Meet Your Instructor: Dr. Samuel Ogunfuye (Battery Safety and Thermal Modeling Courses)
Dr. Samuel Ogunfuye brings real-world battery safety and modeling expertise to the classroom, mentoring engineers through applied, simulation-driven learning.
4 min read
July 31st, 2025
Last updated: July 31st, 2025
Introduction
At Neovarsity, we work with experts who not only understand the science, but actively shape its future. Dr. Samuel Ogunfuye is one such figure, a senior mechanical engineer with deep technical command across lithium-ion battery safety, thermal-fluid systems, and computational modeling. His dual role as an industry leader and committed educator exemplifies the ethos we bring to all our programs.
As the instructor for two of our applied programs, Lithium-ion battery safety and abuse modeling and Battery thermal modeling, simulation, and analysis, Dr. Ogunfuye brings a rare combination of deep research experience and systems-level engineering perspective to the classroom.
These courses are designed not just to teach theory, but to train engineers in solving problems under constraint, mirroring the same environments Dr. Ogunfuye navigates daily. His teaching is grounded in real-world design challenges, cross-functional project leadership, and the latest simulation methodologies used in industry.
A Career Built on Solving Thermal and Safety Challenges
Dr. Ogunfuye’s trajectory spans high-stakes roles at Johnson Controls and Caterpillar Inc., where he has tackled complex challenges in battery development. His expertise encompasses thermal-fluid systems, CFD, multiphysics simulation, and safety-critical battery design. Currently, as a Senior Mechanical Engineer, he possesses vast experience leading and developing next-generation thermal architectures with an emphasis on thermal runaway prevention, diagnostics, and regulatory compliance.
The Vision Behind Applied Battery Engineering Courses
At Neovarsity, we didn’t just want to create another set of battery modeling classes. With Dr. Ogunfuye, we set out to build something deeper. Something that helps engineers sharpen their modeling mindset.
Dr. Ogunfuye believes in first principles, systematic problem-solving, and cultivating the kind of analytical intuition that helps us tackle the gray areas. The ambiguous, high-stakes challenges that real-world engineering always throws our way. As he puts it:
“ Our goal isn’t just to build models. It’s to build modelers who can think, adapt, and lead.”
As energy storage scales across EVs, BESS, and consumer tech, the stakes are getting higher. Safety margins are shrinking. Failures like thermal runaway and cell venting aren’t theoretical anymore. They’re critical risks we need to understand, model, and design against.
“ If we’re going to engineer safer, smarter systems, we need to be fluent not just in the physics, but also in translating that complexity into real, actionable design decisions.”
That’s exactly what these two courses help us do:
Lithium-Ion Battery Safety and Abuse Modeling teaches us how to map out failure pathways, simulate abuse conditions, and engineer robust safety measures that align with standards like UL, IEC, and ISO.
Battery Thermal Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis gives us the tools to build detailed thermal models, predict heat generation and propagation, and design effective cooling strategies across scales, from cell to module to pack.
Each course wraps with a capstone project where we apply what we’ve learned. Running simulations, testing hypotheses, and validating our thinking against real-world case data.
Course Spotlight: Lithium-ion Battery Safety and Abuse Modeling (8 Weeks)
We train engineers to confidently model and mitigate high-risk failure scenarios through an intensive, hands-on program.
You build expertise in:
Identifying thermal, mechanical, and chemical failure pathways
Simulating abuse events using multiphysics tools
Modeling fire and explosion risk through CFD
Designing mitigation strategies for EV and BESS systems
Navigating global safety regulations
Collaborating on a simulation project to model and mitigate abuse scenarios
The final project includes peer-reviewed design presentations, encouraging you to synthesize safety theory, real-world data, and team-based engineering strategies.
Course Spotlight: Battery Thermal Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis (7 Weeks)
We designed this course for engineers who already have a solid modeling foundation but want to deepen their skills and accelerate their simulation capabilities.
By the end of the course, you’ll be able to:
Build 1D-3D thermal models (lumped, distributed)
Model heat transfer and thermal coupling inside cells
Run module- and pack-level simulations
Implement cooling strategies and passive safety systems
Validate models through experimental data fitting
Complete a capstone thermal scenario analysis and optimization
Dr. Ogunfuye supports each student through regular check-ins, simulation feedback, and coding mentorship (MATLAB, Python), enabling us to close the loop from model design to validation.
Bringing AI into the Battery Engineering Classroom
Dr. Ogunfuye is also advancing how we apply AI to battery engineering. His research and leadership intersect (1) predictive maintenance through machine learning, (2) optimization of battery pack design using AI algorithms and (3) integration of AI-based thermal forecasting into BMS control. We have incorporated these topics into our curriculum, giving our learners hands-on exposure to the data-driven approaches shaping next-gen energy systems.
What It’s Like to Learn from Dr. Ogunfuye
Working with Dr. Ogunfuye means embracing complexity, applying simulation tools under real constraints, and growing through meaningful critique. His courses offer:
Technical depth where challenges are deconstructed, not diluted.
Hands-on learning where simulations are tied directly to EV, grid, and safety contexts.
Mentorship with feedback that goes beyond code to improve clarity of thought.
Inspiration so that learners will leave with a drive to build more, model better, and think harder.
Is This Program Right for You?
We’ve designed these courses for professionals who are already fluent in engineering fundamentals and are ready to deepen their capability at the edge of battery innovation:
Engineers focused on battery design, simulation, and safety
Researchers seeking practical modeling frameworks
Energy professionals exploring AI-enhanced simulation
Product managers looking to understand the technical stakes of battery systems
Let’s Shape the Future Together
In an industry where mistakes can mean explosions, and excellence means safer electrification, we need educators like Dr. Ogunfuye who model both rigor and responsibility. His courses are not just about passing on knowledge. They are about building leaders capable of navigating uncertainty with data, engineering judgment, and ethical foresight.
We invite you to join us and learn from one of the field’s most committed practitioners.
Let’s engineer the future together. Safely and intelligently.
Applications are open now
The next cohort for 'Thermal Modeling and Simulation of Li-ion Batteries' starts soon (August 19) and space is limited. 👉 Explore the curriculum and apply here.
Neovarsity is a Berlin-based deep tech skills platform. We build industry-driven, cohort-based programs in collaboration with world-class experts to prepare talent and teams to solve problems in areas with real-world impact.
For questions, contact Catherine at [email protected]. Stay tuned for more updates and insights.
Follow us on LinkedIn and join the conversation using #FutureThroughDeepTech.
Build thermal models that scale
A 7-week course on thermal behavior in lithium-ion batteries, from fundamentals to system-level simulation.
- Build and analyze thermal resistance networks
- Simulate cell, module & pack behavior under dynamic loads
- Complete a capstone project with peer-reviewed presentations