School of Electronic Engineering
Systems and Control
This research theme is sub-divided into two primary research groups: Artificial Life/e-Accessibility and Control Systems.
Research areas
- Realize "lifelike" phenomena in artificial media (especially computers) to improve our understanding of natural living systems and to open new technological opportunities for engineering artificial "living" systems.
- Instrumentation, H infinity control system design, time series modelling, intelligent systems and control of electrical machines
- Virtual Community Projects, eAccessibility
Artificial Life
The guiding inspiration of Artificial Life (or ALife) is to realise “lifelike” phenomena in artificial media (especially computers) and thus both to improve our understanding of natural living systems and to open new technological opportunities for engineering artificial “living” systems. The primary focus of the ALife Group in DCU is the modelling and understanding of “materially open” systems – machines that can preserve their organisation and functionality in the face of turnover (including failure and replacement) of their components. This is a basic characteristic of living systems, and underlies their capabilities for self-repair, reproduction and evolution. It is also a characteristic that is absent from even the most sophisticated products we currently understand how to engineer. While the field is still in its infancy, it seems likely that technologies such as machines, which are capable of effective and on going self-repair, will dramatically affect engineering design in the future.
Research interests within Artificial Life
Dr. B. McMullin, BE, M.Eng.Sc., Ph.D., AMIET, MIEI
- Artificial life
- Evolutionary growth of complexity
e-Accessibility
The field of e-Accessibility is concerned with applying technology to enhance access to information and services
for people with a wide variety of disabilities. The DCU/RINCE e-Access lab focusses particularly access to web-based
sites and services. It has carried out large scale evaluations of website accessibility both nationally and at
an EU level.
Research Interests within e-Accessibiity
Dr. B. McMullin, BE, M.Eng.Sc., Ph.D., AMIET, MIEI
- Web accessbility evaluation
- Guidelines
- Technologies
Control Systems
The Control Systems Group was formed in 1987 from a core set of academic staff with interests in control theory and applications. Current activities of the group include instrumentation, robust controller design, intelligent systems, and optimization by vector space methods, evolution-based methods and semi-infinite linear programming.
Research interests within Control Systems
Professor C. McCorkell, M.Sc., Ph.D., C.Eng., M.I.E.I.
- Control system design
- Intelligent process control
Ms. J. Bruton, B.Eng., A.M.I.E.E., M.I.E.E.E.
- Control system design
- Fuzzy logic control and identification
- Neural network control and identification
- Evolutionary approaches to optimisation
Mr. J. Dowling, B.E., C.Eng., M.I.E.E., M.I.E.E.E.
- Nonlinear control systems
- Electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC)
- Instrumentation
- Sensors and interface electronics
Dr. A. M. Holohan, B.E., M.Eng.Sc., M.Phil., Ph.D., M.I.E.I.
- Robust control theory
- Mathematical optimisation
- Computer-aided design
- Functional analysis
Research Laboratories
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