Professor Martin Foster

I received BEng, MSc and PhD degrees from Sheffield in 1998, 2000 & 2003 respectively. I was appointed lecturer in 2003 and since this time undertaken research in power electronic energy conversion and battery management systems. In 2016 I was made Professor of Energy Storage and Conversion.

My research interests span across the field of power electronic energy conversion, machine drives systems, thermal modelling & management, battery characterisation & health motoring and grid-connected energy storage. Recently funded EPSRC projects include “A New Partnership in Offshore Wind” EPSRC sponsored project featuring Siemens-Gamesa with the aim of developing larger and more reliable wind generator and “FPeT: Framework for designing piezoelectric transformer based power supplies” researching novel resonant power supplies.

Energy storage and applications form a large part of my research activities and I am Co-Investigator on Willenhall Energy Storage Facility a 2MW, 1MWh grid connected lithium titanate battery energy storage research facility, “TransEnergy:Road to Rail Exchange” research project investigating electrical energy storage applications on railway networks and Horizon 2020 sponsored “AdD HyStor” project, the UK’s first hybrid battery-flywheel system. I am a founder member of Centre for Research in Electrical Energy Storage and Applications covering many aspects of battery energy storage from pack design to EV battery charging.

I work closely with industry notable projects include TDK - Lambda doubling the power density of a commercial industrial power supply using novel packaging technologies and Philips Forschungslaboratorien, Bang & Olufsen, Bobitrans Power Solutions developing design software for resonant power supplies. During 2014-15 I completed an RAEng Industrial Secondment to develop an industrial battery charger for VxI Power Ltd. I am currently involved in several Innovate UK sponsored projects including with Dynex developing an Inverter Integrated Machine for Low Carbon Vehicles and with Evolution Power Tools developing highly optimised electrical machines for power tools.