Associate Professor Rahul Sharma
Associate Professor

Rahul Sharma

Email: 
Phone: 
+61 7 336 57240

Background

I work on control systems and AI for renewable energy, with applications in solar farms, smart grids, and inverter-dominated power systems. My research combines theory, simulation, and field validation, with active collaborations across industry and translational research. I completed my PhD at the University of Melbourne in 2008, focusing on fault diagnosis in power systems, and have been engaged continuously in research and teaching since 2005. Following my PhD, I joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Melbourne as a research fellow to work on the control system design for a hydrogen fuelled internal combustion engine. I joined UQ in late 2011 and currently hold a Associate Professor role with responsibilities in teaching, research and service. My research spans solar farms, grid-connected inverters, distributed energy resources, and battery storage systems, combining theory, simulation, and real-world experimentation. I have led translational research efforts, most notably SolarisAI, a start-up commercialising solar farm monitoring and underperformance diagnosis.

Prospective PhD Students

I welcome motivated students interested in control systems, renewable energy, and AI-based optimisation. I am interested in projects with both theoretical and practical impact, including:

  • Solar farm reliability enhancement and fault detection- AI-driven monitoring of utility-scale solar systems.

  • Grid-connected inverter and battery control- advanced control strategies for stable integration of distributed energy resources.

  • Demand-side management and smart grid optimisation- algorithms for efficient load and storage coordination.

  • Digital twins and hybrid modelling- simulating and predicting energy system behaviour.

  • End-of-life PV system management- sustainable logistics and circular economy strategies for solar panels.

Interested applicants with strong academic credentials and evidence of research experience are welcome to contact me directly via email with your CV, academic transcripts, and a short statement of research interest to me.

Availability

Associate Professor Rahul Sharma is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Research interests

  • Under-performance diagnosis and predictive maintenance for utility-scale solar farms

  • Demand-side management and optimisation in power systems

  • Solar end-of-life logistics analysis management

  • Management of Distributed Energy Resources including battery storage systems in LV distribution networks

Search Professor Rahul Sharma’s works on UQ eSpace

107 works between 2004 and 2025
All (107) Book (1) Journal Article (49) Conference Publication (56) Book Chapter (1)

81 - 100 of 107 works

2013

Conference Publication

Predictive control of wind turbines with storage

Sharma, Rahul, Yan, Ruifeng and Kearney, Michael (2013). Predictive control of wind turbines with storage. AUCC 2013: Third Annual Australian Control Conference, Perth, WA, Australia, 4-5 November, 2013. Barton, ACT, Australia: Engineers Australia. doi: 10.1109/AUCC.2013.6697269

Predictive control of wind turbines with storage

2013

Journal Article

Conventional, hybrid and electric vehicles for Australian driving conditions. Part 2: life cycle CO2-e emissions

Sharma, R., Manzie, C., Bessede, M., Crawford, R. H. and Brear, M. J. (2013). Conventional, hybrid and electric vehicles for Australian driving conditions. Part 2: life cycle CO2-e emissions. Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 28, 63-73. doi: 10.1016/j.trc.2012.12.011

Conventional, hybrid and electric vehicles for Australian driving conditions. Part 2: life cycle CO2-e emissions

2012

Journal Article

Optimal use of telemetry by parallel hybrid vehicles in urban driving

Manzie, Chris, Kim, Tae Soo and Sharma, Rahul (2012). Optimal use of telemetry by parallel hybrid vehicles in urban driving. Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 25, 134-151. doi: 10.1016/j.trc.2012.04.012

Optimal use of telemetry by parallel hybrid vehicles in urban driving

2012

Journal Article

Conventional, hybrid and electric vehicles for Australian driving conditions – part 1: technical and financial analysis

Sharma, R ., Manzie, C., Bessede, M., Brear, M. J. and Crawford, R. H. (2012). Conventional, hybrid and electric vehicles for Australian driving conditions – part 1: technical and financial analysis. Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, 25, 238-249. doi: 10.1016/j.trc.2012.06.003

Conventional, hybrid and electric vehicles for Australian driving conditions – part 1: technical and financial analysis

2012

Conference Publication

An economic and in-service emissions analysis of conventional, hybrid and electric vehicles for Australian driving conditions

