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School of Engineering

Professor Sumeet S. Aphale

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Professor Sumeet S. Aphale
Professor Sumeet S. Aphale
Professor Sumeet S. Aphale

CEng, MIET, SMIEEE

Personal Chair

Accepting PhDs

About
Email Address
s.aphale@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number
+44 (0)1224 274479
Office Address
FN379 Fraser Noble Building
Old Aberdeen Campus
Elphinstone Road
AB24 3UE

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School/Department
School of Engineering
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Biography

Career Summary

  • Academic Line Manager and Research Group Leader (Electrical and Electronic Systems), School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen, UK : Since March 2025
  • Professor, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen, UK : Since August 2022
  • Reader, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen, UK : August 2021 - July 2022
  • Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen, UK : June 2016 - July 2021
  • Lecturer, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen, UK : June 2009 - May 2016
  • Research Fellow, School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen, UK (RED Project) : June 2008 - June 2009
  • Research Academic B, ARC Center for Complex Dynamic Systems and Control, University of Newcastle, Australia : September 2005 - May 2008
  • Research and Teaching Assistant, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Wyoming, USA: July 2000 - June 2005
  • Research Engineer, RDSI Pvt. Ltd., Pune, India : May 1999 - June 2000

I am a registered Chartered Engineer with the IET. I also volunteer as a Professional Registration Advisor (PRA) and as a Professional Registration Interviewer (PRI) for prospective IEng and CEng applicants for the IET.

My non-academic interests are trekking, nature and wildlife photography, travelling and martial arts.

Qualifications

  • BEng Electrical Engineering 
    1999 - University of Pune, India 
    First Class with Distinction (Top 5 in the University Graduating Class)
  • MS Electrical Engineering (Robotics and Control) 
    2003 - University of Wyoming, USA 
    On resolving motion commands for precise pointing using position and velocity limits of stacked Gough-Stewart Platforms
  • PhD Electrical Engineering (Robotics and Control) 
    2005 - University of Wyoming, USA 
    On the robust fault-tolerant designs of Gough-Stewart Platforms

Memberships and Affiliations

Internal Memberships
  • School Research Committee - School of Engineering (2025 - present)
  • School Management Group - School of Engineering (2022 - 2025 as EDI Lead), (2025 - present, as ALM) 
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Lead for School of Engineering (2022 - 2025)
  • Elected Member of the Senatus Academicus (2022 - 2024)
  • School Executive Committee - School of Engineering (2022 - 2025)
  • School Education Committee - School of Engineering (2022 - 2025)
External Memberships

Associate Editor

  • IEEE Control Systems Letters (2021 - 2023)
  • International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems (Guest - Special Issue on Parallel Manipulators)
  • Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering - Mechatronics Section (2015 -  2024)
  • Actuators (Guest - Special Issue on Actuators and Dampers for Vibration Control)
  • Applications of Modelling and Simulation (2017 - present)
  • IEEE Multi-Conference on Systems and Control, Sydney, Australia (2015)
  • Shock and Vibration (2015 - 2022)

Editorial Board Member

  • International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems (2012 - 2015)

Technical / Programme Committee Member

  • International Conference on Robotics and Automation Sciences (ICRAS), since 2020.
  • International Conference on Robotics, Computer Vision and Intelligent Systems (ICRAI) 2020, 2021, 2023.

Reviewer For

  • UKRI Leadership Fellowships
  • IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology
  • IEEE Transactions on Robotics
  • IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology
  • IEEE Transactions on Mechatronics
  • IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics
  • IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics
  • IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering
  • IET Control Theory and Applications
  • IOP Smart Materials and Structures
  • Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing
  • Asian Journal of Control
  • Review of Scientific Instruments (AIP)
  • Control Engineering Practice
  • Journal of Sound and Vibration.
  • Sensors and Actuators (Elsevier)
  • Sensors (MDPI)
  • Mechatronics
  • Robotics and Computer Integrated Manufacturing
  • Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science
  • IEEE Conference on Decision and Control
  • IFAC World Congress
  • IEEE International Conference for Robotics and Automation
  • IEEE International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering 
  • IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics
  • American Control Conference
  • European Control Conference
  • International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems
  • Springer Publishing Co.
  • Cambridge University Press

External Examiner

  • Robert Gordon University, UK
  • University of Castilla - La Mancha, Spain
  • Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain
  • University of Adelaide, Australia
  • ADFA@UNSW, Australia
  • Indian Institute of Technology - Chennai, India
  • Vellore Institute of Technology - Chennai, India

Prizes and Awards

  • Principal's Excellence Award for Outstanding Postgraduate Research Supervisor - 2023
  • Best Paper Award, AsiaSim - 2017
  • Best Paper Award Finalist, Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics - 2008
  • Tau Beta Pi - Engineering Honors Society - 2003
  • Top 5 UG GPA - 1999
Research

Research Overview

I am the Founder and Director of the Artificial intelligence, Robotics and Mechatronic Systems Group (ARMS).

