DoctorAndrew Lapthorn

Andrew's research spans the core technologies underpinning modern and future high-voltage and high-power electrical systems, with strong alignment to industry needs and emerging low-carbon infrastructure.

His central focus is high-voltage engineering: dielectric behaviour, partial discharge, insulation ageing, and breakdown physics, together with advanced diagnostic methods for assessing the condition and reliability of solid and liquid insulation systems. This includes work on insulation materials such as oil–paper systems, synthetic and liquid dielectrics, and nanocomposite insulation, aimed at improving the performance and resilience of high-voltage equipment.

His work also extends to electric machine modelling and design — electromagnetic and thermal analysis, high-power motor architectures, and rotor and stator optimisation under extreme electrical and thermal stress — with applications in electrified transport, industrial drives, and future propulsion systems.

In high-temperature superconductivity, he investigates superconducting materials, cryogenic systems, fault-current-limiting technologies, and superconducting power devices with the potential to transform efficient power transmission and advanced motor design.

In power electronics, his interests include high-power converters, wide-bandgap semiconductor devices, converter topologies, high-frequency switching, and the grid-integration technologies that support renewable energy, electrification, and resilient low-carbon power systems.