Asadullah Khalid

Growing up in Aligarh, India, Asadullah Khalid knew he wanted to pursue something other than medicine, the career that interested everyone else in his family. Because of his curiosity about electronics, he chose engineering. He graduated from Aligarh Muslim University with a degree in electrical engineering and came to the U.S., where he received a master’s degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

After gaining industry experience as an engineer for automotive and wireless companies such as Motorola Mobility and Nissan Motor Corporation, Asadullah returned to academia. FIU and his mentor Arif Sarwat, Ph.D., eminent scholar chaired professor and director of the FPL-FIU Solar Facility, gave Asadullah the opportunity to further his research into renewable batteries and battery management systems.

At work in the Energy, Power and Sustainability Intelligence (EPSi) group, Asadullah served as lead in the development of the FIU Engineering Center’s microgrid. In partnership with FPL, this microgrid is capable of supplying backup power to the center for approximately 24 hours ― particularly useful in the wake of extreme weather events that can lead to power loss. He was also engaged in the development and launch of the Grid ENergy Intelligence Exploration Research Lab (GENIE). GENIE is a real-time, hardware-in-the-loop simulation center that can design, simulate and validate smart grid components, software and controllers prior to field operation.

Asadullah also worked at the Argonne National Laboratory, where he developed unique machine learning-based prognostics models for fast-charging batteries used in electric vehicles. At FIU, Asadullah’s work has led to 15 technical papers and a U.S. patent, with two patents pending. He received multiple job offers and will be joining one of the companies specializing in renewable battery and battery management systems in microgrids and electric vehicles.

Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Afrah, cycling and playing badminton and racquetball.

By Elizabeth CalzadillaDirector
Communications and Marketing
College of Engineering and Computing