Prize in the Electrical Engineering Section
Students keen on becoming power electronics experts are sure to study under Drazen Dujic. Professor Dujic, an assistant professor at EPFL since 2014, teaches three courses: Power Electronics at Bachelor level and Industrial Electronics I and II at Master level. Drawing on his five years of industry experience, he completely overhauled how these classes are taught. “I look at the same fundamental engineering problems but cover more up-to-date topics and technologies. I also use a lot of real-world examples,” he explains. Even though the subject matter is quite hard, Prof. Dujic gets very positive feedback from students, which is why he has been awarded the prize for excellence in teaching in his section.
Professor Dujic is close to his students and makes himself available for questions. “My door’s always open, and I don’t have set visiting hours. That’s the advantage of having small classes – I can really get to know the students,” he says. Prof. Dujic thinks it’s good that research (e.g. semester projects) plays an important role in the curriculum, as it’s a good way of spotting potential talent. “It helps us identify the best students and help them getting desired industrial jobs but also attract people who may join our laboratory as researchers.”
For the moment, the students are spending most of their time doing design calculations and simulations. Going forward, however, they should get a chance to work on more practical projects, as Professor Dujic is involved in creating power electronics workbenches for the Discovery Learning Laboratories. “We will be able to use these workbenches to integrate practical work and semester projects into the curriculum,” he says with enthusiasm. A PhD-level course could also soon see the light of day. Dujic hastens to point out the crucial role that his doctoral students play in creating a first-rate course. “They really help me out a lot. If students like my classes, it’s also thanks to their involvement and work.”