Lesedi Masisi
Contact & links
Biography
Associate Professor Lesedi Masisi received the B.S. and M.S. degree from Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg, South Africa in 2007 and 2008 respectively. He completed his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering at the university of Concordia in Montreal, Canada, in 2015. From 2009 to 2010 he was an application engineer, then a senior researcher from 2015 to April 2017 at the council for scientific and industrial research.
Prof Masisi joined the University of the Witwatersrand in May 2017 as a senior Lecturer. He has since been the curriculum chair of the school of electrical and information engineering from the year 2019. He is a member of the Senate Academic Freedom Committee (SAFC), senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the council member of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE). In 2025 he won the Engineering Excellence award from the SAIEE.
Dr Masisi is a section editor of the Africa Research Journal (ARJ).
Research
Prof Masisi research focuses on electrical machines, power electronics, motor drives, and intelligent energy systems for sustainable transportation and future power networks. His research combines electromagnetic design, finite-element analysis, experimental validation, and machine learning (new area) to address real-world engineering challenges.
Emerging research areas have extended to AI-assisted machine design, data-driven condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, and intelligent control of electric drives and power electronic converters.
Research methods and approaches
Prof Masisi research integrates analytical modelling, computational electromagnetics, finite-element analysis, power electronics simulation, control system development, and experimental validation. He develops physics-based models of electrical machines and energy conversion systems, evaluate their performance through numerical simulation, and validate proposed designs and control strategies using laboratory prototypes. More recently, his research has expanded to incorporate data-driven methods, including AI-assisted engineering design, condition monitoring, and predictive maintenance, complementing traditional physics-based approaches to develop more efficient, reliable, and autonomous energy systems.
What are you looking for
Prof Masisi welcomes multidisciplinary collaborations that apply advances in electrical engineering to address challenges in energy, mobility, sustainability, and digital transformation. My expertise in electrical machines, power electronics, motor drives, and intelligent energy systems complements research in computer science, data science, materials science, environmental science, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, health, and public policy. I am particularly interested in collaborative projects involving sustainable energy systems, electric mobility, digital twins, predictive maintenance, and AI-assisted engineering. I also seek collaborations that examine the broader societal dimensions of the energy transition, including energy access, transport decarbonisation, climate resilience, technology adoption, and policies that promote sustainable and inclusive development, particularly in Africa.
Research discipline: Engineering and the Built Environment
Cohort year: 2024
Programme: Crucible Programme