Current Students

Loren dela Rosa (PhD Student)

Loren is currently a fourth-year PhD student in Chemical Engineering, focusing on developing load flexible controls for residential electric appliances. Her current research applies economic model predictive control for heat pump water heaters, optimizing the timing of water heating to coincide with low-demand (off-peak) hours and low-cost, clean electricity. Outside of her research, she enjoys hiking, taking in scenic nature views, and playing Scrabble. (Links: Google Scholar)

Aatam Gajjar (PhD Student)

Aatam is currently a fourth-year PhD student in Chemical Engineering. His research focuses on leveraging physics-based principles and data-driven techniques to handle process anomalies and enhance system resilience. His works include developing frameworks for fault-tolerant and cyber-resilient control systems. In his free time, he enjoys watching cricket matches, reading about the sport, and writing statistical analyses. (Links: Google Scholar and LinkedIn)

Subhrajit Chakraborty (PhD Student)

Subhrajit is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Energy Systems program at UC Davis and a staff engineer at the Western Cooling Efficiency Center. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on thermal sciences. His Ph.D. research focuses on multi-function heat pumps for residential space conditioning and water heating, with an emphasis on dynamic system modeling and advanced controls to improve efficiency and enable load flexibility. Subhrajit is dedicated to developing clean energy solutions that balance technical advancement, economic feasibility, and societal impact.

Hossein Kalantar (PhD Student)

Hossein is a 3rd-year Ph.D. student in Chemical Engineering at UC Davis. He received his B.Sc. (Hons.) and M.Sc. (Hons.) degrees, both in Mechanical Engineering, from K. N. Toosi University of Technology. His research interests lie primarily in the areas of data-driven energy management, data analytics, uncertainty-cognizant decision-making, and optimization. In particular, his research focuses on developing sustainable, data-centric energy management systems for residential buildings with electric heat pumps. By enabling load flexibility, his research aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance energy efficiency, flexibility, and overall system resiliency. To achieve these goals, he has been developing Model Predictive Control (MPC) and Reinforcement Learning (RL) strategies for real-time steering of building heat pump systems, accounting for uncertainties associated with renewable energy resources. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking and nature photography. (Links: Google Scholar and LinkedIn)

Rahul Panicker (MS Student)

Rahul earned his Bachelor’s degree from Birla Institute of Science and Technology Pilani, India. His research interests lie in the field of control enabled detection schemes for cyberattacks. To this end, he has applied his developed detection scheme on physical systems like a building system conditioned by Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, and complex chemical reactors. His skills include using programming languages and softwares such as MATLAB, Python, Aspen, and EnergyPlus. In his free time, Rahul likes being physically active by involving himself in any outdoor sports or working out. (Links: Google Scholar and LinkedIn)

Aniket Nitin Deore (MS Student)

Aniket Nitin Deore is an MS in Chemical Engineering student at UC Davis, his research interest is to innovate new thermal cooling systems for modular data centers. With a BTech degree from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University and industry experience, Aniket merges academic excellence with a commitment to sustainability. Beyond his research pursuits, he finds joy in cricket, music, and the tranquility of hiking adventures.

Nathalie Ndigaya (MS Student)

Nathalie earned her BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She has extensive industry experience in providing technical support for data management systems and supporting regulated manufacturing processes. Her research interests are design and optimization of manufacturing and processing systems. She enjoys working out, reading, and spending time with friends.

Hadj Babouhoun Kerrouchi (MS Student)

Hadj is a master’s student in Energy Systems at UC Davis. He aims to gain research experience in energy modeling, optimization and control of energy systems, with a focus on developing sustainable energy solutions. He graduated with a dual major in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics from the American University of Sharjah, UAE. His senior design project focused on designing and manufacturing a solar-water electrolysis system to reduce fuel consumption in natural gas vehicles. In his spare time, he enjoys playing table tennis and chess.

Prospective Students

We are currently looking for several undergraduate students to join our research lab. If you are interested in joining the Ellis lab, email your CV/resume to Prof. Ellis. In your email, please highlight relevant experiences and background in the process-systems engineering area.

For prospective graduate students, I do NOT check your qualifications against the minimum admission requirements. Please refer to the Chemical Engineering or the Energy Graduate Group websites for admission requirements.

Control and Optimization of Energy Systems

Students