Overview

Short Bio

I am a Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering (Education & Research) at the Department of Engineering in the Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy. I am also the Faculty Advisor and the Academic Lead of the Formula Student Project. I have a strong passion and expertise in control of energy systems.

I received a BEng in Energy Engineering, a MSc in Electrical Engineering, and a PhD in Control Systems Engineering from the University of Pavia, Italy, in 2014, 2016, and 2019, respectively. I have been a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences at the University of Exeter (2019-2021). The research activity undertaken during my Postdoc was mainly focused on the design and experimental validation (in sea) of advanced information-driven optimal navigation and control strategies for underwater electric vehicles. Further details can be found at the UKRI-NERC funded project website.

Research Interests and Applications

My research interests include:

• optimisation and optimal control;
• model identification;
• large-scale systems;
• fault estimation, reconstruction and mitigation;
• variable structure/sliding mode systems;
• state observers and state estimation;
• cybersecurity.

I apply my research interests in the following sectors:

• zero-emission vehicles and powertrains;
• energy networks;
• power systems;
• microgrids;
• power converters;
• autonomous vehicles;
• clean energy systems;
• robotics;
• epidemiological models.

Teaching

• Faculty Advisor and Academic Supervisor of the Formula Student Project  XRacing [2021-Present]
  • Discussion and encouragement for multi-disciplinary team working.
  • Support the development of technical analysis and reports.
  • Bring forth clean mobility and carbon efficient practices.
  • Promotion of engagement between the students, industries in the clean mobility sector, and engineering institutions.
  • Budget Holder and finance management of the project. 
• ENG3023-Zero Emission Vehicles-Module Lead [2025-Present]
• ENG1005-Module Lecturer [2023-Present]:
  • SolidWorks Module Lead.
  • Electrical Machines Principles.
  • Electronic Lab Academic Lead.
• ECMM102: Group Project, Module Lead [2023], and Supervisor [2021-2023]
• ECM3174: Engineering Year in Industry [2021-Present]
• ECM3175: Individual Project [2021-Present]
• ECMM164: MSc Dissertation in Mechanical Engineering [2021-Present]
• MTH005: Science: Skills and Culture (individual project supervisor) [2023]
• ENGM015-MEng Individual Investigative Project (individual project supervisor) [2023-Present]

Other Roles

Within my academic position, I also cover the following roles within the Department of Engineering:

• Faculty Advisor and Academic Supervisor of the Formula Student-XRacing Project
• Academic Conduct Officer (ACO) (together with Dr Halim Alwi)
• Member of the Wellbeing Inclusion and Culture Committee (WICC).

Academic Collaborators

Staff affiliated to University of Exeter:

• Prof Prathyush P Menon, academic lead of the Cooperative Robotics and Autonomus NEtworks (CRANE) lab;
• Prof Christopher Edwards;
• Prof Peter Challenor;
• Dr Shenan Grossberg;
• Prof Christopher W Smith;
• Dr Devika K Baby.

And internationally with:

• Prof Antonella Ferrara, University of Pavia, Italy;
• Prof Michele Cucuzzela, University of Pavia, Italy;
• Dr Juan Machado Martinez, Univesity of Gronigen, The Netherlands;
• Prof Jacquelien Scherpen, Univesity of Gronigen, The Netherlands;
• Prof Yuri Shtessel, University of Alabama in Huntsville, USA.

Industries Collaborators

• Lynch Motors Ltd, Honiton, UK;
• Ecomar Propulsion Ltd, Fareham, UK.

Useful Links

If you are interested in my research activity, feel free to have al look at these webpages:

• My Google Scholar webpage (academic publications): https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-sWPtrsAAAAJ&hl
• My ResearchGate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gianmario-Rinaldi
• My Linkedin profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gianmario-rinaldi-5aaaa0b6/

PhD Opportunities

Please contact me if you are interested in a PhD studentship aligned with my research interests.

