Summary
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Volgenau School of Engineering, George Mason UniversityInformation
Web: Volgenau page LinkedIn
Email: dsoudbak@gmu.edu
Phone:
Address: 4400 University Drive, MSN 4A3
5303 Nguyen Engineering Building
Biosketch
Damoon Soudbakhsh is a recipient of Khwarizmi Young Award and Dwight Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Award.
His research interests include cyber-physical systems, linear and nonlinear control, autonomous vehicles, biomechanics, optimization, and intelligent transportation systems. He was the Programs Chair of ASME-Boston section from 2015 to 2017.
He earned his PhD from The George Washington University, Washington DC.
Education
George Washington University
PhD Transportation Safety
2011
Sharif University of Technology
M.Sc. Biomechanics
Sharif University of Technology
BSc Mechanical Engineering
Experience
Assistant Professor
George Mason University
Jan 2017 – Present
Research Affiliate
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Feb 2017 – Present
Motion Control Engineer
Nucleus Scientific, Inc.
Jun 2015 – Jan 2017
Research Scientist
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Jun 2014 – Jun 2015
• Used adaptive identification and observers to develop methods for prognostics and health monitoring of jet engines
• Introduced algorithms for co-design of cyber-physical systems to achieve both optimal control performance and efficient resource utilization
• Developed delay-aware controllers for wide-area communication and control of large power systems
• Supervised a visiting PhD student from Technical University of Munich (TUM) for concurrent cell balancing of Li-Ion batteries
• Supervised students for verification of arbitrated network control system for vehicular applications
Postdoctoral Associate
MIT
Nov 2011 – May 2014
• Analyzed and developed overrun strategies to modify implementation algorithms of network control systems, improve performance and increase efficiency of the embedded systems.
• Developed analytical tools for switching systems with delays; enabled engineers to design efficient controllers without the need for further stability analysis of the embedded systems; improve productivity and cycle times.
• Collaborated with researchers in Germany, Singapore, and Philadelphia on the co-design of Network Control Systems with delays and dropouts; reduced the resource utilization by one order of magnitude.
• Introduced a parallelized optimization algorithm for model predictive controller and attained a significantly faster algorithm with computational time reduced from logarithmic to linear with prediction horizon.
Postdoctoral Associate
Rutgers University
Jun 2011 – Nov 2011
• Analyzed human/bicycle dynamics considering human time delay latencies and proposed a new rehabilitation device for people with deficiencies such as Bilateral Vestibular Loss.
• Supervised a graduate student to develop a novel analytical tire model for severe vehicular maneuvers that precisely predicted tire response with respect to complicated semi-empirical Magic Formula Tyre Model.
• Designed nonlinear model predictive controllers for automated pendulum turn maneuvers and tested their performance using CarSim program.
Research Assistant
George Washington University
Sep 2006 – May 2011
• Optimized vehicle obstacle avoidance trajectories to perform severe evasive maneuvers in a very short time.
• Modeled lateral vehicle dynamics and designed advanced steering control systems to assist the drivers in keeping their lanes and avoiding near-collision encounters.
• Collaborated to develop and implement advanced steering controllers in a car driving simulator.
• Quantitatively evaluated steering control collision avoidance systems by conducting human subject experiments.
• Collaborated with four researchers to develop, conduct human subject experiments on, and evaluate an advanced vehicle speed adaptation system to warn the drivers about their speeding by stiffening the gas pedal.
Graduate Teaching Assistant
George Washington University
Sep 2008 – Dec 2009
• Introduction to Civil and Environmental Engineering: Prepared and presented lectures, designed lab activities, graded exams, supported team projects.
• Introduction to Engineering: Prepared and presented lectures; guided students with the course materials; graded homework, projects, and exams.
Research Assistant
Sharif University of Technology
Apr 2003 – Aug 2006
Biomechanics Lab
• Supervised a team with multidisciplinary backgrounds to design, fabricate, and clinically evaluate a knee arthrometer to diagnose ACL rupture with very high sensitivity (96.4%) and specificity (100%), based on tests on 37 healthy and 27 ACL ruptured human subjects and statistical analysis of the results.
• Collaborated with three graduate students to design, model, and fabricate an exoskeleton assistive device prototype using series elastic actuators concept.
• Performed motion analysis experiments to measure and analyze squat versus stoop dynamic lifting; determined squat as the method of choice based on the generated forces and moments on the lower limb joints.
Teaching Assistant
Sharif University of Technology
Sep 2004 – Apr 2006
• Electronics Lab: Designed lab experiments, graded homework, assisted students with the experiments.
• Bioinstrumentation: Graded homework and projects, prepared some lectures and presented to the class.
• Strength of materials Lab: Explained the experiments and lab instruments to the students, graded Lab reports.
• Applied Electronics: Graded homework and exams.
