People Behind the Research

He received the B.Sc. degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Peshawar in 2003, the M.Sc. and M.Phil. degrees in mathematics from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, in 2006 and 2008, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in nonlinear control systems from M. A. Jinnah University, Islamabad, in 2012.

His research interests include robust nonlinear control design, observers design, fault detection in electro-mechanical systems, and multi-agent system’s control. He is listed in the Young Productive Scientists of Pakistan in the year 2017 and 2018.

He received his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering (control systems) from COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad, Pakistan, in 2016. From 2015 to 2016, he was a Visiting Scholar at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA. From 2020 to 2021, he was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.

He is currently a tenured Associate Professor with the Department of Electrical Engineering, CUI. So far, he has secured competitive research funding worth around 20 million PKR. He has authored/co-authored several research papers in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences.

His research interests include the application of nonlinear control in the areas of energy conversion, energy storage, and clean energy technologies. His current research interest includes the modeling and control of active cell balancing of lithium-ion batteries to extend the range of electric vehicles.

He was elected to the grade of Senior Member, IEEE, in recognition of his research contributions in the field of control systems, in June 2022. He served as a Guest Editor for the Special Issue on Sliding Mode Control in Dynamic Systems of Electronics (MDPI).

Obaid Ur Rehman received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Riphah International University, Pakistan, in 2010, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Pakistan, in 2013 and 2022, respectively.

Since 2013, he has been with the Department of Electrical Engineering, CUI, where he is currently an Assistant Professor. His research interests include deterministic, stochastic, model-predictive-control-based, and data-driven optimization of transmission and distribution systems; economic dispatch; optimal power flow; and uncertainty management in renewable-rich power systems.

His current research focuses on AI-enabled power-flow and optimal-power-flow methods, predictive operation of active distribution networks, building-to-grid and vehicle-to-grid flexibility, and cyber-physical digital twins for real-time monitoring, control, distributed energy resource coordination, and fault detection.

He has published in leading IEEE and Elsevier journals on renewable-energy integration, frequency support in photovoltaic-dominated grids, building-to-grid operation, and intelligent energy-management and control systems.

He received the master’s degree in control systems from the Imperial College London, London, U.K., in 1994, and the Ph.D. degree in control engineering from Leicester University, Leicester, U.K., in 1998.

He is currently the Founding Head of the Controls and Signal Processing Research Group (CASPR), Department of Electrical Engineering, COMSATS University, Islamabad, Pakistan. He is also a Professor with the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

He has over 23 years of industrial and academic experience in linear and nonlinear robust controller design and implementation. He has supervised more than 45 Ph.D. theses and more than 70 M.Sc. theses. He is the author or a co-author of more than 140 international journal and conference publications.

His research is mainly focused on the application of higher order sliding mode on the parameter estimation of industrial systems like automotive and reactors. Dr. Iqbal Bhatti is the Founding Head of the Joint Chapter (Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad) of the IEEE CSS and Automatic Control Research Society (ACRS).

He received the Ph.D. degree in Control Systems from Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, Islamabad, Pakistan, in 2011. With over a decade of experience, he directs the Mobility Systems Lab (MSL) in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The Ohio State University (OSU).

He is a core faculty affiliate of the Center for Automotive Research and holds courtesy appointments with the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Integrated Systems Engineering at OSU, Columbus, OH, USA.

His research focuses on learning-based controls, machine learning, energy-efficient and resilient energy systems, sustainable mobility, smart powertrains, safety and security, and connected and autonomous vehicles.

He has secured $9.1M in research funding from the U.S. DOE, U.S. DOT, automotive OEMs, and industry partners, with ongoing projects including USDOE SuperTruck II & III, USDOT UTC CARMEN+, and USDOE CoVaR.

He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and received numerous awards, including OSU’s Lumley Research Award (2018), SAE Buckendale Award (2019), SAE Forest R. McFarland Award (2022), Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award (SAE, 2023), recognition as a Highly Accomplished Early-Career Engineer by FOE, NAE (2023), and the U.S. DOE Vehicle Technologies Office Team Award: SuperTruck II (2024).

He is also the lead advisor of the Buckeye AutoDrive Team participating in the SAE/GM AutoDrive Challenge, and is affiliated with OSU’s Sustainability Institute and Institute for Cybersecurity and Digital Trust.

Ahmed Yar received his PhD in Control Systems in 2017 and specializes in control oriented system modeling, embedded systems design & development, and automotive power-train control.

His research interests focus on real-time control and embedded implementation for vehicular systems, energy, and power electronics applications.

He is actively engaged in independent research, development of rapid prototyping platforms, and the development of embedded solutions for advanced engineering systems.

He is currently contributing to a Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF)-funded project on the design and development of intelligent Battery Management Systems (BMS) for electric vehicle (EV) applications, emphasizing system performance enhancement, operational safety, and efficient energy utilization.

He received the B.Eng. degree in electrical engineering from the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute, in 2015, and the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan, in 2023.

He is currently doing PhD degree in mechanical engineering from the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute on fully funded PhD scholarship.

His research interests include mathematical modeling and simulation of battery management systems, development of balancing architectures, and applications of learning-based predictive control.

He received his B.Sc. degree in Double Mathematics and Physics from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, in 2014.

He completed his MSc degrees in Electronics from Quaid-i-Azam University in 2017 and in Mathematics from Virtual University, Lahore, in 2023. He obtained his MS degree in Electrical Engineering from COMSATS University Islamabad in 2020.

His current research interests include speed and flux control of induction machines and optimal control strategies for electric vehicles aimed at range extension.

Muhammad Azmat Ullah received the B.S. degree in Electronic Engineering from the International Islamic University Islamabad, Pakistan, in 2012, and the M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Government College University Lahore, Pakistan, in 2015.

He recently completed his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering (Control Systems) from COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan.

His research interests include nonlinear control systems, model predictive control, and battery management systems.

His doctoral research focused on MPC-based active cell balancing for lithium-ion battery networks, with an emphasis on advanced control strategies for improving battery performance, reliability, and energy utilization.

She is currently pursuing her PhD in Control Systems at COMSATS University, having enrolled in 2024. She also completed her MS in Control Systems at the same institution.

Her academic and research journey has been centered on advanced control methodologies, dynamic system modeling, and emerging applications in control engineering.

Her professional career began at Abasyn University Islamabad Campus (AUIC), where she served as a Lab Engineer from 2019 to 2021.

Following the completion of her MS degree, she was promoted to Lecturer in the Department of Electrical Engineering at AUIC.

She has published one research paper in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, demonstrating her commitment to interdisciplinary and impactful research.

Currently, her doctoral research focuses on active cell balancing techniques for electric vehicle (EV) battery systems, with an emphasis on efficient energy management and control strategies to enhance battery performance and lifespan.