Professor Nicos Karcanias
BSc, MSc, PhD, DSc, FIMA, MIEEE, FIEE, CEng, CMath
Associate Dean for Research
Professor of Control Theory and Design
Contact InformationSystems and Control Cluster
School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
City University
Northampron Square
London
EC1V 0HB
UK Room: C152
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7040 8125
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7040 8568
Email: N.Karcanias@city.ac.uk
Current Positions
- Professor of Control Theory and Design
- Associate Dean for Research
- Head of Systems and Control Cluster
- Director of Control Engineering Centre & Centre of Systems Research
- Editor of the IMA Journal of Mathematical Control and Information
Expertise and InterestsLinear Systems and Mathematical Systems Theory; Control Theory and Design; Numerical methods and Algebraic Computations; Mathematical Methods for Control Theory; Selection of Systems of Measurement and Actuation Variables (Global Instrumentation); Control of Complex Systems; Large Scale Systems and Decentralized Control; Integrated Design, and Re-Engineering; General Systems and Business Processes: Modelling, Measurement / Diagnostics and Control.
Professor Nicos Karcanias
KeywordsControl Engineering, Systems Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Design Methods, Systems Theory, Algebraic Computations, Systems Instrumentation, Measurement
Summary of Contribution: Professor Karcanias received the Diploma in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, with specialisation in Electrical (five year degree), from the National Technical University of Athens in 1972 and the M.Sc and Ph.D degrees in Control Engineering from UMIST, England in 1973 and 1976 respectively. His research involved the development of dynamical, algebraic and geometrical aspects of the fundamental concepts of poles and zeros of Linear Systems. He received his DSc from City University in 1990 for his contributions to Control Theory.
During the period 1974 to 1980 he has carried out research in the Control and Management Systems Group of the University of Cambridge as a Research Assistant and then Research Fellow working on the development of an algebraic approach to the characterisation of the basic concepts and tools of the Geometric Control Theory. In 1980 he joined the Department of Systems Science of City University as a Lecturer and then joined the Electrical Engineering Department of the same university where he was promoted to a personal chair in 1993 as Professor of Control Theory and Design. He is now Associate Dean for Research in the School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences and he is Director of the Systems and Control Centre of the School.
His research has been in the development of the algebraic, geometric and algebra-geometric methods for Control Theory, where two novel approaches based on Matrix Pencils and Exterior Algebra-Algebraic Geometry have been introduced. His research on the Control fundamentals has been accompanied by an effort to migrate Systems and Control to Complex problems, such as the development of a Control based methodology to Systems Integration and the development of methodology for Systems Based Instrumentation. This research has been supported by EPSRC and a number of EU projects. He has been the author/co-author of over two hundred scientific publications, the holder of a number of research grants including eight major EU grants and supervisor of over twenty completed PhD thesis. His research publications are in the areas of Linear Systems, Mathematical Systems Theory, Control Theory and Design, Algebraic Computations, Mathematical Methods for Control, Systems Theory of Measurement, Systems and Control to Complex Systems, Integrated Systems Design, and History of Systems and Control. The main drive of his current research is the development of systems and control for complex systems, by developing the theory required for the new systems paradigm of "structure evolving systems".
Professional Activities: Editor of IMA Journal of Mathematical Control and Information; Fellow of IEE (IET) and C. Eng; Fellow of IMA and C.Math; Senior Member of IEEE. Chairman of IMA Group on Control Theory; Member of Editorial Board of International Journal of Control; Member of Board of IEEE CDC and American Control Conferences; Associate editor of International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC); Member of EPSRC College (UK); Reviewer-Evaluator for EU grants and proposals; member of Scientific Committee of IFAC Symposia on Systems Structure and Control and other Conferences.
Employment: Control and Management Group, Engineering Department, University of Cambridge (1974-1980 Research Assistant, Research Fellow); Systems Science Department, City University (1980-1986 Lecturer); Electrical Engineering Department, City University (1986-1993 Reader); Electrical Electronic and Information Engineering Department, City University (1993-now Professor); School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, City University (2001-now, Associate Dean for Research).
Research ActivitiesThe research activities are grouped in the following thematic areas which are described in detail in the Systems and Control Cluster pages:
(A) Control Theory and Design
(B) Mathematical Systems and Control Theory
(C) Control of Complex Systems
(D) Mathematical Methods and Computations
Major Research Activities and Contribution (pdf)
Recent Major Research Grants
- FRAMEWORK 5, GROWTH Programme, SIM-SERV Project: "Virtual Institute for Production Simulation Services", GTC1-2000-33010 project, (01-04, 519).
- FRAMEWORK 5, GROWTH Programme, ADMAN Project: "Manufacturing Excellence in the Process Industries", GTC1-2001-43007 project, (02-04).
- FP6 Collective Research TESS Project: "Speciality Chemicals Manufacturing SMEs: Toolbox to support Environmental and Sustainable Systems" (2006-2009).