About Me
I am an Assistant Professor at the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Nottingham, U.K. I am affiliated with the Mechanical and Aerospace Systems Research Group (MAS) and serve as an associate member of the Institute for Aerospace Technology (IAT). I hold an honorary academic position with the Control Systems and Robotics Group (CSR) and the Centre for Robotics and AI, the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
At Nottingham, I contribute to teaching across the MEng/BEng Aerospace Engineering programs, delivered jointly by the Departments of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering (M3) and Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE). I currently teach Control in MMME2058 Aerospace Dynamics and Control and EEEE3128 Avionic Systems.
Biography
I received my B.Eng. (2015) in Transportation Engineering at Central South University as a member of Shenghua Honors College under a National Talent Program. During my undergraduate studies, I spent a one-year industrial placement at CRRC in China. In 2015, I moved to the UK and obtained an M.Sc. (2017) in Advanced Mechanical Engineering and a Ph.D. (2022) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Bristol, where I conducted research within the Dynamics and Control Research Group (DCRG). I have held research and visiting positions with The University of Manchester, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (IAAPS) at the University of Bath.
I am an IEEE Member of the Control Systems Society (CSS) and the Robotics and Automation Society (RAS). I am a member of the IEEE CSS Technical Committee of Quantum Computing, Systems and Control, IEEE RAS Technical Committee on Robot Learning, IEEE RAS Technical Committee on Robotic Hands. I regularly review for leading journals and conferences in Control and Robotics, including IEEE TAC, Automatica, IEEE TCST, IEEE CDC, IEEE L-CSS, IEEE RA-L, IEEE T-RO, IROS, and ICRA.
Research
My research interests include Control Theory, Reinforcement Learning, Embodied Intelligence, and Quantum Control. I work at the intersection of theory and application, with a strong focus on developing learning-based control methods to solve complex real-world engineering challenges, as well as advancing control methodologies for scientific exploration. My research covers a broad spectrum of applications, including propulsion systems, robotics, and quantum systems.
I have led and contributed to a variety of research projects in intelligent control and robotics, focusing on the development and implementation of advanced control frameworks across multiple domains:
- Control: Adaptive optimal control [TAC2025], [CDC2023], [CDC2019], [IJACSP2025].
- Robotics: [T-RO2025], [RA-L2025], [TMECH2024], [IROS2024].
- Automotive and Aerospace systems: (Reinforcement)-Learning-based control [TCST2024][IFAC2023], Estimation (Observer) design [TVT2017][AST2024][TCST2019], Adaptive control [ICMIC2017], Dynamics modeling [SAE2020],[IFAC2017].
- Quantum systems: [L-CSS2024].
Projects
- AMPI [Key Researcher][2023-now]: WP2.1 Dynamic resilient machines and fabrication technologies, WP2.2 Human-machine interaction systems (Development of control and dual-arm manipulation methods for manipulator with soft-rigid end-effector), under the Advanced Machinery & Productivity Institute (AMPI), £22.6m funded by UKRI and NPL
- RAICo [Co-I][2024-now]: Theme 2 Suppressing Task-Space Vibrations in Robotic Manipulators on a Flexible Platform, £150k funded by Sellafield and NDA.
- LongOps [Key Researcher][2022-2023]: Challenge 3 Modelling and control of a long flexible manipulator, Challenge 4 Merging haptic rendering with live sensor data, under SBRI – digital technologies for robotic nuclear decommissioning, £300k funded by UKAEA RACE.
- RAIN [Associate Member][2022]: Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear (RAIN), £12.8m funded by EPSRC.
- ADAPT-IT [Key Researcher][2017-2021]: Reducing vehicle carbon emissions through development of a compact, efficient and intelligent powertrain, £3.9m funded by APC UK.
- AECE [Key Researcher][2015-2017]: Adaptive optimal estimation and control for automotive engine systems with approximate dynamic programming, €231k funded by EU FP7 Marie-Curie Fellowship.
Business, Commercialization, and Outreach
- RoboGlove (Founder): Innovation Award (£2,000) from Innovation Academy, The Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC), and Alliance Manchester Business School(Alliance MBS);
- J2W (Co-Founder, ex-CFO): £700,000 turnover in 2023;
- Outreach: Exhibition Award £3,000 at Renold Innovation Hub, ID Manchester, from Innovation Academy; £1,000 outreach award in Faculty of Engineering, Unversity of Bristol.