Good day, Udaiyakumar S. 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?

Uh, good evening.

Good evening. Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

Good evening myself, doctor Sudhir Kumar.

So I'm currently working as an associate professor in Sriramus Institute of Technology, Coimbatore. So I started my journey.

As a teaching fellow in Analysis Regional Campus, Coimbatore then I joined here at Siramus Institute of Technology at 2018. Then for past eight years I have been working here. So as as of my education is concerned, I started.

Uh, studying UH in Jam.

I started AI, studied about Bachelors of engineering at Savita Engineering College, Chennai. Then I joined most of engineering in Power Systems engineering at Regional campus Coimbatore. After completing my masters in engineering, I joined as an teaching fellow in Annual campus Coimbatore. After that I joined as an assistant professor at in 2018 in Shivam's Institute of Technology. Later I got 2 promotions.

In the same institution as System Process Selection grid and then Associate professor recently. As of now I'm working as an associate professor in the show Technology.

Thank you, Professor Kumar, for sharing your academic journey.

Professor Udaiyakumar S, let's evaluate your qualifications and skills against the position we are assessing today. Given your expertise, let's start verifying each specific competency: **1. Expertise in Power Electronics, Power Systems, or Control Systems** Can you explain a project or research you’ve conducted related to Power Systems or Power Electronics? Highlight the core technical challenges you encountered and how you overcame them.

So as of power system is concerned, I have developed a few projects in the area of renewable energy.

Using a solar solar photovoltaic systems. So my project is unique.

Solar photovoltaic power utilization directly to the applications. For example, usually when solar photovoltaic powers are utilized in home scenario, in a small scale as well as large scale norm scenario as well as industry based or larger power production, solar photovoltaic generates DC power which is obviously converted to. AC and then it is utilized in in the usual manner but in my project.

The idea is that the solar PV power that the DC produced by the solar PV can be directly utilized for the for the purpose that the conversion losses can be minimized. Say for example, the loads such as DC loads as well as electronic loads. All the electronic loads utilize DC power. When the electronic loads are utilized in the conventional AC grid, the initial stage of the conversion is that.

Converting.

That AC given AC supply to DC and then it is utilized. So when solar is also involved in those kind of scenarios, the solar power is initially converted to AC and then at the load side where that AC is again converted to DC, there are two conversion. Each conversion stages there will be losses. In my project, the idea is that utilization of the solar power directly.

For DC appliance, uh, the electronic appliances which eventually uses DC. So for that the idea is that by simply using a boost converter, say for example solar panels typically generate up to 12 voltage or 24 voltage, maybe 48 voltage can be done. So these voltage need to be boosted.

2110 or 1:20 voltages. Why? Because we need to boost 1 into 110 or 120 DC voltage means these electronic devices that typically work on AC can also directly work on 110 or 120 voltage DC without any changes at the load site. So the same electronic devices which work on 230 Volt AZ can also work on one time Volt or 120 voltage DC without any changes. So my idea is that the.

Output voltage from the solar panel has to be boosted to the required voltage that is 110 or 120 voltage then these devices can be directly utilized. So this is the my my main project which I have in produce lot of small scale setups to as a project I have done so the main.

Uh issue I have uh I have encountered in this project is that conversion of that 24 or 48 voltage to one ton voltage, the boost convert a lot of boost converters were readily available, but the conversions are typically somewhat uh.

Typically had a harder part. So I prefaced several problems in the conversion part. So there are readily available converters or the converters where we need to go. So the boosting the range has to be improved in the several converters. This is the main problem I have encountered in this project. So the main advantage of this project is that there will be a loss minimization of losses in two conversion stages.

So earlier the the original scenario you will be having two conversions with AV losses whereas here you will be having only one conversion that to boost conversion with lesser number of switches and lesser number of losses. So in future maybe this type of DCMA it can be said as a DC microgrid system. So these type of systems can be dominant in case of small scale systems and small microgrid systems where. Solar panels as a primary resource for electricity for the electronic loads.

This project demonstrates a thoughtful and innovative approach to improving energy efficiency in solar photovoltaic applications, particularly by minimizing conversion losses. You've clearly put effort into addressing a significant challenge, which is the efficient DC-DC boost conversion. Let's now verify the next skill. **2. Ability to teach theory and laboratory courses** How do you structure your instruction when teaching a complex topic such as the operation of boost converters or power electronics to ensure both theoretical understanding and practical application for your students?

So while teaching this type of boost converter techniques, we have to implement that as implement the concept of working both theoretical as well as practical concepts. So theoretical teaching can be very slightly easier, but whereas in the practical demonstration has a lot of. Implications that need to be processed towards the students point of view so that they can understand the processing.

So when you are explaining about boost converters, the we can simply in theoretical point of view we can simply say that. So using few switches the type based on the type of the boost converters, the converter this type, this number of switches were there. These switches are turned on and turned off based on the particular switching frequency and the conversions is from the lower voltage say for example 48 voltage to 110 voltage. It is boost like that we can explain. So the.