I specialize in the expansive realms of Robotics, Mechatronics, and Applied Control. My passion lies in the creation, experimentation, measurement, and enhancement of novel system designs, sensing strategies, and control algorithms. These innovations consistently result in significant performance advancements across diverse technology-driven domains, including parallel manipulators, flexible and soft robots, scanning probe microscopes, nanopositioning devices, biomedical systems, smart structures, precise multi-system alignment, drill-strings, and optical focusing equipment, among others.

My approach revolves around the development of straightforward, practical, and implementable solutions for seemingly intricate challenges. I actively seek opportunities for both industrial and academic collaborations, aiming to enrich, facilitate, and advance my research. As a Chartered Engineer, I've leveraged my expertise through various consultancies, collaborating with high-tech and Oil and Gas companies to foster technology development and seamless knowledge transfer.

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. My work contributes towards the following SDG(s): 

E-WEB-Goal-03.pngE-WEB-Goal-04.pngE-WEB-Goal-07.pngE-WEB-Goal-09.pngE-WEB-Goal-17.png

Research Areas

Accepting PhDs

I am currently accepting PhDs in Engineering.

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.

Email Me

Engineering

Supervising
Accepting PhDs
View Research Area

Research Specialisms

  • Control Systems
  • Mechatronics and Robotics
  • Dynamics
  • Acoustics and Vibration
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

Current Research

My current research / consultancy projects focus on:

  • Novel control designs for a wide range of systems including (but not limited to):
    • Nanopositioners
    • Soft Robots (Dielectric Elastomer as well as Pneumatically actuated)
    • Self-balancing wheeled and multi-legged robots
    • Flexible / lightweight pick and place robots
    • Active Vibration Isolation / Control (AVI / AVC)
    • Structural Vibration Mitigation
    • Renewable and Traditional Electrical Power Systems
    • MEMS
    • Drill-strings and other highly nonlinear systems
  • Sensing, Instrumentation, Control and Automation for O&G and wider industry focussing on:
    • Digital twins for specific sensors / subsystems
    • Signal Processing and Data Analysis
    • Novel actuator / sensor design
    • Dynamic analysis and feasibility studies

I am always interested in probing new ideas. It is quite possible that I may not know of your work but, if you think a collaboration is possible, please drop me an email.

External Examiner at:

  • Robert Gordon University, UK
  • University of Adelaide, Australia
  • University of New South Wales, Australia
  • University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
  • Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain
  • Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, India

Visitors:

  • Dr Hong Ni (Hangzhou Normal University): February 2025 - January 2026
  • Mr Chiweta Emmanuel Abunike (Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Nigeria): March 2022 - February 2023
  • Dr Geng Wang (Henan Polytechnic University, China): January 2020 - January 2021
  • Ms Linlin Li (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China): 1st May - 31st October 2019
  • Mr Paul Antoine (ENSTA Paris Tech, France) : June - July 2017
  • Dr Andres San-Millan (University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain) : 1st May - 30th July 2016
  • Dr Andres San-Millan (University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain) : 1st May - 30th July 2014
  • Prof. Paul Reynolds (University of Exeter, UK) : May 2012
  • Prof. Andrew J. Fleming (University of Newcastle, Australia) : July 2011
  • Dr Emiliano Pereira Gonzales (University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain) : May - June 2010

Past Research

  • Control of Gough-Stewart Platforms (Hexapods)
  • Robust Kinematic Design of fault-tolerant Gough-Stewart Platforms (Octopods)
  • Energy Harvesting via smart materials

Knowledge Exchange

  • Successfully delivered 10+ Interface projects for local industries
  • Led industrial consultancy projects for Aker, BP, Proserv, Baker Hughes, Swire energy Services, Aramco Overseas, Leap.AI etc
  • Leading a KTP project aimed at new electrical technology for subsea applications
  • Contributing to a KTP project aimed at using explainable AI to improve industrial decision making.
  • Leading academic for a large Innovate UK project aimed at improving packaging robot performance.

