• Control Engineering Workshops 2026

    Hands-on Control Engineering Workshops

    Build, tune and validate a working control system using low-cost, portable hardware and a practical MATLAB and Simulink workflow shaped by real engineering requirements.

    Register Draft programme

    Start with the requirements, then build the solution

    The workshop begins by defining what the control system must achieve. Participants then use practical experimentation to understand the application, apply a model-based design approach to design and tune controller gains, and finally explore online estimation and self-tuning methods to improve performance as operating conditions change.

    Define the target Translate the application into clear, measurable performance requirements.
    Learn through practice Use portable hardware to see how the real system behaves and where the design challenges lie.
    Design and tune Build a model-based controller in MATLAB and Simulink and tune the gains against the requirements.
    Improve online Use online parameter estimation and self-tuning to maintain or improve performance.

    Who should attend?

    📘

    Students

    Apply control theory to a real system, see immediately how modelling and tuning choices affect performance, and leave with a much clearer understanding of how control design works beyond the classroom.

    Turn theory into practical engineering judgement.
    🎓

    Graduates

    Build evidence of practical capability by working through the full route from requirements capture to controller implementation, code generation and validation on hardware.

    Gain experience employers can recognise and discuss.
    🧑‍🏫

    Educators

    Experience a practical-first teaching sequence that links requirements, experimentation, modelling and implementation using a portable, low-cost platform suitable for taught laboratories and demonstrations.

    Take away a clearer structure for hands-on control teaching.
    🔬

    Researchers

    Use MATLAB and Simulink tools to test control ideas quickly, estimate parameters offline and online, auto-generate implementation code and compare candidate designs directly on hardware.

    Move from a research concept to a tested implementation faster.
    🏭

    Industry

    Explore a disciplined workflow for turning operational requirements into a tuned and validated controller, while assessing how model-based design, code generation and online adaptation can shorten development cycles.

    Improve the route from engineering requirement to deployed control.

    Event details

    1 Glasgow

    Glasgow Caledonian University

    1 September 2026 10:00–13:30
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    2 Birmingham

    University of Birmingham

    3 September 2026 10:00–13:30
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    3 Sheffield

    University of Sheffield

    10 September 2026 10:00–13:30
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    4 Dublin

    Technological University Dublin

    17 September 2026 10:00–13:30
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    5 London

    ASU London

    Clerkenwell campus of City St George's, University of London 14 October 2026 13:30–17:00
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    Bursaries

    A limited number of bursaries will be available to help cover reasonable travel expenses associated with attending a workshop. They will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to available funding.

    Applicants will be asked to confirm whether alternative funding is available. For eligibility details, contact james.pickering@ace-lab.co.uk .

    Draft programme

    Standard workshops: 10:00–13:30 · London workshop: 13:30–17:00
    Standard time London time Session
    10:00–10:30 13:30–14:00 Introduction to model-based design and code-generation tools in MATLAB and Simulink
    10:30–11:20 14:00–14:50 Controller tuning for an application subject to a defined set of performance requirements
    11:20–11:40 14:50–15:10 Break
    11:40–12:30 15:10–16:00 Model-based design using system identification for offline and online parameter estimation, controller design and self-tuning
    12:30–13:20 16:00–16:50 Attendee-led open session based on topics and suggestions submitted in advance through the registration form
    13:20–13:30 16:50–17:00 Conclusions, key takeaways and next steps
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