Student-led visit builds powerful connections

Imperial visitors with SNU staff and students outside the SEPRI lab

A group of EEE researchers visited Seoul National University for a four-day symposium event on AI and Power.

Dr Fei Teng and Dr Adrià Junyent-Ferré were joined by five PhD students and one postdoctoral researcher from EEE's Control and Power group.

Last month's visit included a tour of the SNU Electric Power Research Institute (SEPRI) lab and an eGrid workshop hosted by the Korean Institute of Power Electronics (KIPE), which involved participants from industry and universities across Korea, where Dr Teng and Dr Junyent-Ferré presented some of their recent cutting-edge research.

The final two days were built around a student-led symposium where SNU and Imperial members presented their research, and students voted for their favourite, with Michael Nestor winning the award for best Imperial presentation as voted by the SNU students.

Dr Teng and Dr Junyent-Ferré visited two Korean power electronics industry companies, KERI and HD Hyundai, where they presented recent results, discussed promising research directions and learned about how industry is deploying some of the latest technologies.

There was also some time for the group to experience delicious Korean cuisine and some sightseeing, including the Changdeokgung Palace, its Secret Garden and a final farewell meal.

Our visit was enjoyable and beneficial for all involved, with the practical experience of lab projects at SNU bringing a new perspective to some of the more theoretical researchers at Imperial.

Alongside opening opportunities for collaboration, experiencing a taste of Korean culture made the trip so enriching for the visitors. The Control and Power Group warmly thanks SNU for hosting the team, and we now hope to welcome a return visit from SNU in the future.