Completed Research Projects

• Innovate UK Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 2 (CMDC2), ZERO - Zero Emission Research and Offshore Service Vessel,  (Co-Investigator). 

• Innovate UK Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 2 (CMDC2), Demonstrator for scalable 1MW+ Zero Emission battery-hydrogen hybrid propulsion system, (Co-Investigator).

• EMPS Global Partnerships Development Funding Scheme with University of Pavia (Italy), (Principal Investigator).

• Innovate UK Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 1 (CMDC1), Twin motor, zero emission powertrain for commercial workboats, (Co-Investigator).

• Innovate UK Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI), Phase 2: with Ecomar-Electric Outboards, (Co-Investigator).

• UKRI-Natural Environment Research Council (NERC): Combining Autonomous Observations and Models for Predicting and Understanding Shelf Seas, (Postdoctoral Research Fellow).

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Publications

_{Copyright Notice: Any articles made available for download are for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the copyright holder.}

| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |

2024

• Rinaldi G, K Baby D, P Menon P. (2024) Optimal Observer-Based Power Imbalance Allocation for Frequency Regulation in Shipboard Microgrids, Energies, DOI:10.3390/en17071703.

2023

• Machado JE, Rinaldi G, Cucuzzella M, Menon PP, Scherpen JMA, Ferrara A. (2023) Online parameters estimation schemes to enhance control performance in DC microgrids, European Journal of Control, volume 74, pages 100860-100860, article no. 100860, DOI:10.1016/j.ejcon.2023.100860. [PDF]

2022

• Ford DA, Grossberg S, Rinaldi G, Menon PP, Palmer MR, Skákala J, Smyth T, Williams CAJ, Lopez AL, Ciavatta S. (2022) A solution for autonomous, adaptive monitoring of coastal ocean ecosystems: Integrating ocean robots and operational forecasts, Frontiers in Marine Science, volume 9, DOI:10.3389/fmars.2022.1067174.
• Rinaldi G, Cucuzzella M, Menon PP, Ferrara A, Edwards C. (2022) Load Altering Attacks Detection, Reconstruction and Mitigation for Cyber-Security in Smart Grids with Battery Energy Storage Systems, 2022 European Control Conference (ECC), DOI:10.23919/ecc55457.2022.9838515.
• Rinaldi G, Menon PP, Creek R. (2022) Model Based Moving Horizon Optimal Modes-Switch Schedule in Hybrid Powertrains for Marine Applications, IEEE Access, volume 10, pages 58017-58029, DOI:10.1109/access.2022.3178993.
• Rinaldi G, Cucuzzella M, Prathyush M, Ferrara A, Edwards C. (2022) Load Altering Attacks Detection, Reconstruction and Mitigation for Cyber-Security in Smart Grids with Battery Energy Storage Systems, European Control Conference 2022, Imperial College, London, Uk, 12th - 15th Jul 2022.
• Rinaldi G, Menon PP, Edwards C, Ferrara A. (2022) Sliding Mode Observer-Based Finite Time Control Scheme for Frequency Regulation and Economic Dispatch in Power Grids, IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, volume 30, no. 3, pages 1296-1303, DOI:10.1109/tcst.2021.3092186. [PDF]

2021

• Rinaldi G, Menon PP, Edwards C. (2021) Suboptimal Sliding Mode-based Heading and Speed Guidance Scheme for Boundary Tracking with Autonomous Vehicle, Proceedings of the American Control Conference, volume 2021-May, pages 2151-2156, DOI:10.23919/ACC50511.2021.9483297.
• Rinalid G, Menon P, Edwards C. (2021) Adaptive Dual-Layer Super-Twisting Sliding Mode Observers to Reconstruct and Mitigate Disturbances and Communication Attacks in Power Networks, Automatica, volume 129, article no. 109656, DOI:10.1016/j.automatica.2021.109656.