Same part here is that switching signal generation, how far, how fast the switching of the power devices available in the boost converter has done and these switching how these switchings as enabling the improvement of voltage. That part has to be demonstrated using either software simulation using MATLAB. When you are using MATLAB the these simulations can be explained and using.

These simulations can be done in MATLAB and other simulations softwares also. Especially in MATLAB this can be simulated and and it can be demonstrated practically for the students.

Graphical manners.

I can't able to get the question. Can you repeat the question?

Certainly, Professor. Can you describe a specific method or criterion you have used to evaluate students' understanding in either theory or laboratory sessions?

Yes, actually there are uh, many set of specified criteria for evaluating theory as well as practical, which are mostly predefined say for example, and evaluation of working, working in a team or a group and communication Viva voice. So then practical experiment how they is doing. So these sort of practical verifications are there. So each slots will be having certain marks apart from that.

We need to my my opinion, we need to verify whether the students are involvedly doing the projects. Say for example, in a laboratory, there are a few categories which can able to we can verify their experiment whether the outputs are coming perfectly or not. So based on that we can put some Marks and whether the the students are involving in a team for doing the experiment that can be given some Marks and preview always.

Before I had, uh, doing the experiment, we can ask students some questions based on that, we can use some marks for the students and post I was after completed the experiment, we can ask some questions for to the students how understand or what he can infer from the experiment That and all we can evaluate and few things that we need to evaluate. Apart from that, also how involved the students are doing this project or what are the real time applications for this particular experiment.

And what are the real time?

Problems when these type of experiments were used in real time, what are the problems encountered for this type of experiments that that can also be discussed and also be evaluated for the involvement of the students also. So these these evaluation may not be given as marks, but these evaluations can be done as a professor so that how involved the students are how interested the students can be doing this type of project. Say for example, if the.

Is doing a particular project very interestingly, so those students can be employed in a set of projects. So those students can do those projects very involvedly. So those type of identifications can be done in the theory evaluation as well as laboratory evaluations.

So.

OK for student projects guidance, so we need to create a interest within the students, a group of students. So usually project in my point of view, usually projects has to be done in a group. So so only the IT will be effective. So to create a initial point is that we need to create an.

Interest in the students in the particular.

Area, say for example.

From the application point of view, we need to create an interest. For example, there is a project which can be useful for the community. For see you can say for example solar, solar based streetlight or solar based water pumping systems which can be helpful for farmers as well as streets without lights or without proper electrical power. So in the village sites also the roads cannot, cannot.

Provided with the street lights. So in those places the automated solar based street light projects and automated PD based pumping systems, this this type of applications can induce interest in the students for doing the projects. So initial point is that we need to create interest based on the application at which point this will be useful for the society. Mostly the project should be useful for the.

Society in that point of view, we need to create an interest for through a group of students and then for that interest we need to give a project to the students also.

The store that particular group of students in the same area has to identify there is already existing problem in a society. There may be already existing solution to that problem also. But students can analyze these type of problems where they're say for example, in my local area, the farmers are can't able to turn on or turn off a particular motor or the energy consumption for the.

The motors which are used for a pumping purposes are very high. It has to be replaced with PV based systems. So these these scenarios are these problems can be identified by the students using those in the domain itself. Then we can give you a particular project say for example, automated water pump system using solar PV, independent automated water pump system using solar PV that can be independently on and off whenever it is available or.

Whenever it is needed and solar, it can be replaced the solar power without any other power support. So those type of interest we need to create with the students. So when the students are very much interested, they can deliver the project expansion exceptionally. So that is my point of view when we are addressing the students are creating interest among the students for the projects.

Also, uh, once the projects are given, we need to encourage the students for participating in the competitions. By winning the competitions for the projects, students further motivated to do the projects in the same domain with the different applications or different techniques so that further the the projects can be developed in the real time scenarios.

Your method of inspiring student interest by linking projects to societal needs and encouraging participation in competitions demonstrates a well-rounded approach to guiding student projects. This not only teaches technical skills but also fosters a sense of purpose and innovation. **5. Good communication and structured teaching approach** How do you ensure clarity and structure in your lectures or coursework to effectively communicate complex engineering concepts to students?

So for communicating a particular concept or particular complex engineering concepts to the students.

Visually demonstrating the concept with an practical application or a practical example may reach the concepts to the students very well. For example, if you are demonstrating an Ohm's law, since I am an article background. If you are demonstrating A Ohm's law by simply saying Ohm's law states that.

In in a conductor.

The voltage is directly applied. Voltage is directly proportional to the current flowing through the conductor. Like that we can state and then we can state the limitations. It is only applicable for linear devices like that we can say. But for the demonstration purposes we can demonstrate through videos or through practical applications. Say for example, we can take a small resistor and apply a small DC voltage. By increasing the DC voltage step by step, we can calculate. The output current so by plotting the current versus voltage curve.

We can demonstrate that the graph is very linear. The whenever the voltage increases, the current increases respectively. Resistance remains the same at constant temperature. So there is a condition at constant temperature. So we by demonstrating like this students can able to understand what is Ohm's law, why it is applicable only for linear devices like that. These concepts can be easily observed or understood by the students.

