Faculty of Engineering

Electronic Systems Engineering

• Avionics;
• Microelectronics;
• RF IC Design;
• Sensor Design;
• Electronic System Design;
• Digital Integrated Circuits and FPGAs;
• Speech Processing & Hardware Implementation.

Research Projects:
EU FP6 Integrated Project 'FLYSAFE' - aeronautics project concerning the reduction of aircraft collisions;
EU FP6 Integrated Project 'SENSATION' - project concerning the development of a vision-based system for driver alertness and body-area networks;
EU FP6 Integrated Project 'e-CAB' - project concerning multimedia services in aircraft passenger cabin;
Internal research projects in: (a) Development of an Unmanned Air Vehicle; (b) Low-Voltage IC Design.

Industrial Electrical Power Conversion

• Sensorless Control of Electric Drives, Novel power electronic circuit design and control;
• Industrial power converter design;
• Renewable Energy Systems (RES);
• Grid Connection of RES;
• Power quality analysis;
• Power factor correction;
• Battery technology;
• Electric motor control;
• dc and ac motor drives;
• Land and Marine Electric Transportation.

Research Projects:
Marie Curie Fellowship on Electrical Energy Conversion and Conditioning Technology;
Electric Boat Project sponsored by Ministry of Rural Affairs & Environment, MTA and MiddleSea Valletta Life Assurance;
Solar Water Heating project sponsored by Abertax Ltd.;
Battery Technology Systems project sponsored by Abertax Ltd.;
Grid-connected power converter design sponsored by Carlo Gavazzi;
University internal grants on Control of Electric Drives, Matrix Converters, Power Quality and Grid-connected Wind Turbines.

Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering

• Design for X;
• Computer Support for Engineering Design;
• Collaborative Design;
• Micromachining of Biomedical devices;
• Robot grasping and manipulation;
• Safety and Control in Manufacturing;
• ICT in Manufacturing;
• Pedagogic methods including e-Learning and m-Learning.

Research Projects:
Mobile learning through the use of mobile technologies (mi-learning);
Emotional Support Tool for Remote Early Product Design (ESTRED);
EU-funded projects - A Framework for Strengthening Asian Higher Education on Advanced Design and Manufacture (FASTAHEAD);
Co-ordination by Best Practice exchange and Knowledge building by NMP-NCPs in an Enlarged European Research Society (COOREERS).
In addition, the department works in close collaboration with industry on applied research projects covering different aspects of design and manufacturing.

Mechanical Engineering

• Pressure vessel design & structural integrity;
• Biomechanics;
• Heat Transfer;
• Internal Combustion Engine Simulation;
• Electronic Engine Controls;
• Wind Energy;
• Solar Energy;
• Environmental Engineering.

Research Projects:
Biomechanical feedback of spinal implant;
Plastic collapse loads of pressure vessel components;
Shakedown analysis under thermo mechanical loads;
Turocharging internal combustion engines;
Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition;
EU Leonardo da Vinci project Certification of competences for the Power and Pressure Systems Industry in conjunction with University of Strathclyde, University of Stuttgart, NAFEMS (UK), CETIM (France) & Polythecnic University of Warsaw;
Grundtvig 2 project on Virtual Museum as Innovative Tool for Adult Education;
MCST RDTI project on High Air Temperature Combustion;
Task 38 on Solar Cooling of the International Energy Agency's Solar Heating and Cooling Programme.
The Department is participating in the Formula SAE competition.

Metallurgy & Materials Engineering

• Development of coatings and surface modification technologies, including nano-using IBAD and magnetron sputtering facilities;
• Laser tool repair and rapid manufacturing;
• Austempered Ductile Cast Iron (ADI);
• Modification of biomaterials using plasma;
• Thermochemical treatments.

Research Projects:
Tribological & Mechanical characteristics of Shot Peened and Surface Engineered ADI gears - a COST 532 project; LASTED - Laser Technology Educational Network;
MinSE - M.Sc. European Masters' in Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering - a Socrates Programme;
LATRE - Laser Tool Recovery;
PROMET - Corrosion Protection of artefacts an FP6 Project;
INNOV@TE - Development of innovative teaching methods for Surface Engineering - a Leonardo Project;
TREE - Curriculum development for European Engineers;
Coating Development for Swarovski and Co Ltd and Welldone - commissioned research;
SUNDEST - Solar Desalination.

Systems and Control Engineering

• Adaptive control systems;
• Intelligent control systems;
• Neural network modelling and control of complex systems;
• Robot control;
• Signal and Image Processing and Computer Vision;
• Computational Intelligence;
• Biomedical applications of control;
• Biomedical Signal & Image Processing.

Research Projects:
National RTDI 2004 '3D-Head' - computer vision project concerning the development of a low-cost, portable 3D vision system;
National RTDI 2004 grant on Computational Intelligence Techniques for Control of Complex Systems;
EU FP6 Network of Excellence 'BIOPATTERN' - integrating and joint research activities concerning bio-profiling mainly using brain signals;
Internal research projects in: (a) Brain Activity Source Localisation & Brain-Computer Interfacing; (b) Nonlinear and Adaptive Control Systems (c) Sketched Hand-Drawing Image Analysis and Interpretation System; (d) Visual Servoing.