Good day, T. Poompavai. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

Yes.

Yes, Sir, I'm ready.

Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

Yeah.

Myself Doctor Patty Mumbai. I'm from Electrical and electronics engineering domain.

I did my duty from Aruna Engineering College through MLA and I got my very golden opportunity in.

To complete my PD and PhD from PIT University vendor campus. So during my PD and PhD courses, I have developed a strong research capability especially in the area of parallel electronics for renewable energy applications.

My PhD topic is about investigation of.

Uh, solar water pumping system with energy storage unit. So it totally emphasizes on our new multi level inverted topologies.

And MBBT techniques and power management strategy. So through that I have published in High Impact Factor journal.

And also I have a currently patent task to be published.

Yes Sir, actually we have a my researcher. I have contributed some magic key contributions I have gave.

Thank you for sharing your background, Professor. Let's dive into specific areas of your expertise. Can you elaborate on how your research in multilevel inverter topologies and MPPT techniques directly contributes to the efficiency and reliability of solar water pumping systems?

My first contribution is about the experimental investigation of solar water pumping system for an induction motor for a. We have tested a point by HP induction water pump.

So through that we analyze this multi level inverted topology. So usually the conventional multi level inverters have suffered with the high number of power switches in each leg. So we have tried to reduce the number of power switches so that the losses can be minimized.

And with this I have introduced AN-5 switch topology for this solar water pumping system. So through that we have reduced a lower THC and we attained a higher efficiency and also we.

We improve the performance of induction motor pump.

With in all aspects we include the.

System performance with this new topology we uh.

It is. It is very much great to import in the.

Solar water pumping system so that, uh, agriculture systems can be used this, uh, modern, uh, multi level inverter topology.

It is very useful in the aspects of.

Cost wise and.

Sustainable system socioeconomic benefit It is very important in the rural and the half grid applications, especially while using a solar.

As a energy source, this multi level inverter topologies are reducing the.

Reducing the power source by it is drawing very less, so less power and it is acting very efficient for the solar water pumps.

And we attained our best water flow rate in during all irradiance conditions. This is the.

Keypoint for my research.

And we published in a high-impact factor journal, Sir.

Yes.

How do you ensure that the reduced number of power switches in your AN-5 topology maintains system reliability and durability over extended periods of operation, particularly in varying irradiance conditions?

High level switch topology compared to the other conventional multi level inverters. When we reduce the number of switches we are and we are reducing the switches and also the to the input source state. We are using only one DC as a single source, the single source in the. In the case of other multi level inverter topologies the IT needs separate sources for the.

Development of levels in multi development of voltage levels. But in my case.

I have used only single source for the five switches. This is the key point to address the.

Solar PV for the solar water pumping systems.

That approach is indeed quite insightful, Professor. By limiting to a single DC source while reducing the number of switches, you've effectively streamlined the system for efficiency and reliability. Could you take a moment to explain how you validated the reliability of this AN-5 topology during real-time experimental or field conditions? Specifically, what testing parameters or benchmarks were prioritized?

Yes, Sir, we analyzed in the. In all aspects, we analyzed the.

Testing of five switch.

Development of seven level voltage. So we have tested the parameters like we had tested on uh switching losses.

Topology for the.

THD that is total harmonic distortion.

Efficiency.

Can we attend the water flow rate also? So with this all parameters we have seen the the and we also we tested for a different load conditions. So for different load conditions it exhibit a very good performance with the new inverter topology Sir. And we also attained a very less power loss.

And in the case of, uh, each switch, the conduction loss and switching loss is very much less when we compare to other type of successes. The stress on each level is, uh, each switch is very less compared to other topologies. And it was really uh.

Solar water pumps, the induction water tries to uh, tries to uh, attain a very less switching route. It helpful for the smooth operation of the induction motor and this is our achievements.

Reducing the overall current current of this.

Understood, Professor. It seems you’ve taken comprehensive measures in analyzing and validating your topology across multiple parameters such as switching losses, total harmonic distortion, efficiency, and water flow rate under various load conditions. Your focus on reducing stress and losses at each switch level also demonstrates a strong design optimization. Let’s pivot slightly. Given your academic and technical background, how do you approach teaching complex topics like advanced power electronics or renewable energy systems to undergraduate or graduate students, ensuring clarity and engagement?

Is for undergraduate students, I'll start, uh, start making them with a simple block diagrams. I'll explain uh, I'll start with the block diagrams usually. So in the block diagram, if I, if I connect power electronics for renewable energy system, I'll make, I'll make the blocks as source inverter stage and the power application and the.

