School of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering

Roger Goodall spent 14 years in industrial research before he took up an academic position in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Loughborough University, where he is currently Professor of Control Systems Engineering. His research is concerned with a variety of practical applications of advanced control, usually for high performance electro-mechanical systems. Specific projects are concerned with active railway vehicle suspensions, advanced sensor systems for aircraft flight control systems, and advanced concepts for control technology in general. His projects are characterised by strong industrial collaboration, having worked with companies such as Alstom, BAE Systems, Bombardier Transportation, and this is supported by excellent links with universities and research organizations worldwide. He is also involved in Rail Research UK, a consortium of seven universities funded by the UK Research Council (EPSRC) to provide a focus for university railway-related research in the UK.

He is particularly well known internationally for his research in active suspension technology for rail vehicles. Current international roles relevant to this speciality are as a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Association for Vehicle System Dynamics (IAVSD) and Vice-President of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC). He is currently chairman of the IMechE Railway Division 2009-2010, and in the recent past has served as Chairman of the Technical Committee on Mechatronic Systems for IFAC and Chairman of the UK Automatic Control Council (UKACC).

He has been a Fellow of both the Institution of Electrical Engineers and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in the UK for a number of years, and has received a number of awards from both these institutions for his published work. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2007.

NAME: Roger Morgan GOODALL                            DATE OF BIRTH: 7 May 1946

CURENT POSITION:  Professor of Control Systems Engineering,

School of Electronic, Electrical & Systems Engineering,

Loughborough University UK

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION:

Peterhouse, Cambridge

Mech Sciences Tripos Pt I (2:1)                    1967

Electrical Sciences Tripos Pt II (2:1)              1968

ACADEMIC, PROFESSIONAL & TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS:

1968:    BA (Upper Second-Class Honours), University of Cambridge (MA awarded in 1971)

1978:    CEng, MIEE

1990:    PhD, Loughborough University of Technology

1992:    FIEE

1995:    FIMechE

2007:    Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering 

CAREER SINCE GRADUATION:

1968-1970:

Junior Engineer, Control Engineering Dept, GEC-AEI Electronics Ltd., Leicester.

1970-1982:

Various posts, Research & Development Division, British Rail, Derby. Finally: Team Leader, Suspension Unit

1982-1994:

Lecturer/Senior Lecturer; Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, Loughborough University.

1990-1994:

Head of Department; Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, Loughborough University.

1994- present:

Professor of Control Systems Engineering; Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, Loughborough University

MAIN RESEARCH EXPERTISE

Modelling and simulation of electro-mechanical control systems

Applications of advanced control for high-performance electro-mechanical systems

Model-based estimation and control

Algorithms and architectures for real-time control

Mechatronics

 

MAJOR RESEARCH ACTIVITIES:

Active control of railway dynamic systems

• active suspension
• tilting controllers
• active steering/guidance
• integrated wheelset control

Advanced Maglev control strategies

Control System Processors

Controllability of super-conducting magnets for electromagnetic actuation (and for Maglev)

Fault-tolerant sensor systems for aircraft flight control               

State estimation for aircraft

Condition monitoring systems for railway vehicles

Actuators for high-integrity applications                                        

 

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

1976       Suspension controller design for 3 tonne experimental Maglev vehicle, redeveloped in 1981 for world's first operational Maglev system at Birmingham Airport in the UK

1979       First experimental demonstration of a full-scale active suspension for a railway vehicle

1981                       First demonstration of tilting railway vehicle using electro-mechanical actuators (now the standard technology for European tilting trains)

1996       40kg magnetic levitation demonstrator using controlled electro-magnets with high-temperature superconducting coils

1999       Ultra-fast Control System Processor (CSP) using Programmable ASIC device

2001       Completion of seminal European study of Mechatronic technologies for trains of the future

2002       First experimental demonstration of actively-stabilised high-speed railway bogie

At Loughborough:-

Digital Control (years 3 and 4)

Advanced Topics in Control (years 3 and 4)


External:-

Sensors and Actuators module for Rolls-Royce MSc in Gas Turbine Control, University of York

External Examiner at University of Strathclyfe (2005-9)