Professor
Contact Information
- Office Address: Min H. Kao Building, Room 515
- Phone: 865-974-4799
- Fax: 865-974-5483
- E-mail: hbai2@utk.edu
Education
- PhD, Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, 2007
- BS, Electrical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, 2002
Biography
After receiving PhD degrees from the Department of Electrical Engineering of Tsinghua University, China in 2007, Bai joined University of Michigan-Dearborn in 2007~2010 as a postdoctoral fellow. He then joined Kettering University (former General Motor Institute) as an assistant professor in 2010 and earned his early tenure as associate professor in 2015. He became associate professor in UM-Dearborn in 2017. In August 2018, he joined the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville as an associate professor. He was promoted to professor in 2024, and was elected as Fellow of National Academy of Inventors, Class of 2025.
His research focuses on power electronics with transportation electrification, particularly on wide-bandgap semiconductor packaging (for both ambient and cryogenic applications), electric vehicle battery chargers, auxiliary power modules, power propulsion inverters, battery management systems, and second-life battery. Over the past two decades, his research group has been sponsored by various automotive companies and the U.S. Department of Energy to renovate and innovate onboard power electronic converters. He authored/co-authored 2 books and >180 IEEE papers, filed 18 U.S. patent/PCT applications with 10 granted and 9 licensed to the automotive industry. He is a recipient of various teaching and research awards at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, including:
- Excellence in Research and Creative Achievement Award, Academic Honors Banquet (2026);
- TCE Award for Research Fellow (2025);
- Gonzalez Family Award for Excellence in Research, EECS (2024);
- TCE Award for Teaching Fellow (2024);
- TCE Award for Translational Research (2023);
- and Gonzalez Family Award for Excellence in Teaching (2021).
He is the associate editor of SAE International Journal of Electrified Vehicles, associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, and chaired two International Future Energy Competition.
Bai frequently teaches ECE-325 (electric energy system components), ECE-481 (power electronics), ECE-585 (electric vehicles), and ECE-684 (power electronics packaging).
His other passions include running, volleyball, tennis, and book clubs.
Research
- Power electronics in motor drive systems
- EV on-board charger
- EV DCDC converter
- Applications of wide-bandgap devices
- Battery management systems