Engineering
Bioengineering
- Chemical Sensing, in particular Use of Arrays of Chemical Sensors for Machine Olfaction
- Computational Neuroscience Models of the Olfactory Pathway, including Neuromorphic Hardware Implementation
- Real-time digital signal processing of biological signals
- ECG analysis, including electrical activation in Atrial Fibrillation, assessment of the risk of ventricular arrhythmia using electrical restitution, and heart rate variability analysis
- Microprocessor-, microcomputer- and Digital Signal Processor-based systems
- Signal processing of the electrical activation of the heart, especially the atria in Atrial Fibrillation
- Digital signal processors and personal computers
- Assembly language (for the both DSP and the host PC), LabView, and C language
Control Systems
Dr Andrea Lecchini-Visintini
- System Identification and Data-Based Control-System Design
- Optimisation and Predictive Control for Complex Stochastic Systems, with application to Air Traffic Control
- Stochastic Optimisation
- Monte Carlo Methods
- Control of Active Rotors (such as methods to improve over vibrations among other performance aspects) in Rotorcraft Vehicles
- Robust Nonlinear Control
- Robust Control Applications
- Wind Turbine Control
- Control and Instrumentation Robust Control Theory
- Gain-Scheduling Control
- Development of Fixed Order Controller Synthesis Tools
- Convex Optimisation
- Application to Advanced Control Systems
- Robust Control of Helicopters and Other Aerospace Systems
- Development of Antiwindup, Bumpless Transfer, and Override Control Techniques for Systems with Isolated Nonlinearities
Electrical Power
- Electrical Breakdown of Polymeric and Composite Materials
- Development of Experimental, Modelling, and Computer Simulation Techniques for understanding the Electrical Treeing Breakdown Process
- Dielectric and Optical Characterisation of Polymeric Materials and Composites
- Condition Monitoring and Assessment of HV Apparatus, particularly the Development of Diagnostic Techniques for HV Bushings
- Development of In-Service Testing Techniques and Forensic Studies of Breakdown of High Voltage Insulation Systems
Power Electronics and the Design and Control of Novel Electrical Machines, including:
- Development of Novel Reluctance and PM Brushless DC Motors and Generators for High Efficiency and Low Cost and the Sensorless Control of such Machines
- Ultra-High Speed Power Generation using Micro-Gas Turbines
- Development of High Power, High Performance Traction Drives for Electric Vehicles
- Power Electronics and Pulsed Power Applications, including:
- Ultra-Rapid High Powered Recharging of Very Large Batteries and other Energy Storage Systems
- Development of High Frequency, High Voltage, Power Supplies for Electrostatic Precipitators to further improve the Dust Collection Efficiency
Power Electronics and Power Semiconductors including:
- Design of power electronics converters (AC-DC,DC-AC,DC-DC,AC-AC)
- Design for reliability and Robustness testing of components and systems
- Online condition monitoring and Non-destructive testing of power converters
- Design of digitalized gate drivers for power device
- High power density converter design for vehicle, aircraft and space applications
- Build and testing of wide band-gap power semiconductor-based converters
- Characterization, control, protection, thermal management and cooling for power devices
- Multi-domain modelling and Multi-objective optimisation simulation
- Advanced modelling, prototyping, and characterization of superconducting machines for aerospace propulsion, electrical power grid, and defense industries
- Cloaking Systems. How to make objects invisible to electrical and magnetic fields
- Active radiation shielding systems for the aerospace industry
- Magnetic levitation technology and Superconducting Bearings for Transport Industry
- High performance Superconducting Rotary Machines: SC Generators for ship propulsion and SC Motors for electric vehicles
- Resilience and fault protection of power grid by using SC technology
- Large-scale modelling and analysis of power systems enabling the share of renewables
- Microscopic phenomena in High Temperature Superconductors
- Analysis of High Resolution Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopies
- Properties of electronic transport in High Critical Temperature Superconductors
- Application of variational methods and optimal control algorithms for problems which may include aspects of econophysics, supply chain processes, space image processing, materials science, etc.
Embedded Systems and Communications
- Influence of the Propagation Medium on Radio Systems and on the Development of Techniques to Overcome or Take into Account Propagation Related System Performance Limitations
- Effects of the Atmospheric (principally the Ionospheric) Environment on the Propagation Characteristics of Radio Waves
- Development of Techniques to Account for these Effects in Radio System Operation, Development, and Planning
- Software Engineering and Formal Methods, particularly CSP, Z, and B.
- Unification and Integration of Formal Methods, including Hoare’s Unifying Theory of Programming
- Techniques for Systems Specification and Calculated Development of High Assurance Systems
- Tools for Verification and Implementation including Model Checking and Theorem Proving
- Implementation Languages and Platforms for Dependable Systems
- Theory, Practice, Application, and Calculation of Concurrency
- Hardware Compilation and Co-Design
- Long Range High Frequency Radio Wave Propagation
- VHF and UHF Propagation
- Long Range High Frequency Radio Wave Propagation,
- Ray Tracing and Direction Finding
- High-Performance Data and Image Processing in Embedded Systems
- Hardware Acceleration of Computationally Intensive DSP Algorithms using FPGAs and ASICs
- VLSI System-on-a-Chip Design for Hostile Environments with a Focus on Reliability and Low Power
- Distributed Collaborative Processing in Wireless Sensor Networks
Mechanics of Materials
- Structural Evolution and Defect Formation during Processing of Superalloys
- Numerical Modelling of Solidification
- Measurement and Calculation of Materials Properties for Processing of Ti and Mg Alloys
- Materials Thermodynamics and Novel Methods for in situ Characterization of Materials Processing
- Modelling of Microstructural Evolution in Engineering Materials
- Multiscale Modelling of Diffusional Processes
- Finite Element Analysis of Materials and Structures
- Computational Nanoscience and Micromechanics
- Sintering Science and Technology
- Modelling the Degradation of Biodegradable Polymers
- Mechanics of Granular and Porous Materials
- Constitutive Model Development for Powder Compaction
- Instrumented Die Compaction and Triaxial Testing
- Powder Flow and Die Fill
- Modelling Heat and Mass Transport in Porous Media
- Tribological, mechanical and materials characterisation of engineering materials
- Investigating and modelling the effects of cryogenic treatments on engineering alloys
- Manufacturing processes
- Structural dynamics
- Structural health monitoring
- Human-structure interaction (bridges, grandstands and floors subjected to human-induced vibrations)
- Stability and control of human gait
- Crowd dynamics
Thermofluids
- Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer, with an emphasis on Direct and Large Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Flows of Engineering Importance
- Unsteady compressible flows
- Finite-volume, shock-capturing, mesh-adaptive schemes
- Large Eddy Simulations of unsteady acoustically active flows
- Finite-difference pre-factored compact schemes for computational aero-acoustics
- CFD methods for turbomachinery aerodynamics
- Vortex flows
- Application of experimental techniques complementary to CFD, such as surface visualisation, schlieren, and time-resolved PIV
- Boundary-layer transition
- Stability theory in fluid mechanics
- Rotating flows
- Newtonian and non-Newtonian flows
- Flow control
- Thermo-mechanical energy storage systems
- Smart District Energy Networks
- Analysis of energy systems, using thermodynamic analysis methods (energy, exergy, exergoeconomic, entropy generation minimisation etc.)
- Large Eddy Simulation of turbulent shear flow
- Simulation of turbulent diffusion flames
- Coherent structures in turbulence
- Inflow condition modelling for numerical simulation of turbulent flows