Sharma, Rahul, Bessede, Maxime, Manzie, Chris, Brear, Michael and Crawford, Robert (2012). An economic and in-service emissions analysis of conventional, hybrid and electric vehicles for Australian driving conditions. SAE 2012 World Congress and Exhibition, Detroit, MI, United States, 24-26 April 2012. Warrendale, PA, United States: SAE. doi: 10.4271/2012-01-0819

An economic and in-service emissions analysis of conventional, hybrid and electric vehicles for Australian driving conditions

2012

Journal Article

Design of integral sliding mode observers for state, fault and unknown input reconstruction

Sharma, R. and Aldeen, M. (2012). Design of integral sliding mode observers for state, fault and unknown input reconstruction. Control and Intelligent Systems, 40 (2), 1-10. doi: 10.2316/Journal.201.2012.2.201-2330

Design of integral sliding mode observers for state, fault and unknown input reconstruction

2011

Journal Article

Fault, state, and unknown input reconstruction in nonlinear systems using sliding mode observers

Sharma, R. and Aldeen, M. (2011). Fault, state, and unknown input reconstruction in nonlinear systems using sliding mode observers. Journal of Dynamic Systems Measurement and Control: Transactions of the ASME, 133 (5) 051013, 051013.1-051013.10. doi: 10.1115/1.4004040

Fault, state, and unknown input reconstruction in nonlinear systems using sliding mode observers

2011

Journal Article

Fault and disturbance reconstruction in non-linear systems using a network of interconnected sliding mode observers

Sharma, R. and Aldeen, M. (2011). Fault and disturbance reconstruction in non-linear systems using a network of interconnected sliding mode observers. IET Control Theory and Applications, 5 (6), 751-763. doi: 10.1049/iet-cta.2009.0592

Fault and disturbance reconstruction in non-linear systems using a network of interconnected sliding mode observers

2011

Journal Article

Model reduction of turbocharged (TC) spark ignition (SI) engines

Sharma, Rahul, Nesic, Dragan and Manzie, Chris (2011). Model reduction of turbocharged (TC) spark ignition (SI) engines. IEEE Transactions on Control System Technology, 19 (2) 5439941, 297-310. doi: 10.1109/TCST.2010.2043735

Model reduction of turbocharged (TC) spark ignition (SI) engines

2011

Conference Publication

Real time model predictive idle speed control of ultra-lean burn engines: Experimental results

Sharma, R., Dennis, P., Manzie, C., Nesic, D. and Brear, M. J. (2011). Real time model predictive idle speed control of ultra-lean burn engines: Experimental results. 18th World Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC), Milan, Italy, 28 August - 2 September 2011. Milan, Italy: International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC). doi: 10.3182/20110828-6-IT-1002.00634

Real time model predictive idle speed control of ultra-lean burn engines: Experimental results

2011

Conference Publication

Two-stage optimal control of a parallel hybrid vehicle with traffic preview

Kim, Tae Soo, Manzie, Chris and Sharma, Rahul (2011). Two-stage optimal control of a parallel hybrid vehicle with traffic preview. IFAC World Congress 2011, Milan, Italy, 28 August - 2 September 2011. Milan, Italy: International Federation of Automatic Control. doi: 10.3182/20110828-6-IT-1002.03423

Two-stage optimal control of a parallel hybrid vehicle with traffic preview

2010

Conference Publication

Idle speed control using linear time varying model predictive control and discrete time approximations

Sharma, R., Nesic, D. and Manzie, C. (2010). Idle speed control using linear time varying model predictive control and discrete time approximations. 2010 IEEE International Conference on Control Applications Part of 2010 IEEE Multi-Conference on Systems and Control, Yokohama, Japan, 8-10 September 2010. Piscataway, NJ, United States: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/CCA.2010.5611327

Idle speed control using linear time varying model predictive control and discrete time approximations

2009

Conference Publication

Design of integral sliding mode observers with application to fault and unknown input reconstruction

Sharma, R. and Aldeen, M. (2009). Design of integral sliding mode observers with application to fault and unknown input reconstruction. IEEE Conference on Decision and Control 2011, Shanghai, China, 16-18 December 2009. Piscataway, NJ, United States: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/CDC.2009.5399985

Design of integral sliding mode observers with application to fault and unknown input reconstruction

