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I am a dedicated educator with over 16 years of experience in teaching, research, and academic leadership. I currently serve as a Principal Teaching Fellow at Imperial College London, where I lead as the Digital Learning Lead and the Assessment and Feedback Champion in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE). In these roles, I guide digital learning strategies and assessment practices that support both staff and students. My previous academic positions include Assistant Professor at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore and Postdoctoral Research Associate at Queen Mary University of London.
I am recognised as a Senior Member of IEEE (SMIEEE), a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA), a Chartered Engineer (CEng) with the Engineering Council UK, and a Professional Engineer with the Pakistan Engineering Council. These affiliations reflect my commitment to professional excellence and continuing contributions to both engineering and higher education communities.
My academic journey began at UET Lahore, where I completed a BSc (Honours) in Electrical Engineering with a specialisation in Power Systems. I ranked first out of 130 students and was awarded a gold medal by the Prime Minister of Pakistan during the university’s 19th convocation. I went on to complete an MSc in Electrical Power Engineering at UET Lahore, during which I also participated in the Erasmus Mundus (EURECA) exchange programme and conducted research at the University of Paderborn, Germany. I later completed a PhD in Electrical Engineering at Imperial College London, funded by the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship, where I developed innovative control strategies to enable the integration of renewable energy sources into power distribution networks. Most recently, I completed a Master of Education (MEd) in University Teaching and Learning at Imperial, with a focus on digital pedagogy, assessment innovation, and inclusive teaching practices.
As a Principal Teaching Fellow at Imperial College London, I am actively involved in both the theoretical and practical delivery of Electrical and Electronic Engineering modules. One of my key responsibilities is leading the core first-year module ELEC40002: Analysis and Design of Circuits, which is taken by over 200 MEng students in the Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) and Electronic and Information Engineering (EIE) programmes. The module includes lectures, tutorials, and laboratory sessions, with approximately 100 total contact hours per year.
Since taking over the module, I have led a major redesign to improve alignment between the lectures, labs, and tutorial problem sheets. These changes have resulted in significantly improved student engagement, as reflected in SOLE and MEQ scores. Tutorial staff have also highlighted the improved clarity and coherence of the module, and both the previous lecturer and the Director of Undergraduate Studies have praised the progress made in student outcomes and engagement. This module plays a critical role in establishing a strong foundation in circuit theory, and I continue to refine it each year based on student feedback and curriculum developments.
I also co-designed and co-deliver the ELEC70107: Professional Competencies Portfolio module for fourth-year MEng students, working in collaboration with Professor Kristel Fobelets and Visiting Professor Dr Evona Teh from Jaguar Land Rover. This innovative module addresses a longstanding gap in the curriculum by equipping students with professional competencies aligned with the UK-SPEC, including communication, teamwork, ethics, and reflective practice. Drawing on my experience conducting Chartered Engineer interviews for the IET, I recognised that many students excel technically but require more structured training in these essential professional skills.
The module is delivered through workshops held in the autumn and spring terms, and includes the creation of a reflective portfolio that students build throughout the year. The sessions incorporate diverse examples, case studies, and practical exercises that expose students to real-world engineering challenges. The module has received outstanding feedback from students and is expected to make a strong contribution to future IET accreditation outcomes.
Additionally, I lead the flipped-classroom module Introduction to MATLAB, which I designed to address a critical skills gap in second-year coursework. This course combines online lecture videos, auto-graded coding exercises, and in-person drop-in support. It empowers students to work at their own pace, revisit concepts as needed, and build confidence in their programming skills. Despite being unassessed, the module consistently receives strong feedback for its clarity, flexibility, and practical value.
I also design and deliver laboratory sessions in Digital Electronics, Computer Architecture, Power Electronics, Communication Systems, and Control Systems, ensuring that students have practical, hands-on experience to complement theoretical instruction.
Beyond taught modules, I supervise master’s theses and student group projects and currently supervise one PhD student. I also mentor second- and fourth-year undergraduates through the personal tutorial system, offering both academic support and pastoral care. My teaching approach is shaped by a commitment to evidence-based pedagogy, inclusivity, and innovation, drawing on both my engineering expertise and my research in digital learning and assessment.
In my leadership roles within the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) at Imperial College London, I have led strategic initiatives that have significantly improved digital teaching, assessment practices, and curriculum delivery.
