Curriculum Vitae

HIGHLIGHTS OF QUALIFICATIONS

Farzad Ahmadkhanlou, Ph.D., P.E., is a faculty advisor for the Professional Master of Engineering Program at the University of California, Irvine, where he has supervised over 100 industry-sponsored projects. He is also the CEO and founder of Intelligent Design Technology LLC and the CEO and co-founder of Power Switching LLC. Dr. Ahmadkhanlou has been involved in interdisciplinary research and development in academia and industry for 30 years in various science and engineering domains, including mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, structural engineering, biomedical engineering, computer science, and materials science. His diverse expertise extends to multidomain industries and applications, encompassing smart materials, telerobotic and haptics systems, Virtual Reality (VR) and game controllers, software and App development, additive manufacturing, advanced automotive systems, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). He is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of California and the author of more than 40 technical publications in accredited journals, conference proceedings, and technical reports. He holds over 10 U.S., international, and provisional patents. He is a technical committee member of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) and a technical reviewer for multiple peer-reviewed scientific journals. Additionally, he has dedicated over a decade to the research on T-Consciousness Fields (TCFs).

EDUCATION

The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Doctor of Philosophy, Mechanical Engineering
Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering

University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Master of Science, Structural Engineering
Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering

CERTIFICATES

Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in Mechanical Engineering
State of California

WORK EXPERIENCE

University of California, Irvine
Faculty Advisor/Mentor – Master of Engineering Program at the Samueli School of Engineering
Has developed curriculum and advising graduate students in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), and Biomedical Engineering (BME) disciplines on industry-sponsored Capstone Projects in the Professional Master of Engineering Program.

University of California, Irvine
Faculty Advisor and Co-director – Engineering Design in Industry (EDI) Program at the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department

BluAtomVR Inc., Irvine, CA
CTO and Co-founder
– Modeling, designing, controlling, prototyping, and marketing a gesture control system for Virtual Reality (VR) games
– Training electrical, mechanical, and computer engineers to develop the VR hardware and software

Intelligent Structures and Systems Lab
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of California, Irvine
Visiting Project Scientist
– Collaborating directly with Dean of College of Engineering in setting up advanced smart materials lab, writing NSF and SBIR proposals and grants, and co-advising undergrad and graduate students.

US Hybrid Corporation, Torrance, California
Senior Mechanical Engineer Consultant
– Training senior mechanical engineers for FEA and CFD modeling of electric motors and power electronics.
– Providing consulting services for thermal packaging of hybrid, electric, and fuel cell vehicles.
– Powertrain modeling of electric and hybrid vehicles, sizing and optimizing the engine, electric motor, and energy storage systems (fuel cells, batteries, and ultracaps).

Scientist, Senior Mechanical Engineer
– Lead engineer on performing stress and vibration analysis, design of mechanical systems, and material selection (aerospace and automotive applications).
– Lead engineer on CFD thermal/flow modeling and design of power electronic systems, DC-DC converters, magnetics, electric motors, fuel cells, ultracaps, and batteries (aerospace and automotive applications).
– Lead engineer on modeling and application of dual battery and hybrid energy storage systems.
– Lead engineer on system-based performance, power-train modeling and simulation, energy management, and component sizing of parallel/series HEV, PHEV, EV systems, and streetcars.
– Project engineer on design and development of composite materials, such as carbon fibers, and application of smart materials, such as MRF, in hybrid and electric vehicles.
– Developed optimization algorithm for exportable power-based vehicles in smart grids.
– Prepare and write proposals, technical papers (conference and journal), patents, and technical presentations.

Intelligent Structures and Systems Lab, Mechanical Engineering Department, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Graduate Research Associate
– Modeled, designed, formulated, and controlled electromechanical and Magnetorheological (MR) fluid based devices used in force feedback and telerobotic systems.
– Designed, prototyped, and controlled multi degree of freedom haptic-based robotic manipulators.
– Developed fully interactive object-oriented software package for modeling MR fluids and designing MR based -devices such as MR-based dampers, brakes, or clutches.
– Built a force feedback steer-by-wire device and developed a GUI for controlling the system in virtual reality.
– Performed theoretical and experimental investigation of controlling structures with smart materials such as piezoelectric or shape memory alloys (SMA).
– Developed a 3D microstructural modeling of MR fluids.

Knowledge Engineering Lab, Department of Civil Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Graduate Research Assistant
– Conducted research on the cost optimization of concrete slabs using a neural dynamics model, and developed an interactive software package.
– Proposed and investigated an innovative way of generating the electric power required in semi-active control of smart civil structures.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

– Mechanical Exam Committee Member: National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), SC
– Invited Judge: Conrad Foundation’s Spirit of Innovation Awards, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
– Technical Reviewer: Institute of Physics (IOP), Smart Materials and Structures
– Technical Reviewer: ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences (IDETC), Las Vegas, Nevada
– Technical Reviewer: International Conference on Nonlinear Science and Complexity, Beijing, China
– Technical Reviewer: The 10th International Conference on Electrorheological Fluids and Magnetorheological Suspensions, Lake Tahoe, CA
– Technical Reviewer: Chassis Systems Symposium of the SAE Automotive Dynamic Stability and Controls Conference
– Judge: Denman Research Forum, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

HONORS AND AWARDS

– 2nd place in Engineering, Hayes Graduate Research Forum, OSU, Columbus, OH
– Best Paper Runner-up, 12th SPIE International Symposium, San Diego, CA
– Graduate Research Assistantship, OSU Department of Mechanical Engineering
– Fellowship, OSU Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbus, OH.
– Graduate Research Assistantship, OSU Department of Civil Engineering, Columbus, OH.
– Ranked Top 20, the 1st Scientific Olympiad Competition (held nationwide among all the universities), Iran
– Best Paper of Department of Structural Engineering, 4th Conference of Civil Engineering Students, Iran University of Science and Technology

AFFILIATIONS

– Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, Membership in Sigma Xi is by nomination.
– Society of Automotive Engineers, SAE
– American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME
– The International Society for Optical Engineering, SPIE
– National Society of Professional Engineers, NSPE
– American Society of Civil Engineers, ASCE