Research

Welcome to the research page of the Dynamics, Stability, Control and Optimization Lab (DySCO Lab), led by Prof. Roberto Guglielmi.

The research interests of the DySCO Lab range from developing efficient control and optimization methods for complex dynamical systems to the application of mathematical modelling to describe and enhance our understanding of relevant applications to engineering and life science. To this aim, we combine techniques from

  • mathematical modelling and system dynamics;
  • control, stability and optimization theory;
  • analysis and numerical methods for complex dynamical systems, described by either ordinary or partial differential equations;
  • statistical methods and data analysis;
  • machine learning.

The research of the DySCO Lab addresses problems in three broad focus areas: Environment and sustainability; Health; and Energy sector.

As a result, we address both fundamental mathematical questions on control properties of infinite dimensional systems as well as applications of mathematical modelling to optimal distribution of utilities over power grids, robotics for environmental monitoring and precision agriculture, pest management strategies, and statistical analysis of health data.

Below, we present a brief description of some current research projects.

 

Turnpike phenomena in dynamical systems
Collaborators: Lars Grüne, University of Bayreuth, Germany.
Previous students: Zhuqing Li, Master's student. Louis (Yi) Lu, URA.
Related funding: NSERC Discovery Grant, PI, 2021-2026.
 

Optimal control of Fokker-Planck equations
Collaborators: Lars Grüne, University of Bayreuth, Germany. Arthur Fleig, University of Leipzig, Germany.
Students: Yixing (Roger) Gu, Master's student.
Previous students: Panagiotis Vlachos, Master’s student. Danesh Morales Hashemi, part-time URA.
Related funding: NSERC Discovery Grant, PI, 2021-2026.
 
 
Control of swarm of robots
Collaborators: Gennaro Notomista, University of Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Industrial collaborators: Lorcan Technologies. RealLife Robotics.
Students: Hassaan Qazi, PhD student. Jonathan Gallagher, Master’s student. Roman Kaharlytskyi, Master’s student. Ziyi Wang, Master’s student.
Related funding: FedDev WISA Grant, Co-applicant, 2023-2024.
 
 
 
Impulsive control, SIT techniques, parasitoids techniques for pest management
Collaborators: Maria Soledad Aronna, FGV, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Alexandre Molter, Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPEL).
Students: Hassaan Qazi, PhD student. Yixin Zhao, URA, Fredson Aguiar (FGV).
Previous students: Vipin Kumar, postdoc. Rui Yuan, MITACS Globalink Summer Internship. Midi Wang, NSERC USRA undergraduate student.
Related funding: International Research Partnership Grant (IRPG), PI, 2022-2024. FGV Research Grant, Collaborator, 2024-2027.
 
 

Optimal control of Richards’ equations
Collaborators: Marco Berardi, Water Institute - CNR - Bari. Fabio Difonzo, University of Bari, Italy.
Related funding: Prin 2022 PNRR, Collaborator, 2023-2026. International Research Partnership Grant (IRPG), PI, 2024-2026.
 
 

Mathematical modelling of power grids
Industrial collaborators: Grand River Energy, Enova.
Students: Cameron Carruthers, part-time Master's student. Joshua Caiata, URA.
Previous students: Ambar Chakraborty, URA. Ronak Matai, MITACS Globalink Summer Internship URA. Zixuan Zhu, MITACS Globalink Summer Internship URA.

 
 
Exploring Patterns and Predictors of Belonging and Well-being with the Youth Impact Survey 
Collaborators: Dillon Browne, University of Waterloo.
Partners: UNICEF Canada, Region of Waterloo.
Students: Awais Choudhary, part-time URA.
Previous students: William Gao, part-time URA.
Related funding: SSHRC Insight Grant, Co-applicant, 2024-2027.
 

School-based NPIs to mitigate the impact of the tripledemics
Collaborators: Zahid Butt, University of Waterloo. Tiffany Fitzpatrick, University of Toronto.
Students: Evan Mitchell, postdoc. Haiyan Zhu, URA.
Previous students: William Gao, part-time URA.
Related funding: PHAC Grant, Co-applicant, 2024-2025.