PhD opportunity, tentatively spanning 4 years

Job Description

This is regarding a PhD opportunity, tentatively spanning 4 years. We are looking for a PhD scholar for the Joint PhD Supervision program (under IITKGP Platinum Jubilee Bilateral Research Initiation Scheme) with University of Leeds, in which I will be the guide from IIT Kharagpur and Dr. Saikat Dutta (https://lnkd.in/dxCrz3PF) from University of Leeds, UK. PhD Title: Adaptive Fault-Tolerant Control Frameworks for Vehicle Dynamics under Parametric and Actuator Uncertainties PhD research Abstract: The safe operation of electric vehicles relies on maintaining lateral and roll stability under highly uncertain operating conditions. Existing vehicle control systems are typically designed assuming nominal tyre characteristics and healthy actuator behaviour, limiting their effectiveness when tyre properties degrade through wear, damage, or ageing, or when steering, motor, or braking actuators experience faults such as sensor drift, bias, or loss of assistance, causing critical vehicle motion parameters to deviate from safe bounds. Furthermore, current fault-tolerant control approaches largely address these uncertainties independently, with limited consideration of their simultaneous impact on vehicle stability. This research proposes an adaptive fault-tolerant control framework for electric two-wheelers operating under various subsystem degradations. The project aims to develop an integrated modelling, fault estimation, and control architecture capable of identifying evolving system uncertainties and compensating for their effects in real time. The proposed framework will combine nonlinear vehicle dynamics modelling with observer-based state estimation and adaptive control strategies to maintain stability despite significant variations in system parameters and actuator performance. Particular emphasis will be placed on establishing robustness and closed-loop stability guarantees under multiple fault scenarios. The research will primarily focus on theoretical control-system development and high-fidelity Model-in-the-Loop simulations, supported by Processor-in-the-Loop and limited Hardware- in-the-Loop validation to assess computational feasibility and deployment readiness. The expected outcome is a scalable and computationally efficient fault-tolerant control methodology that enhances the safety, reliability, and resilience of future electric two-wheelers and provides a foundation for advanced autonomous and connected mobility systems. Students interested in this position, with background in modeling, vehicle dynamics, system identification and control systems can contact me over email (somnath.el21@gmail.com or sengupta.s@atdc.iitkgp.ac.in). Dr.Somnath Sengupta, CIDCT, IIT Kharagpur (https://lnkd.in/dA6_d8D6) Banibrata Mukherjee