The Electrical Power and Control Systems group is an internationally recognised, multidisciplinary team dedicated to pioneering research in several cutting-edge fields. Our work spans across renewable energy, power electronics, electric vehicles, energy management, advanced control systems, and artificial intelligence for engineering applications. We aim to contribute significantly to the energy revolution and advancements in Industry 4.0 and 5.0 through the development of power-efficient and energy-saving methods and technologies.

Research Themes and Areas

Our group brings together the expertise of its members to contribute to the following core research themes:

Renewable Energy and Power Electronics

Power Conversion & Transmission
Energy Systems Monitoring and Control and Management

Power Systems and Smart Grid

Power Systems Management & Optimisation
Smart Grid and Industrial Solutions

Control Theory and Applications

Control Systems & Electric Drive Technologies
Advanced Techniques in Control Theory

We also have expertise in electronic system design and verification using hardware description languages, integrated circuit design (VLSI), analogue and digital electronics, microprocessors and embedded systems, microcontrollers, and digital electronics.

Key Research Projects

Our research is supported by various prestigious funding bodies, with recent projects including:

Satellite-Aided Technologies for Advancing Resilience (SAT-Guard) Funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) | 2024–2026
Hydrogen Integration for Accelerated Energy Transitions Hub Funded by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) | 2023–2028
Real-Time Diagnosis and Health Management for Wave Energy Conversion Systems Funded by The Royal Academy of Engineering | 2024–2025
Fostering Clean Energy Transition in Jordan Using Energy Storage and Demand Side Management Funded by The Royal Academy of Engineering | 2024–2025
Low-Carbon Framework for a Resilient Water Network Funded by Northumbrian Water | 2021–2025
Marie Curie Rise TESTBED2 Funded by the European Commission | 2020–2024
Northumbria University-Integrated System Technologies Funded by Innovate UK | 2021–2024
Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project with industry partner Tridonic funded by Innovate UK | 2025-2026

Group leadership and contacts

Contact: Dr Haimeng Wu and Dr Xuewu (Daniel) Dai

This research group forms part of the Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering.

Academic team

PDRA

Goyal Awagan (10/2023-05/2025)

PhD Students

Div Duggal (Oct 2021 start)
Manthila Wijesooriya Mudiyanselage (June 2022 start)
Feixuan Yang (Oct 2023 start)
Vihanga Peiris (Oct 2023 start)
Bohua Deng (Oct 2024 start)

Research relationships

This group is a part of the University’s multi-disciplinary research into the theme of Energy Futures.

Research from this group has been submitted to REF2028 under UoA 12: Engineering.

To view research papers emanating from this group, please click here to view Northumbria Research Link, our open access repository of research output from Northumbria University.

PhD opportunities

Electrical Power and Control Systems Research Group welcome applications from excellent and motivated students and researchers. There are the following research opportunities:

Fully-funded PhD studentship for UK home student ONLY. Project Name: Optimization and Control of Hybrid Microgrids with Renewable Energy Integration. Deadline: Friday, January 24, 2025. Please find the application details here.
Fully-funded PhD studentship for both Home and International students (inc. EU). Project Name: Digital Twin for Cyber-physical Resilient and Equitable Electricity Distribution. Deadline: 3 February 2025. Please find the application details here.
Fully-funded PhD studentships: pre-defined projects, advertised usually in December every year. You can feel free to apply following the information in the advertisement.
Collaborative doctoral research studentship (CDRS) programme: co-funds, typically 50% of the total project cost, with external partners/organisations.
Self-sponsored PhD students: researching your own idea with an academic supervisor. You are welcome to discuss your projects before submitting your application.
China scholarship council (CSC) PhD students and visiting scholars: You are welcome to contact the head of the research group for discussion.

Successful applicants will benefit from joining a vibrant and diverse environment, working with world leading experts at the forefront of electrical and electronic engineering. A wide range of projects are available covering important topics in renewable energy (offshore wind/wave, and PV), power electronics, power systems, smart grids, electric machines, electric vehicles, control engineering, intelligent manufacturing, smart transportation/cities, complex systems and dynamics, robotic systems, and health care systems.

Group Latest News

Our academic staff Haimeng Wu has been awarded a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project with our industry partner Tridonic by Innovate UK.
The group members participated in the 4th International Conference on Electrical, Electronics, and Information Engineering (ISEEIE 2024) held at the University of Leicester from August 28-30, 2024.
One of our undergraduate student, Liangpeng Yu, received the Best Poster Award for his final year project work titled "Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) Techniques using Cubic Spline Interpolation – Perturb and Observe (P&O) for Partial Shading Conditions." in the ISEEIE 2024 Conference.

Best Poster Award from ISEEIE 2024 Conference