2020

• Rinaldi G, Ferrara A. (2020) Automatic identification of the relative degree of nonlinear systems: Application to sliding mode control design and experimental assessment, CONTROL ENGINEERING PRACTICE, volume 94, article no. ARTN 104207, DOI:10.1016/j.conengprac.2019.104207. [PDF]
• Rinaldi G, Ferrara A. (2020) Decentralised Model Predictive Control with Integral Sliding Mode for Frequency Regulation in Power Grids, European Control Conference 2020, ECC 2020, pages 1885-1890.
• Rinaldi G, Menon PP, Edwards C, Ferrara A. (2020) Local and Wide-Area Sliding-Mode Observers in Power Systems, Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, 359-391, DOI:10.1007/978-3-030-36621-6_12.

2019

• Rinaldi G, Menon PP, Edwards C, Ferrara A. (2019) Variable gains decentralized super-twisting sliding mode controllers for large-scale modular systems, 2019 18th European Control Conference, ECC 2019, pages 3577-3582, DOI:10.23919/ECC.2019.8795810.
• Rinaldi G, Menon PP, Edwards C, Ferrara A. (2019) Higher Order Sliding Mode Observers in Power Grids With Traditional and Renewable Sources, IEEE Control Systems Letters, volume 4, no. 1, pages 223-228, DOI:10.1109/lcsys.2019.2923605.

2018

• Rinaldi G, Ferrara A. (2018) Decentralized Integral Sliding Mode Approach for Frequency Control and Unknown Demand Reconstruction in Power Systems, Proceedings of IEEE International Workshop on Variable Structure Systems, volume 2018-July, pages 455-460, DOI:10.1109/VSS.2018.8460297.
• Rinaldi G, Cucuzzella M, Ferrara A. (2018) Sliding mode observers for a network of thermal and hydroelectric power plants, AUTOMATICA, volume 98, pages 51-57, DOI:10.1016/j.automatica.2018.09.014. [PDF]
• Rinaldi G, Ferrara A. (2018) Relative Degree Identification for Sliding Mode Controllers Design, Proceedings of IEEE International Workshop on Variable Structure Systems, volume 2018-July, pages 55-60, DOI:10.1109/VSS.2018.8460434.
• Rinaldi G, Menon PP, Edwards C, Ferrara A. (2018) Distributed Super-Twisting Sliding Mode Observers for Fault Reconstruction and Mitigation in Power Networks, 2018 IEEE CONFERENCE ON DECISION AND CONTROL (CDC), pages 5550-5555. [PDF]
• Rinaldi G, Menon PP, Edwards C, Ferrara A. (2018) Sliding Mode Based Dynamic State Estimation for Synchronous Generators in Power Systems, IEEE Control Systems Letters, volume 2, no. 4, pages 785-790, DOI:10.1109/LCSYS.2018.2849585.
• Rinaldi G, Menon PP, Ferrara A, Edwards C. (2018) A Super-Twisting-Like Sliding Mode Observer for Frequency Reconstruction in Power Systems: Discussion and Real Data Based Assessment, Proceedings of IEEE International Workshop on Variable Structure Systems, volume 2018-July, pages 444-449, DOI:10.1109/VSS.2018.8460439.

2017

• Rinaldi G, Cucuzzella M, Ferrara A. (2017) Third order sliding mode observer-based approach for distributed optimal load frequency control, IEEE Control Systems Letters, volume 1, no. 2, pages 215-220, DOI:10.1109/LCSYS.2017.2712564.
• Rinaldi G, Ferrara A. (2017) Higher Order Sliding Mode Observers and Nonlinear Algebraic Estimators for State Tracking in Power Networks, 2017 IEEE 56TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON DECISION AND CONTROL (CDC). [PDF]
• Rinaldi G, Menon PP, Edwards C, Ferrara A. (2017) Distributed observers for state estimation in power grids, Proceedings of the American Control Conference, pages 5824-5829, DOI:10.23919/ACC.2017.7963863.

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