So by combining theoretical concepts with the practical or visual demonstration students can we can able to demonstrate the applications to concepts to the students very easily.

Your approach of coupling theoretical explanations with practical demonstrations and visual aids reflects an effective, structured teaching strategy. It is clear that you prioritize not only clarity but also engaging methods that align with diverse student learning styles. **6. PhD in a relevant specialization** Could you briefly summarize the main contributions or findings of your PhD research?

So in my PhD research, the title is that simply we can put in a way that electricity price forecasting. I have done research in the area of electricity price forecasting. So it is a combination of both electrical as well as computer field. So electricity price forecasting is a pure electrical subject whereas it has it has done by using neural network and soft computing techniques like metastatic few metallurgistic algorithms. So.

What is electricity price forecasting? Why it is needed means in the development of grid scenarios, smart grid development is very essential. So in the smart grid scenario, there are a lot of players who generate electricity as well as sell electricity.

Uh, there are number of players. So in the process of, uh, generating, selling and distributing electricity, there are bidders like any other market. Say for example, you the in, in some other markets, uh, that you will be having the person who is selling to the highest bidder. So, so that they can sell for greater value. Same scenario will happen in Indian markets. There are few other, uh, Western European markets they are. This type of scenario is happening where.

Electricity generator will sell to a distributor at a certain price. So based on that they can sell electricity to the consumers. So this is a demand based market. So whatever the demand are there based on the demand the price of the electricity will vary in a smart grid environment. So in in this scenario the price, the forecasted electricity price plays a major role for bidding processes for the buyer as well as seller and also for the. Consumer whether the price will be higher or lesser due to at the point of consumption. So these these for these people's the forecasted electricity price play plays a major role. For example, buyer can identify for the next few hours the price of the electricity will be very higher. So at that point of time he may sell the electricity which we we already stored using storage devices which is available in their homes or in their locations and when the price is lower they.

And use more electricity from the grid to store this batteries, battery or storage systems in the system. So by for the seller bidder. So for the seller as well as the distributor and and the utilizations these type of forecaster adversity prices very important. So for those a proper model for predicting electricity price forecast electricity price is very important. So in this in this my in my work I have.

The combined few techniques.

Yeah, my hybrid model. I have developed a hybrid model based on decomposition techniques as well as neural network and optimization techniques. So I have combined these three techniques to create a electricity price forecasting model. Usually the base electricity price is.

Distributed using.

Uh, the electricity model, the hybrid electricity model is off 3 three systems 1 is neural network. Another one is optimization technique. The optimization technique is used to optimize the parameters in the neural network. So usually the neural network is used to forecast or predict something which cannot be mathematically done. So the mathematical relationship between input and output is very complex or the mathematical relationship may not be formed for certain input and.

Good scenarios in those places neural network is used, say, for example, uh, prediction of rain, whether rain will be coming or not there there cannot be uh, mathematical relationship between the causes and the result. So those kind of problems, neural network can be used. So similar way I have used a neural network and optimized technique to improve the efficiency of the neural network. I have used optimization technique. So also I have used.

Preprocessing techniques to process the input.

The signal input datas so elder city price is taken as an input and this input is preprocessed using.

Wavelet decomposition decomposition technique where the initial waveform is decomposed into few wave, few set of waveforms and then all the waveforms are trained using a neural network which is optimized by means of optimized techniques. I have taken feedforward neural network which is trained by extreme learning machine algorithm and then the parameters of the feedforward neural network is optimized by means of particles from optimization as well as.

Particular artificial B colony algorithm, the whole setup combining of decomposition, the neural network which is trained by extreme learning machine and the optimized by artificial B colony algorithm is a main.

Hybrid model I have developed for forecasting electricity price. This model forecast the electricity for short term as well as medium term effectively for the purpose of to help uh product, electricity producers, bidders as well as buyers and final users. So this is a PhD work I have done.

Your PhD research on electricity price forecasting demonstrates an outstanding integration of electrical systems with advanced computational methods. Combining wavelet decomposition, neural networks, and optimization techniques like artificial bee colony algorithms to develop a hybrid forecasting model is highly innovative and applicable to emerging smart grid scenarios. Your contribution clearly addresses practical challenges in energy price prediction, benefiting diverse stakeholders. **7. Research publications in reputed journals** Could you briefly share details about one of your most impactful research papers, focusing on its significance and outcomes?

So the roles of the company, the roles of the institution or the university is already clearly explained in my application form as well as the mails I have previously received. So as of now, I have no doubts in the roles or the position in the university. So it is OK, I know that I have know the roles and details of the position. I'm going to attend the interview.

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

Thank you for confirming, Professor. Before we conclude, could you please confirm if you are ready to end the interview?

Yes, I'm ready to attend the interview on 27th Tuesday at Velluru campus, VAT Vellur Institute of Technology at Vellur.

Thank you for clarifying your next steps. However, to complete this interaction, could you confirm explicitly if I should conclude this session now?

Yes, if anything is not there, we can conclude the session.