Driving the Next Generation

of Electrified & Autonomous Vehicles

Welcome to the website of Professor Ali Emadi’s research group—Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) Laureate Program at McMaster Automotive Resource Centre (MARC)—at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, one of the world’s leading academic research programs in transportation electrification and smart mobility focused on pioneering sustainable energy-efficient solutions from advanced electric motors, power electronics, energy management systems, and controls to electrified powertrains, electric vehicles, and autonomous systems.

Research Thrust Areas Include:

Electric & hybrid vehicles
Autonomous vehicles
Electrified powertrains
Electric machines
Motor drives/inverters
Motor controls
Power electronic DC/DC converters
Chargers & V2X systems
Embedded Software & controls
Functional Safety

Energy storage systems
Energy management systems
Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS)
Artificial intelligence & machine learning
Thermal management
Modeling & simulations
Driving simulation
Vehicle dynamics

Facilities

Powertrain Tester Three-Machine Dyno
High Speed Electric Machine Dyno
MARCdrive Chassis Dyno
MARCdrive Driving Simulator
SoftAuto Laboratory
Energy Storage Laboratory
Power Electronics & Motor Drives Laboratory
Automotive / Aerospace Electrification Laboratory
Motor Control & Power Electronics Laboratory
High Bay Laboratory

Services

Research & development
Industry sponsored projects
Contract design & development
Modeling, simulations, & analysis
Hands-on education & training
Workforce development
Collaborative workshops for short courses, as well as strategic & technical brainstorming
Hardware & software testing
Benchmarking & characterization
Prototyping

Equipment & Dynamometers

Team Profiles

Our diverse research group consists of more than 250 graduate and undergraduate students, post-doctoral research fellows, and engineers.

Justin Brown

Head of Operations

Justin Brown is the Head of Operations for Dr. Emadi’s CERC@MARC group, including the dynos, battery testing, and driving simulator labs at MARC. He has a Bachelor’s of Industrial Design from Humber College, Certificate in Tool and Die Making from Sheridan College during his time as an apprentice, and studied both Engineering Technology, and Art and Design, at Centennial College. Justin has a long and multidisciplinary career that spans the manufacturing, product development, and audio-visual production sectors and provided him with experience from the shop floor to the boardroom.

Theresa Mitchell

Research Coordinator

Theresa Mitchell started her career at McMaster University in 2004 as an executive assistant in Human Resources. She supported the Chief Human Resources Officer and the Senior Management Team. Her strong time management, excellent customer service, and professional demeanor allowed her to explore other areas of the university. In 2011, she worked at the Centre for Business Career Development.

Jessica Petrunti

Communications & Design Lead

Jessica Petrunti received her B.A. degree in Communication Studies and Multimedia Design from McMaster University (2016) and post graduate certificate in Public Relations from Mohawk College (2017). In 2012, during her undergraduate studies, she began working at CERC@MARC aiding automotive engineering researchers in various research support and administrative tasks.

Dr. Fabricio Machado

Senior Principal Research Engineer

Fabricio Machado began his journey at the McMaster Automotive Resource Centre (MARC) as a master’s student in 2019 and transitioned to the Ph.D. program in 2020. With over ten years of automotive experience, Fabricio has a strong background in multi-speed gearboxes for battery electric vehicles, vehicular mechanical systems, cross-functional team leadership, powertrain development, and vehicle dynamics. He has held roles as Design System Engineer and Assistant Chief Engineer at Stellantis South America.