Systems Engineering Research Group
Overview
Winners of the IET Excellence in Creating a Smarter World International Innovation Award and the IET International Award for Outstanding Innovation in Digital Health and Social Care.
Our systems engineering research uses systemic thinking and intelligent systems engineering to assist organisations (mainly industry and business partners) to become more globally competitive.
The application of our research and expertise has provided improvements and solutions to industrial and business problems in design, manufacture, engineering, management, computing, electronics and software.
Our members research activities include:
- Modular electro-mechanical systems and electronics
- Assistive technology
- Computer aided design systems
- Knowledge management systems and computing systems
- Automation, robotics and sensors
- Environmental systems
The Systems Engineering Research Group was established 30 years ago to enable businesses to take advantage of expertise in the University. Collaborations with businesses generally last from one to three years, although several have lasted considerably longer, some for more than twenty years.
Funding for collaboration with business is mainly provided by Innovate UK, research councils and charities.
Current projects
Intelligent decision making
Professor David Sanders, Dr Giles Tewkesbury
Making decisions about saving energy in compressed air systems using ambient intelligence and AI
COFUND, DTA3 Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD Fellowship
Professor Victor Becerra, Professor David Sanders, Dr Giles Tewkesbury, Dr Nils Bausch
Proposed system to combine ambient sensing, artificial intelligence and knowledge management to optimise energy efficiency for compressed air manufacturing units.
Intelligent sensors
Knowledge Transfer Partnership with TGA Industries and Gem Sensors and Controls
Professor David Sanders, Dr Giles Tewkesbury, Dr Rinat Khusainov
Using artificial intelligence to share control of a powered-wheelchair between a wheelchair user and an intelligent sensor system
Professor David Sanders, Dr Alexander Gegov, Dr Malik Haddad, Dr Martin Langner
Building energy management systems
Knowledge Transfer Partnership with InTandem Systems Ltd
Professor David Sanders, Dr Giles Tewkesbury, Dr Jovana Radulovic, Dr Mohamed Hassan Sayed
Vehicle driving
Professor David Sanders, Dr Giles Tewkesbury, Dr John Chiverton, Dr Branislav Vuksanovic
Funding and awards
Our research has achieved national and international recognition, for example, we were recently shortlisted for international innovation awards and Young Engineer of the Year awards.
The group have published more than 400 papers and generated income of than £5,000,000, including nine SERC/EPSRC grants, fourteen KTP/TCS programmes and seven European grants.
New systems
- IET Excellence in Creating a Smarter World International Innovation Award
- IET International Innovation Award for Outstanding Innovation in Digital Health and Social Care
- Biometric and signature capture devices (two patents still in use in the UK and USA, for example in Nationwide Building Society)
- Powered wheelchair systems and devices (used by 2,000 people since 2008 in six special educational needs schools and institutions including RNIB and NHS and many private homes, they are reducing the need for carers and changing professional services)
- Modular design for manufacture and assembly (currently in use by BlueMT)
- Music teaching systems (currently in use in six schools and colleges)
- Systems for teaching over the Web (currently in use in eleven schools and colleges)
- Tele-operation systems (was used for controlling robots, especially in the energy supply industries)
- Energy saving systems (currently used in many buildings, most recently in Chichester Festival Theatre)
- Large scale high-recirculation airlift reactors (used by EffTech ltd, Zeneca Bio-products and Anglian Water)
- Intelligent monitoring and disaster prevention systems (these have only just been created and are being assessed in the petroleum industry)
- Intelligent sensors (these have only just been created and are being assessed by TGA Industries Ltd)
Examples of research work taken up by other Universities
