Dr Jack Forrester

I received an MEng degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering and a PhD from the University of Sheffield in 2017 and 2021 respectively. My PhD was on the topic of piezoelectric transformers and was titled ‘Analysis and Design of Radial Mode Piezoelectric Transformers for Resonant Converter Applications‘. After completing my PhD I was employed as a research associate for 2 years on two EPSRC funded projects titled: ‘FPeT: Framework for designing piezoelectric transformer power supplies’ and ‘Targeted waveform enhanced plasma microreactor: Engineering Chemistry at the Interface of Microbubbles’. 

During these roles I developed a body of work on piezoelectric devices and their application to resonant power conversion. Given the electromechanical nature of such devices, this work covered extensive multidomain lumped modelling of these devices. Notably this work included, developing novel passive components for high temperature power supplies, development of an FPGA based digital control system and a novel piezoelectric power converter for battery cell balancing applications. 

Since 2023 I have held the position of Academic Fellow in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Sheffield. As part of this teaching and research role I teach two undergraduate modules EEE228 and EEE229 on the topic of power electronics and electrical energy conversion. I've supervised a number of undergraduate and postgraduate projects on a variety of power electronics topics centered around my research interests. This includes (resonant) power converter design, wireless power transfer, instrumented sporting equipment, remote control cars and high precision instrumentation. 

I am involved in several projects, most notably holding the role of electrical academic lead for Sheffield Formula Racing, a student-led project developing an electric racing car for the Formula student competition. Currently, I am assisting the team through their transition from an internal combustion engine car to an electric vehicle, with a target of entering the 2026 Formula student competition with an electrically powered car.