Professor Visakan Kadirkamanathan

School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Director of Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre in Control and Systems Engineering

Rolls Royce UTC Director

Professor Visakan Kadirkamanathan
Profile picture of Professor Visakan Kadirkamanathan
visakan@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 5680
Amy Johnson Building

Full contact details

Professor Visakan Kadirkamanathan
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Amy Johnson Building
Portobello Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
Profile

I was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka and had my early education in Sri Lanka. Having spent my entire school career at St. Johns College, Jaffna, I attended the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka briefly before moving to the UK. As a Christ’s College Scholar, I graduated with a Class I Degree in Electrical and Information Sciences from the Engineering Department at Cambridge University in June 1987, followed by a Ph.D. in Information Engineering from the same institution. For the latter, I was awarded the Lord Mountbatten Memorial Scholarship from Christ´s College, Cambridge.

I joined the Department of Automatic Control & Systems Engineering at Sheffield as Lecturer in January 1993 following brief post-doctoral research positions at Cambridge and Surrey Universities. I progressed through to Senior Lecturer, then Reader and in 2007 to the position of Professor of Signal and Information Processing. I also assumed the role of Director of the Rolls-Royce supported University Technology Centre in Control, Monitoring and Systems Engineering in July 2012. From April 2009 to August 2014, I was Head of Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering during which time this unique Department doubled its size and raised its profile further, before becoming a part of the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 2024.

My research expertise is broad and spans System Identification, Signal and Information Processing, Fault Detection and Diagnosis, Modelling and Control and their application to Aerospace, Manufacturing, Healthcare and Life Science Applications. One of my research papers was awarded the 2012 Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) Cozzarelli Prize. I am a past Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Systems Science, the Conference Chair of the UKACC International Conference on Control and the IAPR Conference on Pattern Recognition in Bioinformatics and a Full Member of the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 Engineering Sub Panel.

Qualifications
  • BA (Electrical and Information Sciences), University of Cambridge, 1987.
  • PhD, University of Cambridge, 1992.
Research interests

My research interests belong to the broad category of signal and information processing. My research activities are partly in the Intelligent Systems, Decision and Control related research carried out within the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre and partly in the Centre for Signal Processing and Complex Systems. They include both theoretical and applications research, and also external collaborations with other Sheffield Departments and Industries.

The main research themes are:

  • Modelling and Identification of natural and engineered complex systems
  • Spatiotemporal system identification with applications in life, physical and social sciences
  • Fault detection, diagnosis and prognosis with application to aircraft engines
  • Intelligent systems decision support and applications in aerospace and biomedicine
  • Autonomous and self-organised swarms and agent systems
Publications