As Digital Learning Lead, I oversee the department’s entire digital education ecosystem. This includes managing the Virtual Learning Environment (Blackboard), lecture capture systems (Panopto), Microsoft Teams, Ed Discussion, and the online assessment platform (Wiseflow). I work closely with IT and educational support teams to implement and maintain digital infrastructure that supports both students and staff. My responsibilities include writing best-practice guidance, delivering staff and GTA training, troubleshooting technical issues, and leading innovation in digital teaching tools. I also represent the department on the Faculty Digital Learning Group, where I contribute to strategic planning and operational decisions affecting digital education across the Faculty of Engineering.
As Assessment and Feedback Champion, I lead the department’s efforts to enhance the quality, fairness, and efficiency of assessments. I introduced digital midterm tests across several modules, reducing the reliance on high-stakes final exams and enabling earlier, formative feedback to support student learning. I designed and implemented a multi-step feedback system for lab-based modules, which helps GTAs provide actionable and student-centred feedback. This has improved the consistency and usefulness of feedback, particularly in the second-year Communications Laboratory, where I also introduced large language model (LLM)-based tools to support feedback writing.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I led the department’s Remote Teaching Committee, developing virtual laboratory experiments and remote access systems that allowed students to complete hardware-based activities from home. These included novel experiments using drones, remote access to lab equipment via webcams, and the deployment of Lab-in-a-Box kits. My leadership ensured continuity of practical education during a critical period and has left a legacy of blended learning tools that continue to benefit students.
As part of the Curriculum Review Team, I created an interactive curriculum map linking intended learning outcomes across modules. I consulted with over 50 teaching staff to identify redundancies, improve progression, and ensure that course content aligned with institutional and professional expectations. This work helped guide the successful redesign of the undergraduate EEE programme and received recognition at the faculty level.
I co-lead a College-wide Special Interest Group (SIG) on Professional Competencies, which brings together educators interested in embedding skills such as communication, teamwork, and ethical practice across engineering curricula. The SIG facilitates cross-departmental collaboration, and supports the College’s strategic priorities around graduate attributes and employability.
My leadership contributions have been recognised through several College awards, including the Inspiration Award, Teamwork Award, Collaboration Award, and a nomination for the President’s Award for Excellence in Supporting the Student Experience. These reflect my commitment to continuous improvement, inclusivity, and innovation in engineering education.
My research spans two complementary strands: technical research in electrical power systems and pedagogical research in engineering education. Across both areas, I aim to address real-world challenges and drive innovation that enhances both academic practice and industry impact.
In the field of power systems and renewable energy integration, my current work focuses on the stability of weak-grid power systems with a high penetration of inverter-based resources. I supervise a PhD project that develops control parameters for voltage source converters (VSCs) to mitigate instability and ensure reliable operation in low-inertia networks. This work contributes directly to enabling a low-carbon energy future and aligns with national and international priorities around energy system decarbonisation.
Previously, during my role as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Queen Mary University of London, I worked on advanced control strategies for AC/DC microgrids. I also led the development of a multi-physics sensor array for the prognostics of power electronic converters in electric vehicles. This platform integrated temperature, electrical, and mechanical measurements to assess device health and reliability. My projects at Queen Mary brought together expertise from four universities and multiple industry partners, reflecting the interdisciplinary and applied nature of my research.
My PhD at Imperial College London, funded by the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship, focused on distributed voltage control and demand response. I developed control strategies that support the integration of renewable energy and electric vehicles into distribution networks through autonomous coordination of smart loads and power electronic compensators. The work addressed challenges related to frequency regulation, voltage stability, and the transition to distributed generation architectures.
Alongside my technical research, I actively contribute to engineering education research, particularly in the areas of digital assessment, feedback, and professional skill development. As part of my Master of Education (MEd) at Imperial College London, I conducted a thesis on the impact of midterm assessments on student learning and achievement. My findings have informed departmental strategies and have been disseminated through journal submissions and conference presentations.
My pedagogical research explores three key themes:
I have presented my educational research at leading international conferences, including IEEE TALE, and the SEFI Annual Conferences in 2023 and 2024. I also have two journal articles currently under review in Innovations in Education and Teaching International and the European Journal of Engineering Education.
Looking ahead, I intend to expand my research in three strategic directions:
Through both strands of research, I aim to bridge the gap between academic theory and practical application—whether in engineering infrastructure or classroom innovation.
Dr Zohaib Akhtar 