2021.9548152

Online reduced complexity parameter estimation technique for equivalent circuit model of lithium-ion battery
Saleem, K., Mehran, K. and Ali, Z. (2020). Online reduced complexity parameter estimation technique for equivalent circuit model of lithium-ion battery. Electric Power Systems Research. 185, p. 106356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsr.2020.106356

An improved pre-filtering moving average filter based synchronization algorithm for single-phase V2G application
Saleem, K., Mehran, K. and Ali, Z. (2020). An improved pre-filtering moving average filter based synchronization algorithm for single-phase V2G application. 2020 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). https://doi.org/10.1109/ECCE44975.2020.9236406