Journal articles

Conference proceedings

Reports

Preprints

Research group

Control Theory

Grants
  • EPSRC: TACDAM, Investigators - G Panoutsos (PI), V Kadirkamanathan, £121,611 (VK £33,242)
  • EPSRC: Future Advanced Metrology Hub, Investigators - V Kadirkamanathan (PI), M Mahfouf (CI), B L Jones, £1.1M (£930,453 Sheffield, VK £404,284)
  • EPSRC: Preliminary Investigation for advanced control for distributed hybrid propulsion systems, Investigators - V Kadirkamanathan (PI), B L Jones, A R Mills, A Hills, P Trodden, 2016-2017, £20,000 (VK £4,000)
  • Innovate UK: EE2EHM v2, Investigators - A R Mills (PI), V Kadirkamanathan, P Trodden, I Esnaola, 2017-2020, £1.2M (£983,918 Sheffield, VK £98,392)
  • EPSRC: Future Powder Manufacturing Hub, Investigators - V Kadirkamanathan (CI), G Panoutsos (CI), 2016-2023, £5.1M (£1,027,858 Sheffield, VK £513,929)
  • Rolls-Royce: UTC Submarines, Investigators - V Kadirkamanathan (PI), A R Mills, I Esnaola, S A Pope, P Trodden, T J Dodd, 2016, £23,978 (VK £9,591)
  • Rolls-Royce: RR Data Analytics, Investigators - A R Mills (PI), V Kadirkamanathan, 2016, £138,299 (VK £55,320)
  • Rolls-Royce: Civil WSN TRL6, Investigators - A R Mills (PI), V Kadirkamanathan, B L Jones, 2016, £108,475 (VK £10,848)
  • Rolls-Royce: UTC 2016, Investigators - V Kadirkamanathan (PI), P Trodden, S A Pope, T J Dodd, A R Mills, 2016, £402,600 (VK £161,040)
  • NERC: Banwart CZO Scheme, V Kadirkamanathan (not PI), £22,260 (VK £2,226)
  • Rolls-Royce: EHM for highly specialised assets, Investigators - A R Mills (PI), V Kadirkamanathan, A Hills, 2015-2017, £104,400 (VK £41,760)
  • Rolls-Royce: UTC Control and Systems Engineering 2015, Investigators - V Kadirkamanathan (PI), A R Mills, T J Dodd, B L Jones, I Esnaola, P Trodden, £314,056 (VK £159,712)
  • Arthritis Research UK: Development of a personalised health forecasting tool for patients undergoing hip or knee replacement, V Kadirkamanathan(not PI), £127,426 (VK £25,485)
  • Rolls-Royce: UTC Control and Systems Engineering 2014, Investigators - V Kadirkamanathan (PI), A R Mills, T J Dodd, B L Jones, £289,870 (VK £112,548)
  • EPSRC: Optimization for robust full-vehicle design, Investigators - P J Fleming (PI), R Purshouse, V Kadirkamanathan, C Rao, £895,432 (VK £44,771)
  • TSB: PreDICT, Investigators - A R Mills (PI), V Kadirkamanathan, J Liu, R F Harrison, £214,641 (VK £21,464)
  • Rolls-Royce: Wireless EHM for Civil Aero, Investigators - A R Mills (PI), V Kadirkamanathan, B L Jones, D Holtby, £96,520 (VK 9,652)
  • EPSRC Frontier Engineering: Modelling complex and partially identified engineering problems-Application to the individualised multi-scale simulation of the musculoskeletal system. Investigators - M J Hounslow, D Lacroix, M Viceconti, S A Billings, V Kadirkamanathan, A Pavic, E McCloskey and T Skerry, 2013-2018, £4.75M.
  • BBSRC: Novel zebrafish approaches to investigate leaderless protein secretion in vivo. Investigators – H.Wilson, S.Renshaw and V.Kadirkamanathan (CI), 2013-2016, £373,297 (VK 55,995)
  • TSB: SILOET II – Holistic optimising systems. Investigators – V.Kadirkamanathan, G.Jewell and G.Priestman, 2013-2015, £359,000.
  • Rolls-Royce: UTC in Control and Systems Engineering, Investigators – V.Kadirkamanathan, T.J.Dodd and A.R.Mills, 2013, £304,000.
  • Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate Award (DHPA): Systems health monitoring using transient signals. Investigators – V.Kadirkamanathan and P.J.Fleming, 2012-2015, £90,000.
  • Vestas Research Grant: Control and monitoring of wind turbines. Investigators – V.Kadirkamanathan, B.L.Jones, J.A.Rossiter, Z.Q.Lang and S.A.Pope, 2011-2013, £120,000.
  • UK-India Partnership - UKIERI: Integrated sensing monitoring and healing for complex autonomous systems. Investigators – V.Kadirkamanathan, S.A.Pope and P.J.Fleming, 2012-2014, £20,400.
  • NERC: A century of variability in Greenland melting and iceberg calving. Investigators – G.Bigg, E.Hanna, V.Kadirkamanathan and S.A.Billings, 2011-14, £311,959.
  • Unilver Research Grant: Nonlinear signal processing for time series classification. Investigators – R.Gross and V.Kadirkamanathan, 2011-2012, £62,414.
  • BAE Systems Research Grant: Decision support tool in FLAME GPU. Investigators – J.Derrick, V.Kadirkamanathan and P.Richmond, 2011, £51,895.
  • EPSRC Platform Grant: System identification and information processing for complex systems with Investigators S.A.Billings, V.Kadirkamanathan, M.A.Billings, D.Coca, Z.Q.Lang and H.L.Wei, 2010-15, £1,205,632.
  • EU FP7: Search for Electro-Magnetic Earthquake Precursors combining satellite and ground-based facilities (SEMEP). Investigators – M.A.Balikhin and V.Kadirkamanathan, 2010-2012, €452,514.
  • Royal Society International Collaboration Grant: Investigation of the control mechanism on co-culture bioethanol producing system with Investigators V.Kadirkamanathan, and H.L.Wei, 2010-12, £11,950.
  • EPSRC/GSK Joint Grant: Array design for lead optimization in pharmaceutical research. Investigators – V.Gillet, P.Willett and V.Kadirkamanathan, 2006-10, £235,682.
  • EPSRC Platform Grant: System identification and signal processing for complex systems. Investigators – S.A.Billings, V.Kadirkamanathan, M.A.Billings, D.Coca and Z.Q.Lang, 2005-10, £422,571.
Teaching activities

