ECE Graduate Student Earns Best Presentation Award at IEEE APEC 2026

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University graduate student Md Moniruzzaman of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received the Best Presentation Award at the IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) 2026 in San Antonio, Texas.

Moniruzzaman, a Ph.D. student in the Paul Jacob High Voltage Laboratory, was recognized for his presentation, “Adaptive Acceleration Control of a Six-Phase PMSM Considering Thermal-Mechanical Constraints.”

His research introduces a new control strategy that enables ultra-high-speed electric motors to accelerate more rapidly while operating within safe thermal and mechanical limits. The Adaptive Acceleration Control approach continuously monitors motor temperatures and mechanical stress, proactively adjusting performance in real time to maximize efficiency and reliability. The technology was successfully demonstrated on a six-phase electric motor platform capable of reaching speeds up to 500,000 RPM.

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation through the project, “PFI-RP: High-Reliability, Low-Cost, Rare-Earth-Free Motor for Electrified Transportation Applications” (Award No. 2234271), led by principal investigator Seungdeog Choi. Travel support was provided by the National Science Foundation and Mississippi State’s Bagley College of Engineering.

The work has applications in electric propulsion, advanced manufacturing and compact high-power energy systems, helping advance next-generation electrified technologies.