Section: Overview
Overview
Key publications
Research funding
Supervising & teaching
Career

Key details

Areas of expertise

  • Electrical power engineering
  • Fuel cells and its application in cogeneration
  • Engineering education
  • Renewable energy systems

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

About Akhtar Kalam

Professor Akhtar Kalam has been at Victoria University (VU) since 1985. He is a former Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science and Head of Engineering.

Currently, he is the Head of External Engagement. He is also the current Chair of the Academic Board in the Engineering Institute of Technology, Perth, Australia, and the Editor in Chief of Australian Journal of Electrical & Electronics Engineering. Further, he has a Distinguished Professorship position at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, three Indian and five Malaysian universities. He has also been appointed as the Editor in Chief of the Australian Journal of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Professor Kalam has wide experience in educational institutions and industry across four continents. He received his B.Sc. and B.Sc. Engineering from Calcutta University and Aligarh Muslim University, India. He completed his MS and PhD at the University of Oklahoma, USA and the University of Bath, UK. He has worked with Ingersoll Rand and other electrical manufacturers. Other teaching appointments include the University of Technology, Baghdad, Iraq and Capricornia Institute of Advanced Education, Rockhampton, Queensland.

Professor Kalam is regularly invited to deliver lectures, work on industrial projects and examine external thesis overseas. His major areas of interests are power system analysis, communication, control, protection, renewable energy, smart grid, IEC61850 implementation and cogeneration systems. He has been actively engaged in the teaching of Energy Systems to undergraduates and postgraduates, and has provided professional courses to the industry both in Australia and overseas.

He regularly offers Continuing Professional Development and Masterclasses on Power System Protection, Renewable Energy, IEC61850, Cogeneration & Gas Turbine Operation and PBL in engineering education to practising engineers, the Energy Supply Association of Australia (ESAA) and Australian Power Institute (API). He also runs a postgraduate distance education program on Power System Protection for the ESAA.

Professor Kalam has conducted research, provided industrial consultancy and published more than 542 publications on his area of expertise. He has written 26-plus books in the area. More than 35 PhD students have graduated under his supervision and he is an external examiner of many external doctoral students in Australia and overseas.

Professor Kalam provides consultancy for major electrical utilities, manufacturers and other industry bodies in his field of expertise. He is a Fellow of EA, IET, AIE, a life member of IEEE and a member CIGRE AP B5 Study Committee.

Qualifications

  • PhD, Electrical Engineering, the University of Bath, Bath, UK. Title of thesis: Fault transient analysis and simulation of series compensated ehv transmission lines and associated protective gear
  • MS, Electrical Engineering, the University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA Title of minor thesis: Cost comparison of energy transported electrically and by rails between a mine station in Wyoming and Oklahoma City, a distance of 850 miles.
  • BSc Eng, Electrical Engineering, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India Title of project: Design and fabrication of an artificial transmission line.
  • BSc, Pure Science, St Xavier’s College, Calcutta, India.

Key publications

Year Citation
2024 Haque, A., Kalam, A., & Sharma, H. (240101). Smart Cities: Power Electronics, Renewable Energy, and Internet of Things.

doi: 10.1201/9781032669809

Year Citation
2024 Angalaeswari, S., Jamuna, K., & Kalam, A. (240101). Modeling and optimization of distributed energy resources in microgrid (pp. 119-136).

doi: 10.1016/B978-0-443-22187-3.00005-9

2024 Kalam, A., & Fayez, Mustafa. (240101). Smart agriculture for smart cities (pp. 130-156).

doi: 10.1201/9781032669809-6

Year Citation
2024 Abdolrasol, M. GM., Ayob, A., Lipu, M. SH., Ansari, S., Kiong, T. S., Saad, M. HM., Ustun, T. S., & Kalam, A. (241201). Advanced data-driven fault diagnosis in lithium-ion battery management systems for electric vehicles: Progress, challenges, and future perspectives. eTransportation, 22

doi: 10.1016/j.etran.2024.100374

2024 Kalam, A., Weeks, W. A., & Hogan, B. (241101). Decarbonising the Australian economy: A first step. The Journal of Engineering, 2024(11),

doi: 10.1049/tje2.70021

2024 Sobarasua, O. G., Onuche, I. F., Kuye, A. O., Diemuodeke, E. O., Muritala, I. K., Saturday, E. G., Okedu, K. E., & Kalam, A. (241030). Sustainable innovation for fermented cassava roasting: Examining the potential of parabolic dish solar collectors and thermal energy storage. Heliyon, 10(20),

doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e39627

2024 Chatuanramtharnghaka, B., Deb, S., Singh, K. R., Ustun, T. S., & Kalam, A. (240901). Reviewing Demand Response for Energy Management with Consideration of Renewable Energy Sources and Electric Vehicles. World Electric Vehicle Journal, 15(9),

doi: 10.3390/wevj15090412

2024 Mazumdar, D., Biswas, P. K., Sain, C., Ahmad, F., Ustun, T. S., & Kalam, A. (240601). Performance analysis of drone sqadron optimisation based MPPT controller for grid implemented PV battery system under partially shaded conditions. Renewable Energy Focus, 49

doi: 10.1016/j.ref.2024.100577

2024 Okedu, K. E., Oyinna, B., Colak, I., & Kalam, A. (240601). Geographical information system based assessment of various renewable energy potentials in Nigeria. Energy Reports, 11 (1147-1160).

doi: 10.1016/j.egyr.2023.12.065

2024 Hossain, J., Shareef, H., Hossain, M. A., Kalam, A., & Kadir, A. FA. (240501). Hybrid PV and Battery System Sizing for Commercial Buildings in Malaysia: A Case Study of FKE-2 Building in UTeM. IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, 60(3), (4933-4945).

doi: 10.1109/TIA.2024.3353714

Research funding for the past 5 years

Please note:

  • Funding is ordered by the year the project commenced and may continue over several years.
  • Funding amounts for contact research are not disclosed to maintain commercial confidentiality.
  • The order of investigators is not indicative of the role they played in the research project.

APR Intern - Design and Development of a Macadamia Nut Shelling Machine
From: APR Intern
For period: 2019-2020
Not disclosed
Smartgrid Communications: Japanese-Australian Collaboration for Excellence
From: Australia-Japan Foundation
For period: 2019-2020
$10,000

Supervision of research students at VU

Available to supervise research students

Available for media queries

Currently supervised research students at VU

No. of students Study level Role
1 PhD Associate supervisor
6 PhD Principal supervisor
1 Master of Applied Research Principal supervisor

Currently supervised research students at VU

Students & level Role
PhD (1) Associate supervisor
PhD (6) Principal supervisor
Master of Applied Research (1) Principal supervisor

Completed supervision of research students at VU

No. of students Study level Role
24 PhD Principal supervisor
2 PhD Associate supervisor
8 Masters by Research Principal supervisor
1 Master of Applied Research Principal supervisor

Completed supervision of research students at VU

Students & level Role
PhD (24) Principal supervisor
PhD (2) Associate supervisor
Masters by Research (8) Principal supervisor
Master of Applied Research (1) Principal supervisor

Teaching activities & experience

Akhtar has been involved in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of academic programs for students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels at VU. He has contributed to the course design, instructional methods and learning styles. He presents syndicate and lectures to the API’s Power Engineering Residential School in Australia. He has also been involved in the transfer of established and new knowledge, ideas and skills to personnel from the electricity supply industry.

He has developed educational modules for API, under the collaborative Power Engineering Centres of Excellence scheme. VU was paid between $25,000 and $40,000 for each of the modules. The modules are:

  • Overhead design and Construction (PG)
  • Telecommunications and Communications Protocols (UG)
  • Engineering System Fundamentals (UG).

Also, he has given contributions to educational excellence, by conducting various seminars and workshops to professional bodies in Australia and overseas. Each of these courses has provided valuable financial returns (from $15,000 to $30,000) to the University. In Australia, besides Victoria, the professional development courses have run in Queensland, Northern Territory, New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia.

ESAA has chosen Power System Protection as the first in a series of units in Electric Power Engineering to be provided on distance education mode. This unit provides credit towards Masters and Graduate Diplomas of Engineering and Technology offered by various providers. This distance education unit provides corporations and the individual with a flexible means of accessing training to meet immediate needs for skill development. A major part of the unit has been adapted and revised with the assistance of Allan Spicer of ESAA, from his book on Power System Protection – this is the study unit developed for ESAA’s Continuing Education courses. Again, along with industry's personnel, he has run continuing education courses on Power System Protection in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and New Zealand.

Akhtar has written papers and course materials directly resulting from the research activities and quality teaching approach. He has been invited to teach electrical power engineering courses and provided syndicate in Australia and overseas.

Careers

Details of this Researcher's career are currently unavailable.