Collaborations

  • Prof. Paul Reynolds, Vibration Engineering Section, Exeter University, UK.
  • Prof. Quan Zhu, UWE-Bristol, UK.
  • Prof. Vicente Feliu Batlle, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain.
  • Prof. Andrew J. Fleming, Precision Mechatronics Lab, University of Newcastle, Australia.
  • Prof. Guoying Gu, Robotics Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China.
  • Prof. Limin Zhu, State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Systems and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China.
  • Dr. Emiliano Pereira Gonzalez, University of Alcala, Spain.
  • Assoc. Prof. Bharath Bhikkaji, Indian Institute of Technology - Chennai, India.
  • Prof. Abdus Samad, Indian Institute of Technology - Chennai, India.
  • Prof. Antoine Ferreira, LVR ENSI de Bourges, France.
  • Prof. Santosh Devasia, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
  • Prof. Kam K. Leang, University of Utah - Salt Lake City, USA.

Supervision

My current supervision areas are: Engineering.

Current Students

Lead Supervisor

  • Shakiru Kassim (PTDF Funded): on the control of soft robotic actuators using classical methods
  • Krisjanis Visnevski (SoE Funded): on the modelling and control of pneumatic soft robots using AI techniques
  • Emembong Livinus (PTDF Funded): on the modelling and control of origami robots
  • Chiweta Abunike (PTDF Funded): on the design optimization of brushless motors for EV applications
  • Kutlo Popo (Govt. of Botswana Funded): on novel control schemes for unconventional robots
  • Megan Watson (SoE Funded): on PINN / PENN models of electromechanical systems

Co-supervisor

  • Salman Badkubi  (led by Dr. Jamshidi Far)
  • Aldo Moreno Martel (led by Dr. Starkey)
  • Gareth Holmes (led by Dr. Starkey)
  • Luis Carvalho (led by Dr. Starkey)
  • Petar Avramov (led by Dr. Vaziri)
  • Alexander Bristow Gutierrez (led by Dr San-Millan)
  • Hassan Ibrahim (led by Dr Nougain)
  • Myronas Koulas (led by Dr San-Millan)

Graduated Students (at UoA)

  • Adamu A. Adamu - Ph.D. 2025 (Funded by PTDF Nigeria)
  • Mohsen Lalehparvar (with Dr. Vaziri) - Ph.D. 2025 (Funded by School of Engineering, UoA)
  • Adedayo K. Babarinde - Ph.D. 2023 (Funded by TETFund Nigeria).
  • James D. Maclean - Ph.D. 2022.
  • Stefan Kovacevic (with Prof. D. Jovcic) - Ph.D. 2021 (Funded by RTE France).
  • Suoda Chu (with Dr. K. Nakkeeran) - Ph.D. 2020.
  • Ibukunolu Oladunjoye - Ph.D. 2019.
  • Mohammed Altaher - Ph.D. 2019 (Funded by Elphinstone Scholarship, University of Aberdeen).
  • Douglas Russell - Ph.D. 2018 (Funded by EPSRC DTA Scholarship).
  • Mohammad Namavar - Ph.D. 2015 (Funded by Elphinstone Scholarship, University of Aberdeen).

(I have co-supervised PhD students at other institutions in UK, Spain, Australia, China, Ethopia and Nigeria).

Funding and Grants

My research has received support from a variety of esteemed sources, including EPSRC, SFC, Innovate UK, the Spanish Government, and NSFC (China) to the tune of £3M. I have also engaged in several industrial consultancies with prominent companies such as BP, Aramco Overseas, Aker, Swire Energy Services, and LeapAI (approx. total £300K). Additionally, I have benefited from PhD and post-doctoral scholarships from organizations like ETP, PTDF (Nigeria), the Government of India, Commonwealth, and CSC (China), enabling me to recruit and collaborate with top international talent (approx. total £1M).

Teaching

Programmes

Courses

Teaching Responsibilities

Courses

  • EE3053 - (3rd year) Signals, Systems and Signal Processing
  • EE501T/B - (5th year) Advanced Control Engineering

Thesis Supervision

  • MEng / BEng in EEE / Mech+Elec
  • MSc in Subsea / Renewable Energy / Industrial Robotics

Non-course Teaching Responsibilities

  • Programme Leader - MSc in Robotics & Artificial Intelligence (2024 - present)
  • Programme Leader - MSc in Industrial Robotics (2021 - present)
  • Personal Tutor for ~20 UG students (2014 - present)
  • Programme Leader UG Electrical and Electronic Engineering (2020 - 2022)
  • Deputy Programme Leader UG Electrical and Electronic Engineering (2015 - 2020)
  • Examination Officer (PGT Programmes), School of Engineering (2014 - 2021)
Publications

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