In just three minutes on stage, Armin Ebrahimian, a Ph.D. candidate in the Opus College of Engineering, can get an auditorium full of people to connect with his graduate-level research on electric aircraft propulsion. More than just sharing a lofty vision, Ebrahimian outlines the economics of why and the science of how our planet can electrify air travel.
On Friday, Feb. 23, Ebrahimian earned first place in the Three Minute Thesis competition hosted by Marquette’s Graduate School. His talk, “Designing the Future: Aviation Class Electric Propulsion System,” communicates his research in power electronics for electric aircraft applications in under 180 seconds.
As the first place winner, Ebrahimian will represent Marquette at the regional Three Minute Thesis competition at the Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools in St. Louis, on Thursday, April 4. He was also awarded $500 and a ticket to a Milwaukee Bucks home game in the Marquette University suite.
“Successfully getting our design to work, especially after a few failed attempts, was really rewarding,” Ebrahimian says. “Knowing that we played a part, even a small one, in making electric aviation more advanced was super inspiring.”
Ebrahimian currently works alongside Dr. Nathan Weise in the Empower Lab research group at Marquette. He expects to complete his Ph.D. program by summer 2025 and continue his work in the field of power electronics.