The renewable energy application, so renewable energy applications usually.

It is a wide area of application. It is used for many applications, especially Solaris, especially if we if we focus on solar and.

Being cover, it is using uh, more power electronic combinations, which is combinations in every in each of its state. So usually a power electronic renewable energy fed system uses three blocks as a set.

So for an undergraduate student it will be helpful for in the aspect of explaining the source site and the middle stage inverter side and the third part application style stage side. So they try to make the ideology very it will work out for themselves.

That’s a thoughtful approach, Professor. Starting with block diagrams to systematize the concepts and gradually explaining each stage—source, inverter, and application—provides a structured foundation for students to grasp complex renewable energy systems. It also creates a logical flow that aligns well with their level of understanding. Now, shifting towards graduate-level teaching, how would you adapt your approach to delve deeper into advanced system designs and the intricate aspects of power electronics?

Yes, forever. If it is a postgraduate students, I'll I'll go deeper into the structure of each and every state. So if the sources I'll I'll first explain the.

Based on the application, I'll make a power strategy. So what is the power requirement for the application? So based on the power requirement, if it is five kilowatt, I'll make the source as as I'll make the renewable energy source according to that. So if for the five kilowatt what what is the?

Solar panel or a wind power you have to use and with that what are the switches you need to be configured and?

It is totally based on the application. I'll explain them by each individual stage. I'll explain more the with the concepts.

That makes sense, Professor. Tailoring the system design to specific applications and guiding postgraduate students through detailed analyses—such as calculating power requirements, selecting suitable energy sources, and configuring switches—provides them with a more applied understanding. This hands-on approach teaches them to design systems that meet specific objectives. Finally, as part of guiding research work, how do you mentor students engaged in projects or theses, especially when they encounter challenges in implementing new methodologies or experiments?

Yes, uh, for the students, I will start with uh, I'll always make them aware of uh systems. What are the?

What are the things to be needed for patent filing and project funding for the collaboration with the funded projects? What are the things to be done? I'll make them to aware of everything and if we are starting with the new methodology means I will insist them to make a good literature review on that first. I will make them to good make a good literature survey on.

Every, uh, every aspect so that they get, uh, their narrow down the path towards the project.

And they'll get the clear idea of uh, what they are doing. So when they finalize the topic and towards the methodology and I'll explain the concept, I'll start with the real time still simulations and virtual labs. I'll assist them in every aspect.

And and I will approach them for uh.

File uh that is a patent filing process. I will make them to aware of everything.

Thank you, Professor. Your emphasis on guiding students through literature reviews, real-time simulations, virtual labs, and even extending mentorship towards patent filing and funding awareness showcases a comprehensive and impactful approach to academic mentoring. Let's move forward. Could you elaborate on any significant industry collaborations or consultancy projects you’ve taken on and describe their outcomes?

Yes, we have many, I have many contacts with the industry persons, even my colleagues are working in electric vehicle technology. They are doing the upgraded projects and.

We always communicate with the developments and updates in the.

So industry collaboration they are definitely they are bringing the very good advancements in the systems. So we usually I'll impart the knowledge from industry persons and I'll try to explain on myself with my in my project labs.

Electric vehicle systems.

Collaboration with the industry persons.

Understood, Professor. It's evident that you value strong ties with industry professionals, particularly in emerging technologies like electric vehicles. Leveraging their advancements and incorporating them into your academic project labs is indeed a practical way to bridge theoretical knowledge with real-world applications. Let us now focus on your publishing experience. Could you share more details about one of your high-impact journal publications and highlight the key findings or contributions of your work?

My paper, uh, my one of my first uh paper is I posted in a high impact factor journal. That time the impact factor was 1717 impact factor.

I published an review paper in that I.

I made an revision paper or review paper of.

Control strategies applied for solar water pumping system and wind energy systems. So I break the concepts into solar and wind. When we're using for water pumping implication, what are the control stages?

Yeah, so far used in solar water pumping system and what are the solar control strategies used in Bing server system?

So and I analyzed all the.

Parameters in the in the.

Based on the application that is solar water pump, I analyzed all the parameters from all the review papers. So it was crisp and.

My paper was I I'm I'm very advantage of my paper is it was very crisp so the user can easily understood what what are the parameters highlighted in my review paper.

And so that a student can easily get the parameter details from my review number.

Uh, like in the case of what are the parameters means speed of speed of the pump, what are the flow rate which we can able to change and what are the MPPT techniques we can able to apply for smaller and high power applications?

