October 5, 2022 | Ben Donohue & Matthew Mancini

UConn is Teaming Up with a Key US Navy Supplier

Professor Ali Bazzi and the Center for Clean Energy Engineering are aiming to develop self-healing electronics for Naval vessels

Caption: Prof. Bazzi from UConn (left) with Mr. Aslanidis from Ward Leonard (right) along with the first prototype of the converter that is subject of their collaboration.

Caption: Prof. Bazzi from UConn (left) with Mr. Aslanidis from Ward Leonard (right) along with the first prototype of the converter that is subject of their collaboration (contributed photo).

Ward Leonard, LLC, a Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) company and University of Connecticut Electrical Engineering Associate Professor Ali Bazzi, who has a joint appointment with the Center for Clean Energy Engineering, are joining forces to develop power converter solutions for naval applications. They aim to develop high-power-density self-healing power electronics for manned and unmanned Naval vessels.

What makes this project unique is the increased research and development resources that Bazzi and his team can provide to the defense contractor. The concept of self-healing power electronics has been explored by Bazzi and his team for several years, and is finally ready for implementation on defense and commercial platforms. He said that this collaboration stems from a combined interest in developing new technologies as well as the culmination of lab visits and meetings between Bazzi, his students and Ward Leonard’s leadership team.

Bazzi is no stranger to working hand-in-hand with private industry. From small family businesses to large corporations based in Connecticut, he has worked with several companies on enhanced research and development initiatives since joining the university in 2012.

We are able to supply them and other Connecticut and national industries with a wide pipeline of talent. — Prof. Ali Bazzi

Ward Leonard started expanding into this new arena soon before their acquisition by Fairbanks Morse Defense in 2021. While Ward Leonard has traditionally specialized in electric machine design and manufacturing, they are now looking to double up in building higher powered electronics for advanced system controls. These controls could set Ward Leonard apart from their competitors.

The importance of Ward Leonard working with Bazzi and UConn is the ease of access of research and design facilities within C2E2 which features Dr. Bazzi’s lab, PEARL (Power Electronics and Drives Advanced Research Lab). PEARL contains the combination of expertise and proximity which allows UConn to help lower costs and overhead for Ward Leonard.

“We can leverage each other’s expertise to come up with a joint solution” Bazzi says. “We are able to supply them and other Connecticut and national industries with a wide pipeline of talent, where we can support their projects and provide an opportunity to hire engineers.”

“I came to know of UConn before PEARL, when it was actually Advanced Power Electronics Drives Laboratory (APEDL), which goes back several years” according to John Aslanidis, director of Engineering for the Control Engineering Unit at Fairbanks Morse Defense. “We have had relationships on previous projects based on the talent of this team and are excited to work with them again. I believe there’s lots of potential for collaboration on future projects, once we prove we are capable of delivering the desired results for this project.”

These deliverables include specific milestones and tests over an 18-month timeline.  This will allow PEARL to work with Ward Leonard to look at larger projects for further collaboration opportunities.

Prof. Bazzi acknowledges the hard work of his lab members who are supporting this project: Ph.D. students Pengwei Li and Muhammed Ali Gultekin, and undergraduate student Uiliam Kutrolli.