We are a research group specialized in power electronics and electrical energy technologies, led by Professors Javier Pereda and Félix Rojas. Our team is part of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. The Power and Energy Conversion Laboratory (PECLab) was founded in the 1990s by Dr. Juan Dixon.
Our team collaborates continuously with researchers from various universities around the world, as well as PhD and Master’s students. In addition, we offer internship opportunities for international students, professional practice placements, and co-supervision of local students, providing access to our facilities.
Our work focuses on the design and experimental validation of power electronic converters, electric drive systems, and controllers implemented on high-performance real-time systems (multicore processors + FPGA). We have extensive experience in applications across various fields, such as:
- Wireless Power Transfer Systems
- High-Frequency Isolated DC/DC Converters
- Real-Time Neural Networks (RTNN)
- Modular Multilevel Converters.
- Gate Drive Design for High Frequency Semiconductors
- Multi-Terminal Unified Converters
- Compact, Isolated and Efficient Fast Chargers
- Electric and hybrid vehicles
- Power Converters for PV and Wind Energy Conversion.
- Power Supplies for Plasma Generation
- High-Current Low-Voltage Power Supply for Power Connectors.
- Second-life batteries Systems
- Off-grid Hydrogen Generation.
To contribute to the advancement of knowledge and the development of cutting-edge technologies for the management and conversion of electrical energy, through the training of highly skilled professionals, the dissemination of knowledge, and the transfer of technology to industry in the field of power electronics.
To be a world-class research group in power electronics that, through the creation of new technologies, generates a significant impact on the technological development of society.
Principal Professor
Javier Pereda
Javier Pereda is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC) and co-director of the Power and Energy Conversion Laboratory (PECLab). He received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering, specializing in power electronics.
His research focuses on power electronics, control, and energy conversion, with particular interest in modular converters, grid-forming technologies, wide-bandgap semiconductors, electromobility, and energy storage systems. His work includes the integration of batteries, supercapacitors, hydrogen technologies, and flywheels into electric grids, transportation, and industrial applications.
He has more than 15 years of experience in research, teaching, and technology development, with over 100 indexed publications and two patents. He is an IEEE Senior Member, a researcher at the UC Energy Research Center, and an associate researcher at SERC-Chile.
Principal Professor
Félix Rojas
Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, Director of the UC Energy Center, Associate Researcher at the Solar Energy Research Center. Leader of the Power and Energy Conversion Laboratory (PECLab) at UC. PhD in Engineering from the Technical University of Munich; Master of Science in Engineering from the University of Santiago.
His research focuses on the development of power electronic converters applied to renewable energy systems, electromobility, and currently, wireless energy transmission. He has collaborated with industry in several technological development projects, such as the creation of electronic prototypes for high-current testing in distribution network connectors, and the design of systems for high-frequency and high-current plasma generation.
Drazen Dujic
Associate Professor and Head of the Power Electronics Laboratory at EPFL. He earned his Engineering and Master’s degrees from the University of Novi Sad (Serbia) and his PhD from Liverpool John Moores University (UK). He has held both academic and industrial research roles, including at ABB Switzerland.
His research focuses on the design and control of advanced high-power electronic systems for power generation, conversion, and storage. He has published over 200 scientific papers and holds 22 patents.
Recipient of the Istvan Nagy Award and the EPE Outstanding Service Award. Senior Member of IEEE and Chair of the IEEE PELS Region 8.
Christoph Michael Hackl
Professor of “Electrical Machines and Drives” at Hochschule München (HM), Germany. Earned his interdisciplinary PhD in Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, and Mathematics from TUM and TUI.
Former leader of the Renewable Energy Systems Control group at TUM and current co-director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Systems (ISES) at HM.
His research includes modeling, control, design, and optimization of power electronics and electric machines for renewable and mechatronic systems, including wind, geothermal, and wave energy, as well as EVs.
Senior Member of IEEE and reviewer for top journals like IEEE TIE, TPEL, and TAC, with over 150 publications.
Ricardo P. Aguilera
Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Antofagasta (Chile, 2003), MSc from UTFSM (Chile, 2007), and PhD from the University of Newcastle (Australia, 2012).
Postdoctoral and senior research roles at UoN and UNSW. Currently Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
His research focuses on model predictive control for power electronics, renewable integration, and microgrids. Vice Chair of the IEEE NSW Joint Chapter PEL/IES/IAS since 2021.
Alan Watson
Senior Member, IEEE. BSc and PhD in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from the University of Nottingham (UK, 2004 and 2008).
Senior Researcher and currently Associate Professor at Nottingham, with a focus on high-power converter topologies for grid-connected systems, including HVDC and flexible AC transmission. He has led or participated in numerous high-impact research projects.
Jon Clare
Senior Member, IEEE. BSc and PhD from the University of Bristol (UK, 1979 and 1990).
Professor of Power Electronics at the University of Nottingham and Director of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
Researcher in the Power Electronics, Machines and Control Group. Expert in power converter applications and control. Recipient of the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award.
Andrés Mora
Associate Professor at UTFSM (Chile). PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Chile (2019).
His research includes model predictive control applied to drives, power electronics, multilevel converters, and renewable energy systems.
Co-author of influential publications such as “Latest advances of model predictive control in electrical drives” in IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics.
Michael M.C. Merlin
Full Professor in Energy Systems at the University of Edinburgh. Leads the Power Electronics Group.
PhD and MSc from Imperial College London, Diplôme d’Ingénieur from ENSEA (France), and DUT from IUT Belfort-Montbéliard.
His research covers modeling and control of high-power converters (AC-DC, DC-DC), both under normal and fault conditions.
Teaches courses on Advanced Control and Smart Grids. Royal Academy of Engineering Fellow, with over 60 publications and 2,800+ citations. Collaborator with Imperial, Edinburgh, and KU Leuven.
Electrical Civil Engineer, MSc in Power Electronics. Currently Project Manager and R&D Engineer at PECLab.
Expertise: PCB design, PV system design, analog/digital hardware, multilevel and solar converters, motor drive programming. Currently works in project ANID/IDeA TA23I10033
Electrical Civil Engineer from the University of Santiago de Chile (2020).
Currently R&D Engineer at PECLab, UC.
Works on FONDEF and CORFO projects in renewable energy, e-mobility, and power electronics. Currently in ANID/IDeA TA23I10033.
Skills: PCB and DC/AC converter design, multilevel converters, embedded systems programming.
Participated in project FONDEF ID20i10267 (2021–2023): Modular EV Charger with Energy Storage for Smart Demand Management.
BSc and MSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Santiago (2022, 2023).
R&D Engineer at PECLab.
Experience in control systems for converters, EV chargers, energy storage integration, and real-time control platforms.
Works on FONDEF project ID23I10387: Fast EV Charger with Second-Life Lithium Battery Modules for Smart Charging.
Electrical Civil Engineer and MSc from UTFSM (2023).
R&D Engineer at PECLab, UC.
Focus on hardware development for renewable and EV charging applications, including converter simulation in PLECS, PCB design in Altium, and control implementation in SoC/DSP+FPGA platforms.
Electrical Civil Engineer from the UTFSM (2023)
Currently R&D Engineer at PECLab, UC
Works on ANID/DFG Chile–Germany project DFG220021 (ANNs in power electronics) and ANID/IDeA TA23I10033 (power converters for renewable energy)
Expertise: Neural network–based modulation, control strategies, real-time control programming, power converter prototyping.