So there there is a various in various aspects. I I brought that paper.

Thank you, Professor. It's clear that your review paper offered a comprehensive overview of control strategies for solar and wind energy systems, making it an accessible resource for both students and researchers to understand key parameters, like flow rates, pump speeds, and MPPT techniques, across diverse applications. Now, let’s discuss teaching methodology further. How do you ensure your students develop both practical skills and theoretical knowledge in courses involving laboratory and hands-on components?

Yes, Sir. When we brought them to lab, uh, first I will import the knowledge from the class. We have thought from the course we have taught what are the objectives? I'll explain them and with the objectives, they'll try to start the experiment and also I'll guide them safety precautions while doing the experiment.

Before before each experiment, we'll use the virtual labs also so that the student can enter the lab with the confidently.

And I will always try to bridge the gap between the.

Uh, subject which I've taught in the class and to the experiment which we are conducting, so students get clear idea of what they are doing in the lab.

So they'll never forget in their future aspects.

Thank you, Professor. Your approach of blending classroom teaching with virtual labs, emphasizing safety precautions, and linking theoretical concepts to practical experiments ensures that students gain a holistic understanding. This methodology undeniably supports their retention and application of knowledge. Now to assess further, could you explain your process for evaluating students academically? How do you ensure fairness and rigor in their assessments?

I'll usually validate the students uh, by conducting interactive sessions and assessments by based on the assessments and classroom interactions, I'll uh.

I'll identify the students as slow learners and advanced learners. For slow learners, I you should use it to conduct a repeated sessions mentoring sessions so that they will they'll be confident for further classes and break the bigger concepts into smaller parts so that they can understand easily every logical steps. For a advanced learners I'll I'll make them to get aware of patterns, startups and research oriented.

Sessions. I will make them to participate.

Uh, for that, I'll make a timeline for everything. So I'll before they each and every semester I'll make a.

That's excellent, Professor. Your tailored approach of identifying slow and advanced learners ensures that each group receives the support and challenges best suited to their capabilities. Providing additional mentoring for slow learners and fostering innovation and research among advanced learners showcases your commitment to holistic student development. Lastly, how do you balance your research commitments alongside teaching responsibilities, and ensure that neither is compromised?

A reminder for everything like research activities, what are the things to be need in teaching and what are the things to be needed in research so that I can easily.

Segregate the work and finish the time and finish the every work in time. Usually I'll not, uh, do anything at the last minute.

That's a well-structured approach, Professor. Establishing timelines and adhering to them ensures systematic progress in both teaching and research, allowing you to manage your responsibilities effectively without last-minute pressures. Thank you for elaborating on your academic and professional journey. I’ll take a moment to consolidate your responses. Please hold.

Sorry to interrupt, we're down to the last 5 minutes.

Professor, to begin, could you share which foundational course in your field you've most enjoyed teaching and why?

Ready to handle all the Coco triple subjects even advanced triple subjects or with IoT and a techniques. This is very I carry my research in a so that I am feel comfortable in taking all aspects of suffixes. I'm ready to take multidisciplinary surface.

This and I I'm.

Uh, high voltage engineering, Electromagnetic field control system, Electrical machines.

Thank you, Professor. Let's proceed.

So my my solar water pumping system is a boom in All in all aspects I can incorporate in each and every stage of the system. So this is a.

Professor Poompavai, reviewing your academic background, I see your postgraduate project focused on "Performance analysis of cascaded multilevel inverter fed induction motor drive" and your doctoral research seems rooted in aligned technical areas. Could you elaborate on how your doctoral research or this postgraduate project informs your ability to instruct foundational and advanced courses in power electronics or related subjects?

My future plan is to do the supervisory control for in all aspects in my solar water pumping system. I used a many, I have tested many intelligent MPPT techniques. So these MPPT techniques I compared with the conventional MPPT techniques. So I founded that the intelligent MPPT techniques are performing well and it is giving very fast dynamic response to the system compared to the conventional system.

So these are the lines which I can incorporate in each and every slide and also I have a MPPT stage to the inverter stage. I use this reduced switch topology. This reduced switch topology is there.

Is best at best for working with the solar, uh, solar taking, uh, taking the solar as input. So all together, my system was performed well with its best MMPPT technique with the high efficient and cost efficient. This is sustainable. This this is giving sustainable solution for the.

Uh, rural applications.

Yes, Sir.

For the students For the students, they can easily bring this.

From the solar basic solar water pumping system, they can able to easily identify what are the stages and they can incorporate in the future research projects.

