People

Dr. Lei Zhou, Charles Ringrose Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Director-at-Large, American Society of Precision Engineering
Associate Editor, Precision Engineering
Associate Editor, IFAC Mechatronics
Associate Editor, Control Engineering Practice

Email: lei.zhou [AT] wisc.edu
Office: 2246 ME Bldg., 1513 University Ave, Madison, WI 53706

Faculty Directory Page | Curriculum Vitae

Dr. Lei Zhou is an Assistant Professor with the ME and ECE department at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and is an Associate Director of WEMPEC. Dr. Zhou received her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2019. Dr. Zhou also holds an MS (2014) in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and a BE in Control and Instrumentation Engineering from Tsinghua University.

At PMCL@UW–Madison, Dr. Zhou’s research focuses on developing novel and high-performance mechatronic solutions through exploiting the synergy between machine design, electric machines and drives, and control algorithms. Her current research projects include the control co-design of over-actuated lightweight nanopositioning systems for high-throughput chip manufacturing, high-strength and transparent actuation and proprioceptive sensing for interactive robots, and design and control for bearingless motors and high-performance electric machines.

Junnan Gao

Email: junnan.gao[AT] wisc.edu

Junnan is a Ph.D. student at UW–Madison in the Mechanical Engineering department. He received his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University (China) in 2019, where his research focused on vibration reduction and reduced order modeling. Then Junnan worked as a mechanical engineer for three years, and his work mainly involved finite element modeling, structure optimization, and vibration testing. In his free time, Junnan enjoys hiking and camping.

YiZhou Han

Email: han259[AT] wisc.edu

YiZhou is a Ph.D. student at UW–Madison in the Electrical & Computer Engineering department. YiZhou received his B.S in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison. He is currently working on designing the integrated motor/drive for vernier permanent magnet (VPM) motor. As an undergraduate, He worked on projects related to CMP(Chemical Mechanical Polishing) for the SCAM and high voltage/current sensor board design. In his spare time, he enjoys running, playing squash, and skiing.

Mohammad ErfaniMatin

Email: erfanimatin[at]wisc.edu

Mohammad is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He earned his B.S. in 2019 and his M.S. in 2022, both in Mechanical Engineering, from the University of Tehran. His research during his undergraduate and master’s studies was centered on the design, manufacturing, and development of a device for evaluating patient pain thresholds, as well as the design and implementation of predictive field-oriented control for permanent magnet linear synchronous actuators. In his leisure time, Mohammad enjoys listening to podcasts, reading books, engaging in workouts, and bouldering.

Anson Chan

Email: wchan29[AT]wisc.edu

Anson is a Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UW–Madison. He earned his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from UW–Madison in 2021 and 2024, respectively. During his master’s studies, his research centered on modeling high power density bearingless electric machines for electric turbochargers in aerial vehicles. Currently, his work focuses on the design and modeling of a novel over-actuated axial flux machine. Outside the lab, Anson enjoys hiking, photography, working out, and spending time with his beloved cat, Tofu.

Daniil Kirsannov

Daniil is a Fulbright Visiting Student at UT-Austin, where he is pursuing a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Daniil started his academic path at Saratov State Technical University pursuing a B.S. in Mechatronics and Robotics and working on the dynamics of various nonlinear systems. Danill then received M.S. in Robotics from Innopolis University in Russia, where he delved into modeling and control of twisted string actuators. His current research is devoted to the design of a novel linear soft electromagnetic actuator type. Except for work and study, Daniil’s great interests include politics, music, and cycling.

Shuaihu Wu

Shuaihu received his B.S. and M.Sc. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Tsinghua University, China, in 2020 and 2023, respectively. He also holds an engineering degree and a mathematics degree from the University Paris-Saclay, France. He is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA. His research interests include sensorless control, precision motion control, and driver and motor design. In his spare time, he enjoys watching movies and reading books. As for sports, he can play badminton and ski.