Rate My Professor Terrence Summers

Associate Professor Terrence Summers serves in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computing within the School of Engineering at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Newcastle, completed in 2006, a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering with First Class Honours and the University Medal from the University of Newcastle, and an Associate Diploma in Engineering in Electrical Engineering from the Hunter Institute of Technology. His professional career began in the Royal Australian Air Force, where he worked as an Avionics Technician from 1990 to 1998 and as an Electronics Engineer from 1998 to 2001. Since then, he has been engaged in ongoing teaching and research as an academic in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computing at the University of Newcastle.

Summers teaches the full range of electrical engineering subjects, spanning introductory digital electronics in the first year to advanced power electronics and drives. His research interests focus on the application of power electronics to electric machines, power systems, and renewable energy systems; control of multilevel converters and their application to photovoltaic systems and power systems; and power quality. He has produced over 100 scientific journal and conference publications. Key publications include 'Decentralised Current Control for a Multiphase Permanent Magnet Machine Using EtherCAT' by Marks ND, Summers TJ, Betz RE (IECON Proceedings, 2024); 'Transient Behaviour of Distribution Power Systems in the Presence of Six Disruptive Technologies' by Blagojevic M, Summers T, Betz R (AUPEC, 2022); 'Modelling and Control of Multi-phase PMSM in ANSYS and PLECS' by Sun K, Torresan H, Summers T (AUPEC, 2021); 'Utilisation of Zero-Sequence Currents in Multi-Phase BLDC Machines for Fault Mitigation-Simulation Study' by Sykes RL, Summers TJ, Betz RE, Torresan H (EPE 2021 ECCE Europe, 2021); 'Improving the Robustness of Dynamic Mechanical Load Emulation' by Marks ND, Summers TJ, Betz RE (AUPEC 2020, 2020); and 'Accurate reactive power sharing in renewable-prioritized islanded microgrids' by Jiang J, Coates C, Summers T (EPE 2019 ECCE Europe, 2019). Summers received the University Medal in recognition of his outstanding undergraduate performance.