COVER LETTER

September 18, 2023

Dear Members of the Promotion and Tenure Committee, and Dear Dean Toole:

Please accept this letter for consideration for my promotion to the rank of Associate Professor in the Electrical Engineering Technology Program in the Department of Engineering Technology at the University of Toledo. In the documents provided in my dossier in Faculty180, you will find all of the required materials in support of my request for promotion and tenure.
In this letter, I will introduce the contents of my dossier and briefly outline my contributions and accomplishments in the areas of teaching, research, and service. More information supporting my tenure can be found in Faculty180 in my teaching, professional and services narratives. Additional information can also be found on my faculty website at www.drmubenga.com

I am currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering Technology. I began at the University of Toledo in January 2018 and am in my sixth year at the University of Toledo. My primary teaching responsibilities are in the Electrical Engineering Technology program where I teach undergraduate courses. I also teach graduate courses in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department for graduate students who conduct and in the Electrical Engineering EECS where I teach graduate courses. I have taught six courses while at the University of Toledo. Four undergraduate courses which are EET2210 digital Logic Fundamentals, EET3250 Network Analysis, EET3350 Embedded Systems design, and EET4350 Electric Power Systems. Two graduate courses which are EECS6960 master’s Graduate Research and Thesis and EECS6990 Independent Study. From Spring 2018 to Spring 2023, I have taught 621 students and this semester, in Fall 2023, I am teaching 23 undergraduate students and one graduate student. I love teaching, and through these semesters I have become a better teacher. Indeed, a review of my student evaluations will demonstrate a consistently high rating of effectiveness, extremely high rating on fairness of grading and a commitment to improvement and professional growth.

My scholarly activity focuses on sustainable power systems, climate change and the energy transition. More specifically, my work in this field is situated into three subcategories: (1) electric vehicles, (2) battery management systems, and (3) renewable energy systems and their regulation. Although the teaching load requirement of 24 credit hour per year makes it challenging to pursue research, the publications, and presentations I highlight in my dossier demonstrate my ability to develop and implement a viable and relevant research agenda. During my time at the University of Toledo, I have published 4 refereed journal articles and 7 refereed conference proceedings. I have presented at international, national, regional, state, and local conferences, with a total of 12 presentations, 11 of which were invited. I authored a book chapter which has been accepted for publication by Springer Nature, a prestigious publisher with a high impact factor of 69.04 and who ranks in the 9th percentile in the world for innovation. It is extremely hard to be published by Springer Nature because only 8% of submitted manuscripts are accepted for publication. The book is under the press and Springer Nature will release it at the end of 2023. I also hold a provisional patent for battery technology and design tools I developed. I am currently a Professional Engineer registered int the state of Ohio and I have maintained my license with the required professional development hours. In addition, I have been actively seeking funding for my research through 17 grants; as a collaborator to the Student Experience project for three semesters, my active participation helped earn grants totaling $276,000 for the University of Toledo. As a PI, Co-PI, and Co-I, I received $41,250 of grants that were awarded by multiple sponsors. Finally, my work has attracted good media attention: I gave 32 interviews with the press in the USA, France, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Congo, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Since 2018, I have received over 20 awards and honors which show the dedication and passion I have for my career.

The last section of my dossier will highlight the wide range of services in which I have engaged. It is important to serve and give back to the community both at the national and international levels. At the national level, my service includes participation at the department, college, university, and community levels as well as involvement and leadership in professional organizations. I have served on a number of search committees and work groups across the college and campus. In my department, I serve as member of the taskforce for the Master in Mechatronic, as well as the Faculty Advisor for an ISA student organization, and the Congolese Student Organization. Beyond the university, I also serve as a reviewer for a number of journals and conferences. In the community, I serve as a member on the Executive Board of Imagination Station, a science museum that provides STEM activities to the Toledo community. Statewide, I am also a commissioner for the state of Ohio. In addition, I serve as founder and President of STEM DRC Initiative, a nonprofit organization that promotes STEM education in the USA and DRC and gave out 185 scholarships.

