Advanced Control Theory and Applications Lab

The Advanced Control Theory and Applications Lab in Villanova University’s College of Engineering is involved in research on stability and control of nonlinear dynamical systems, particularly control of:

• Large-scale interconnected systems
• Cooperative control for multiagent systems
• Hierarchical nonlinear switching control
• Hybrid and impulsive control for nonlinear systems
• System thermodynamics
• Thermodynamic modeling of mechanical and aerospace systems
• Nonlinear analysis and control of biological and physiological systems

The laboratory is equipped with several experimental platforms for verification of our theoretical findings.

Recent research on multi-vehicle coordination supported by the Office of Naval Research and NAVSEA allowed us to explore several approaches to cooperative control design, including finite-time coordination and design of hybrid control architectures. In addition, the laboratory conducts multi-discipline research in emerging areas, including:

• Analysis and control of biological systems
• System-theoretic characterization of chemical reaction networks
• Thermodynamics of large-scale systems

The lab is directed by Dr. Sergey G. Nersesov, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering