Aathira Karuvaril Vijayan received her B.Tech (2008) in electrical and electronics engineering from the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), India, and a M.Tech (2011) specializing in industrial drives and control from Mahatma Gandhi (M.G) University, India. After pursuing a master’s degree, Aathira worked as an assistant professor for 8 years at Calicut University, later known as APJ Abdul Kalam Kerala Technological University, India.
Aathira joined Dr. Ali Emadi’s group at the McMaster Automotive Resource Centre (MARC) in May 2021, as a Ph.D. student in the department of electrical and computer engineering. Her research interests include motor control, electric vehicles, and transportation electrification. Currently, she is working on developing control algorithms for permanent magnet synchronous motors, for improving the efficiency of electric drives for powertrains.
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Aathira had a strong ardour for mathematics and physics, right from her school days. She soon realized that the field of electrical engineering was aligned with her interests, and would be an excellent choice for a fruitful career. While pursuing her undergraduate studies, Aathira implemented a working model of a digital energy meter. She designed a capacitor bank for Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to improve the power factor, by compensating the reactive power. Soon after starting her master’s, she was given the opportunity to delve more into designing and implementing power electronics converters. Aathira holds academic ranks at the university level, for both undergraduate and graduate programs. The final project for her graduate degree on dc-dc converter, led to her winning the Annual Master Thesis competition held by the IEEE-IAS society.
Aathira was the chairwoman of the IEEE-IAS society of her college, which exposed her to organizing events and developing effective interpersonal skills. Eventually, she received the award for Outstanding Student Volunteer in the IEEE-Asia Pacific Region 10. With the burning curiosity to gain and share knowledge, Aathira started working as an assistant professor at Calicut University, India, now known as APJ Abdul Kalam Kerala Technological University. This helped her to learn, in more detail, about electric drives and power converters. After a few years, in order to indulge in the field of research for transportation electrification, Aathira joined McMaster university as a Ph.D. student.