At the international level, I can humbly say that my work and my advocacy for the sustainable transportation and power systems to combat climate change has earned has been recognized by my peers at the national and international levels. I was invited and accepted to serve as a member of the G20 Climate Change and Energy Transition Working Group meeting held in Italy. From there, I was invited and honored to serve as a member of the consultative group for the Digital Demand Driven Initiative organized by the International Energy Agency. The 3DEN is working to accelerate progress on power system modernization and effective utilization of distributed energy resources through policy, regulation, technology, and investment guidance. The G20 is a global forum of major economies (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America) and the European Union. The G20 discusses and responds to critical issues facing the global economy, including energy. With the creation of a dedicated energy and climate working groups and the G20 Energy Ministerial, the IEA contributes to all energy work streams of the G20, including those on energy security, energy data, market transparency, renewable energy, energy access, energy efficiency, innovation, and technology.

Taken together, my materials represent a commitment to my career. I appreciate the opportunities that the University of Toledo has offered, and I look forward to spending many more years working with faculty, staff, and students here at the College Engineering. I hope the committee finds my promotion and tenure materials demonstrate my commitment and merit tenure status and promotion to Associate Professor. I have done my best to make the information easy to review in Faculty180, but I must admit, this was challenging at times with the Interfolio interface which is not always user friendly. So, if there is any missing or mislabeled information, please forgive me and do not hesitate to contact me and I will be glad to answer your questions.

Warm regards,

Dr. Sandrine Mubenga, PhD, PE

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Ngalula Sandrine Mubenga, PE is Assistant Professor at the Engineering Technology Department at the University of Toledo (UT), Ohio, USA where she received the Bachelor’s (2005), Master’s (2008) and Doctorate (2017) degrees in Electrical Engineering with honors. Her research areas include battery management systems, electric vehicles, and renewable energy systems. Her battery research won the 2018 IEEE National Aerospace & Electronics Conference Best Poster Award in the USA, while her hybrid electric vehicle research won the 2008 University of Toledo EECS Dept. Most Outstanding Thesis Award. Prior to this role, Sandrine was the University of Toledo Electrical Engineering Manager in Facilities and Construction for 5 years. In her role, she helped manage an energy budget totaling $65 million for the University of Toledo and her energy efficiency project saved $5 million to the University. She is a registered Professional Engineer in the state of Ohio, USA since 2011 and has worked in the industry for many years before joining academia.

Sandrine is also an entrepreneur. From 2011 to 2020, she was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of SMIN Power Group ( www.sminpowergroup.com), a solar developer with offices in the USA and in the D.R.Congo. In 2018, Sandrine founded the STEM DRC Initiative, a non-profit organization that aims to encourage Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) in the USA and the  D.R.Congo ( www.stemdrc.com). STEM DRC has since given out 185 scholarships. During COVID19, STEM DRC developed a ventilator and an oxygen production project that is providing 22,000 liters of oxygen per day. She was a Member of the Board of Directors at the Société Nationale d’ Eléctricité, the main electric utility company in the D.R.Congo.

Sandrine has been a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for 12 years and in 2020 she was elevated to the rank of Senior Member. In 2009, she started and chaired the first IEEE Graduate of the Last Decade Group in the Toledo Section. She chaired the 2017 IEEE PowerAfrica Conference in Ghana with attendees from over 30 countries. Sandrine received many awards  including the 2018 IEEE Engineer of the Year Award, the 2017 Africa Most Influential Women Award in Engineering and Manufacturing by CEO Magazine, and she was inducted in the 2018-2019 World Association of Cooperative Education Co-op Hall of Fame.

Service includes the DRC Electricity Regulatory Authority; commissioner for the State of Ohio as a member of the New African Immigrant Commission appointed by Governor Dewine in 2021; board member of Imagination Station in Toledo, Ohio since 2022. In 2022, Sandrine received the Univeristy of Toledo Edith Rathburn Outreach and Engagement Excellence Award in recognition of exceptionnal community outreach and engaged scholarship.