Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky

The SPARK Lab within PEIK Marks its 10th Anniversary

PEIK Institute

Apr 9, 2026

This semester, the SPARK Lab celebrates its 10th anniversary. The group was established by Dan M. Ionel, PhD, IEEE Fellow, shortly after starting at UK as ECE Professor and the inaugural L. Stanley Pigman Chair in Power, and welcomed its first postdoctoral researcher and PhD student in early 2016.

SPARK and PEIK Recently Graduated and Ongoing NSF Graduate Research Fellows

PEIK Institute

Apr 2, 2026

This semester yet another generational transition of electrical engineering (EE) PhD students takes place in the SPARK Lab, which is affiliated with the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky (PEIK) at the University of Kentucky (UK) Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering.

SPARK and PEIK researchers receive best poster award at IEEE ITEC 2025 for collaborative paper with PPL Corporation

PEIK Institute

Sep 22, 2025

SPARK Lab researchers within the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky (PEIK) and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Kentucky Pigman College of Engineering received the best poster award for a paper at the 2025 Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) International Transportation Electrification Conference & Expo (ITEC) in Anaheim, California.

Best Student Demo Award for SPARK and PEIK Researchers at the IEEE IEMDC 2025 Conference

PEIK Institute

Jul 28, 2025

SPARK Lab researchers within the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky (PEIK) and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Kentucky Stanley and Karen Pigman College of Engineering received a best student demo award at the 2025 IEEE International Conference on Electric Machines and Drives (IEMDC), which was held in Houston, TX.

IEEE Power and Energy Society Plus Initiative Scholarships for UK Students

PEIK Institute

Apr 22, 2025

For the current academic year, 2024-2025, UK is the school with the most students (5) awarded as PES Scholars, out of the total of 84 high-achieving undergraduates in electrical engineering, who have been selected from 55 universities across the USA, Canada & Puerto Rico.

SPARK and PEIK New Generation of Research Students Present at the ICRERA International Conference

Content by SPARK Laboratory and PEIK

Jan 29, 2025

SPARK Laboratory and Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky (PEIK) research students participated in the recent edition of the ICRERA Conference, which was held in Nagasaki, Japan. The annual series of conferences, which covers topics of renewable and alternative energy, is organized together with the IEEE and held previous editions in the US and internationally, including in Canada, United Kingdom, and France.

SPARK Lab Presents Record Number of Papers and Receive Awards at the IEEE ECCE Congress

Dec 5, 2024

SPARK Lab researchers within the Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky (PEIK) and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department presented a record number of 11 papers at this year’s edition of the IEEE ECCE Congress.

Joseph Sottile
Professor, Director of PEIK Undergraduate Certificate, Mining Engineering, Joint Appointment Electrical and Computer Engineering

Categories: Faculty
Location: 234A MMRB
Phone: 859-257-4616
Email: joseph.sottile@uky.edu

Yuan Liao
Blazie Family Professor, Director of PEIK Graduate Certificate, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Categories: Faculty
Location: Grehan 219C
Phone: 859-257-6064
Email: yuan.liao@uky.edu

Dan Ionel
Professor, L. Stanley Pigman Chair in Power; Director, Power and Energy Institute Kentucky, Electrical and Computer Engineering, IEEE Fellow

Categories: Faculty
Location: Grehan 113H
Phone: 859-257-3926
Email: dan.ionel@uky.edu

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