- Design systems (especially mechanical and civil engineering and design for assembly): Waterloo (Canada), Chalmers (Sweden), Edith Cowan (Australia), Girona and Politecn Catalunya (Spain)
- Virtual reality in engineering (especially powered wheelchair and tele-operator training): Laval (Canada), Chester (UK), and Pittsburgh (USA)
- Modelling fluid flows: MIT (USA), Ben Gurion (Israel) and National Chung Cheng (Taiwan)
- Internet use in engineering (especially browser-based systems): N Florida (USA), Georgia (Greece), Hong Kong Poly (China), and Madrid & Autonoma (Spain)
Prizes
- Twice awarded Highly Merited by the IET
- Twice awarded 2nd place at the IET International Innovation Awards
- Awarded the UK Engineering Tutor Prize for Best Engineering Project by the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineering
- Outstanding Paper Award at the 2012 Emerald Journals Literati Network Awards
- Several Best Paper and Best Session Paper awards in journals and at conferences
- Education award from the Department for Education
- The group have supervised 20 Masters and 70 PhDs to completion
Research group leader
Professor David Sanders
- Job Title Professor of Systems Engineering
- Email Address David.Sanders@port.ac.uk
- Department School of Mechanical and Design Engineering
- Faculty Faculty of Technology
- PhD Supervisor PhD Supervisor
Research group members
Professor Victor Becerra
- Job Title Professor of Power Systems Engineering
- Email Address victor.becerra@port.ac.uk
- Department School of Energy and Electronic Engineering
- Faculty Faculty of Technology
- PhD Supervisor PhD Supervisor
Dr Nils Bausch
- Job Title Senior Lecturer
- Email Address nils.bausch@port.ac.uk
- Department School of Energy and Electronic Engineering
- Faculty Faculty of Technology
- PhD Supervisor PhD Supervisor
Dr Alexander Gegov
- Job Title Reader
- Email Address Alexander.Gegov@port.ac.uk
- Department School of Computing
- Faculty Faculty of Technology
- PhD Supervisor PhD Supervisor
Dr Giles Tewkesbury
- Job Title Principal Lecturer and Associate Head (Student Experience)
- Email Address Giles.Tewkesbury@port.ac.uk
- Department School of Mechanical and Design Engineering
- Faculty Faculty of Technology
- PhD Supervisor PhD Supervisor
Dr Shikun Zhou
- Job Title Senior Lecturer
- Email Address Shikun.Zhou@port.ac.uk
- Department School of Computing
- Faculty Faculty of Technology
- PhD Supervisor PhD Supervisor
Research fellows
Mr Mohamad Thabet
- Job Title Research Assistant
- Email Address Mohamad.Thabet@port.ac.uk
- Department School of Energy and Electronic Engineering
- Faculty Faculty of Technology
Affiliate members
Dr John Chiverton
- Job Title Lecturer
- Email Address john.chiverton@port.ac.uk
- Department School of Energy and Electronic Engineering
- Faculty Faculty of Technology
- PhD Supervisor PhD Supervisor
Dr Ya Huang
- Job Title Senior Lecturer
- Email Address Ya.Huang@port.ac.uk
- Department School of Mechanical and Design Engineering
- Faculty Faculty of Technology
- PhD Supervisor PhD Supervisor
Dr Sergey Andreyevich Khaustov
- Job Title Teaching Fellow
- Email Address sergey.khaustov@port.ac.uk
- Department School of Mechanical and Design Engineering
- Faculty Faculty of Technology
Dr Rinat Khusainov
- Job Title Senior Lecturer and Associate Head of School (Research and Innovation)
- Email Address Rinat.Khusainov@port.ac.uk
- Department School of Computing
- Faculty Faculty of Technology
- PhD Supervisor PhD Supervisor
Media ready expert
Dr Sarinova Simandjuntak
- Job Title Senior Lecturer
- Email Address sarinova.simandjuntak@port.ac.uk
- Department School of Mechanical and Design Engineering
- Faculty Faculty of Technology
- PhD Supervisor PhD Supervisor
Dr Suzannah Helps
- Job Title Senior Lecturer
- Email Address Suzannah.Helps@port.ac.uk
- Department School of Health and Care Professions
- Faculty Faculty of Science and Health
- PhD Supervisor PhD Supervisor
Dr Simon Edwards
- Job Title Senior Lecturer in Youth Studies
- Email Address simon.edwards@port.ac.uk
- Department School of Education and Sociology
- Faculty Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
- PhD Supervisor PhD Supervisor
Research students
- Favour Ikwan
- Peter Omoarebun
- Oluwafemi Fasunlade
- Tom Barker
- Jake Pinar
- Yuting Hu
Industrial researchers
- Dr Andy Paining
- Dr Ian Rogers
- Dr Ian Stott