Séminaire, SDA, Dr. Sara Fawaz, Associate professor, L2EP, University of Lille, 20 Oct. 2025

	Master and Doctoral School Unit « Sustainable Development Applications »

Characterization and Applications of Superconducting Materials in
Electrical Energy Systems

Sara Fawaz

Université de Lille, France

October 20, 2025, 14pm – 16pm
Agora 1, ESPRIT, campus Cité Scientifique

Abstract

Superconducting materials have attracted significant scientific and industrial interest due to their remarkable property of zero electrical resistivity below a critical temperature, which allows them to withstand much higher current densities than conventional conductors. They are used in many high-field applications, such as MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) systems, particle accelerators, and fusion reactors. The discovery of high temperature superconductors (HTS) in the late 1980s was a major breakthrough, enabling new applications in the field of electrical energy thanks to reduced cryogenic costs. These materials support high current densities with low losses, allowing the development of compact, efficient energy systems and improving power transmission and conversion under space and weight constraints. Additionally, their nonlinear electromagnetic behavior is exploited for power grid limitation and stabilization, while their magnetic shielding capabilities enables innovative designs of electrical machines. Despite these advantages, the use of HTS in electrical energy applications faces several challenges, including reduced critical current under magnetic fields, variable losses (AC), fragile structures, and high material costs. Research focuses on characterizing their electromagnetic properties and overcoming these limitations for practical system design. This involves developing realistic characterization approaches combining
measurements and modeling at the local scale to study the phenomena occurring when the HTS coils are under various operating conditions.

About the Speaker

Sara Fawaz

Associate professor at Université de Lille, L2EP – Laboratoire d’Électrotechnique et d’Électronique de Puissance de Lille

Sara Fawaz received the Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering (Master E2SD) from École Centrale de Lille, Lille, France, in 2020, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France, in 2023. Her doctoral research focused on the numerical and experimental characterization of superconducting materials for their integration into power systems. In 2023, she joined Université d’Artois, Béthune, France, as a Postdoctoral Researcher on
an ANR-funded project dedicated to the design of a compact motor for automotive applications, particularly for sports cars, where her work mainly involved the selection and characterization of dielectric and magnetic materials. In 2024, she became an Associate Professor at ESME Sudria Lille, where she continued her research within the same ANR project. Since September 2025, she has been an Associate Professor at Université de Lille, within the L2EP, where her research focuses on
the characterization of magnetic materials and their applications in electrical energy conversion systems.