The City University (CUL, UK)

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The City University was founded in London in 1894, being now amongst the top one third universities of UK in research and development. The team participating in GLOW comprises top quality academic staff (including 4 Professors, 1 lecturer, 3 post-doctoral researchers, and several visiting fellows) from the School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (http://www.city.ac.uk/engineering-maths) having strong expertise in modelling/engineering of complex, control and information systems for a wide range of applications in the areas of networks, mechanical systems, business processes and supply chains. The CUL group has developed an extended suite of advanced numerical methods and mathematical models for the understanding and design of instruments and devices. This know-how will greatly promote GLOW objectives, since CUL researchers will substantially assist the engineers of the participating SMEs with the real-life control problems of existing and new industrial processes and mainly offer them valuable training in modeling to comprehend deeper process control and optimization aspects.

The Systems and Control Centre of the School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences was created in 2001 by drawing together staff from Control, Systems, Statistics, and Management. This Centre is an evolution of earlier activities in Systems Science at City (in the 1960s) and the current unit builds upon a well-established research base in the Control and Systems field, dating from the late 1970s. The Control activities were expanded in the Systems area with new activities in Statistical Modelling, Reliability, Risk, Systems Engineering and Power Systems and more recently by activities in Machine Vision, Intelligent Systems and Communication Networks. The S&C activities address the challenge of complexity in engineering and general processes and aim to extend the control and systems approaches to challenging problems in the Design, Operations, Risk and Management of Industrial Processes, as well as new fields of applications such as Energy, Environment, Security and Medical Applications. Applications are supported by basic research in Mathematical Systems and Control Theory, Applied Probability and Computations.

The Design for Management of Complexity is viewed as the great challenge to technological progress. The complexity of emerging applications from diverse fields necessitates holistic and innovative solutions founded on the multi-disciplinary systems approach. This has to be based by development of the fundamentals in Systems, Control, Measurement, Information, Modelling, Mathematical Methods and Computations, supported by enabling technologies and motivated by the challenges of emerging applications.

The CITY group has a long-standing and strong expertise in measurements and instrumentation focusing on experimental and theoretical research. CITY attracts support to promote engagement with industry in both basic and applied research and in advanced systems design, aiming for excellence in meeting current sensing challenges from industry through novel development and applications in instrumentation in direct relation with the objectives of GLOW.

Role in Glow: 
  • Process design and automation of steel belt systems as a basis for the efficient granulation of the newly developed resins.
  • Modelling and process design of the powder coatings extrusion process.
  • Introduction of SMEs to new sophisticated business practices and operational management (planning, control and optimization of production process).
  • Participation in two-way secondments (hosting of and second researchers to) with the SMEs MEGARA, SBS and IBT.
  • Training of the SMEs’ personnel on process engineering, multivariable systems design, optimisation, modelling and control applications.
Contact person: 

Prof. Nicos Karcanias (N.Karcanias@city.ac.uk)