Understood, Professor Poompavai. Bridging the foundational understanding of a basic solar water pumping system to research-ready advanced concepts is certainly a valuable approach. Can you share a specific example of how you might design a classroom or lab activity that introduces students to an intelligent MPPT technique, enabling them to engage with both theory and hands-on experimentation?

And by using MATLAB simulation, I'll help them to understand what are the MPPT techniques you can program in MATLAB and they can validate their performance by using stability check.

And uh, they can check the global MPP region. What are the oscillations they are getting in different MPPT techniques?

For the same water pumping system they can use, they can analyze with the different MPT techniques. So this will be the basic foundation for the students to get in part in the projects.

What's the process?

The process would typically begin with an overview lecture introducing students to MPPT basics and their significance in solar systems. Next, you could guide them through hands-on sessions using MATLAB to model a simple solar water pumping system. Students could then program various MPPT algorithms, such as Perturb & Observe or Incremental Conductance, and analyze system performance metrics like stability, oscillations, and efficiency. At later stages, they could validate these techniques against intelligent MPPT methods, comparing their performance, especially under dynamic conditions. This comprehensive approach would provide them with both theoretical and practical insights, preparing them for more advanced project work. Does this align with your intended teaching approach?

Our scheduled time for the interview is now up. Before we conclude, do you have any questions related to the role or the company?

No, Sir, I'm ready to contribute myself in VAT if I'm given with this opportunity.

Professor, can you provide a detailed research roadmap for the next three years that aligns with your expertise, particularly in Power Electronics, Power Systems, or Control Systems? How would this roadmap contribute to the institution's focus on academic excellence?

Exit in the aspect of power system, smart grid technologies can be updated, students can do.

To can do their projects on smart grids. In the case of a power electronics students can able to do many projects.

Minimum upcoming a projects by using our virtual labs, they can easily understand what are the things that they can do in their lab so they can develop a prototypes of application.

So each prototype will will be published in each patent. They can find a patent also. So Staffs by the Staffs from the staff side we can able to assist the each and every project. In all the cases we can apply the new a technology. So this is the very, very much advantages for.

I said triple E staff, I'm telling this a can be applicable for each and every project. So this is giving a very much assurance in our future.

Uh, status.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Professor. You've highlighted the importance of leveraging virtual labs and focusing on innovation through patents and prototypes in Power Systems and Power Electronics. Let me probe further to understand your strategy. How would you mentor junior students to ensure that they contribute effectively to high-quality publications and research outputs in this domain?

Uh junior undergraduate students, they have to 1st initially, they start with the literature review and then they have to, uh, write the, uh, write the paper on their own basis without using uh.

Uh, without using this copy paste or some option, they have to write by themselves. So in five years before we started with the writing our papers ourselves, we, we didn't rely on any AI technology. So as like this, the students have to sit, sit with the, their own thinking and they have to impart their knowledge, which they gain from the courses. They have to infer the knowledge and they have to write the paper and.

It is a. It is a very good path for for them.

Understood, Professor. Encouraging students to focus on independent thought and authentic paper-writing is commendable. Let's extend this to a broader, institutional perspective. How do you plan to utilize international collaborations to elevate citation metrics, enhance research quality, and boost the academic ranking of the institution?

When we will look for the academic ranking and the boosting our papers, a student has to student has to.

Support the Staffs by writing the papers and they have to address all the problems. This will be young. If the youngsters get into the get into touch with us, it'll be very useful for us when in all the cases because.

In a single class, we have at least 30 or 50 students. So 50 students means we'll get 50 papers from each one of them. So 50 papers means the.

From a, from a single department, if we are getting 50 papers mean from all, all together we're able to get many papers from all the departments. So it will be, it'll be better for the institutional growth.

Thank you, Professor. Your vision for leveraging collective student and staff efforts to enhance institutional research productivity is ambitious. I appreciate your input. That concludes this section. Let us proceed.

Professor, let us discuss some aspects of pedagogical innovation. How would you implement an active learning model, such as a Flipped Classroom, for a large-enrollment course without relying on traditional lecture slides? Please provide a detailed explanation of your approach.

I'll make them with a real time example like a daily life example Sir. If I'm if I'm explaining a machine construction means I'll start with the.

I'll always try to give the example as a normal fan, wherever you are seeing the rotational action that comes the motor or generator. So the in every twice in every application wherever you are seeing the rotational action, you are seeing the motor and generator is involved in that. And you are seeing the set of some batteries also involved in that everywhere in every application which is moving which is.

Providing our world is elliptical and electronics.