Current Teaching: 

  • ACS318 System Identification 

Previous Teaching: 

  • Signal Processing and Estimation (2011-2019)
  • Multisensor and Decision Systems (2015-2020)
  • Systems Reliability and Fault diagnosis (2006-2013)
  • State space, nonlinear and optimal control (1994-2010)
  • Neural networks and intelligent systems (1994- 2000)
  • Nonlinear systems (new module creation) (1996-1999)
  • Robust control and advanced control including frequency response methods (1995,1999)
  • Classical control design and discrete control systems design (1993-1994)
  • Group Design Project on autonomous vehicle platoons (1994-1996)
Professional activities and memberships
  • Chair, UK Automatic Control Council (2021-present)
  • EPSRC Peer Review College Member, Grant and Interview Panels Chair and Member
  • Member, Engineering Sub Panel Research Excellence Framework REF2021 (2018-2022)
  • Editor-in-Chief, Co-Editor-in-Chief, Co-Editor, International Journal of Systems Science (2005-2020)
  • General Chair, 13th International Conference on Control, Sheffield, 2018
  • Finance Chair, 5th International Conference on Information Fusion (FUSION 2018), Cambridge, UK, July 2018.
  • Conference Chair, 4th IAPR International Conference on Pattern Recognition in Bioinformatics, Sheffield, September 2009.
  • Invited Opening Keynote: International Conference on Automation and Control (ICAC2017), Huddersfield, September 2017.
  • Invited Opening Keynote: Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation (MED2017), Malta, July 2017.
  • Invited Keynote: Science and Technology for Society Forum (STS2016), Colombo, Srilanka, September 2016.
  • Invited Keynote: IFAC International Conference on Advances in Control and Optimisation of Dynamical Systems (ACODS), Trichy, India, February 2016.
  • Invited Keynote: IEEE International Conference on Systems and Control Theory (ISCTCC), Cheile Gradistei, Romania, October 2015.
  • Invited Keynote: IAPR International Conference on Pattern Recognition in Bioinformatics (PRIB), Stockholm, Sweden, August 2014.
  • Invited Plenary: IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Control and Information Processing (ICICIP), Harbin, China, July 2011.
  • Visiting Professor: Instituto de Technologia Aeronautica, Brazil (2016-2018)
  • Visiting Professor: Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (2015/16)
  • External Course Examination: MSc in Signals, Systems and Control, University of Malta, 2018-now.
  • External Course Examination: MSc in Thermal Power, University of Cranfield, 2015-2019.
  • External Course Examination: BEng/MEng in Mechatronics, University of Nottingham (Malaysia and Ningbo Campus), 2014-2018.

Links

Control and Systems Engineering