For one Fulbright scholar, the Clemson Experience has been electrifying

Moazzam Nazir had a master’s degree in electrical engineering and a job with a research institute in Pakistan when he realized he needed to expand his knowledge.

He applied for a Fulbright scholarship, got it and packed his bags for Clemson University.

He studied on the main campus for a year and then headed for the Charleston area, home of Clemson’s world-class energy-research facilities: the Duke Energy eGrid and the Dominion Energy Innovation Center. It’s also the home base for Moazzam’s advisor, Johan Enslin.

“This provided me an opportunity to work in both an academic and professional work environment,” Moazzam said. “I have developed strong relationships at both places, and I am excited to act as a bridge between the two campuses.”

For his dissertation, Moazzam has worked in collaboration with Savannah River National Laboratory to develop a power-electronics-based device that would connect to conventional transformers to protect the electrical grid from solar storms and high-elevation nuclear attacks. The device would also perform numerous grid-support functions.

Along the way, Moazzam has immersed himself in the full Clemson Experience, being named a Global Ambassador for the University and serving as vice president of the Pakistan Cultural Association.

He has racked up several awards, including one that marked his proudest moment so far as a Tiger. In 2021, the faculty in the Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering chose Moazzam to receive the Harris Award for Outstanding Graduate Researcher.

He said that the faculty has been supportive of him, including when a member of his family was grappling with neurosurgical issues.

Moazzam is now working as an intern with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and is on track to graduate in August with his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Clemson.

He is concentrating his job search on academia and national labs.