2009

Conference Publication

Control oriented modeling of turbocharged (TC) spark ignition (SI) engine

Sharma, R., Nesic, D. and Manzie, C. (2009). Control oriented modeling of turbocharged (TC) spark ignition (SI) engine. SAE World Congress 2009, Detroit, MI, United States, 20-23 April 2009. Warrendale, PA, United States: SAE International. doi: 10.4271/2009-01-0684

Control oriented modeling of turbocharged (TC) spark ignition (SI) engine

2009

Conference Publication

Model predictive control of velocity and torque split in a parallel hybrid vehicle

Kim, Tae Soo, Manzie, Chris and Sharma, Rahul (2009). Model predictive control of velocity and torque split in a parallel hybrid vehicle. 2009 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (IEEE SMC 2009), San Antonio, TX, U.S.A., 11-14 October 2009. New York, NY, U.S.A.: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/ICSMC.2009.5346115

Model predictive control of velocity and torque split in a parallel hybrid vehicle

2009

Conference Publication

Model reduction of automotive engines using perturbation theory

Sharma, R., Nesic, D. and Manzie, C. (2009). Model reduction of automotive engines using perturbation theory. Joint 48th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control and 28th Chinese Control Conference, Shangai, China, 16-18 December 2009. Piscataway, NJ, United States: IEEE. doi: 10.1109/CDC.2009.5400086

Model reduction of automotive engines using perturbation theory

2008

Journal Article

Estimation of states, faults and unknown disturbances in non-linear systems

Aldeen, M. and Sharma, R. (2008). Estimation of states, faults and unknown disturbances in non-linear systems. International Journal of Control, 81 (8), 1195-1201. doi: 10.1080/00207170601087937

Estimation of states, faults and unknown disturbances in non-linear systems

2008

Conference Publication

Fault detection in transmission network of a power system: Part I modelling

Saha, S., Aldeen, M, Sharma, R. and Tan, C. P. (2008). Fault detection in transmission network of a power system: Part I modelling. 2008 Australasian Universities Power Engineering Conference (AUPEC'08), Sydney, Australia, 14-17 December 2008. Sydney, Australia: University of New South Wales.

Fault detection in transmission network of a power system: Part I modelling

2008

Conference Publication

Fault diagnosis in nonlinear systems using interconnected sliding mode observers

Sharma, R. and Aldeen, M. (2008). Fault diagnosis in nonlinear systems using interconnected sliding mode observers. IFAC World Congress 2008, Seoul, Korea, 6-11 July 2008. Seoul, Korea: International Federation of Automatic Control.

Fault diagnosis in nonlinear systems using interconnected sliding mode observers

2008

Conference Publication

Fault detection in transmission network of a power system: Part II design

Tan, C. P., Saha, S., Aldeen, M. and Sharma, R. (2008). Fault detection in transmission network of a power system: Part II design. 2008 Australasian Universities Power Engineering Conference (AUPEC'08), Sydney, Australia, 14-17 December 2008. Sydney, Australia: University of New South Wales.

Fault detection in transmission network of a power system: Part II design

Current funding

  • 2025 - 2027
    AI Driven Diagnostics and Predictive Maintenance of solar farms using Solaris AI Platform
    Australia's Economic Accelerator Innovate Grants
    Open grant
  • 2025 - 2028
    Energy Queensland Community Batteries Project [ARENA project led by Energy Queensland]
    Energy Queensland Limited
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2028
    Development of an Advanced Flexible Chain-die Forming Process
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2026
    Solar PV Based Hybrid Microgrid System for Efficient Building Energy Management (SPARC grant administered by Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur)
    Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2022 - 2023
    Solar Photovoltaics forecasting for efficient power management
    ARC Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities
    Open grant
  • 2022 - 2023
    Development of algorithms to support the commercial roll-out of Solar F2D2
    UniQuest Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2022
    Performance Enhancement of PV Based Solar Generation Systems Using PV-Next Combiner Box
    Weidmuller Pty Ltd
    Open grant
  • 2021 - 2024
    An emerging pulsed power technology for dewatering mineral tailings
    Australian Coal Association Research Program
    Open grant
  • 2020
    Development of an experimental PV condition monitoring setup
    Ausroad Plant Services
    Open grant
  • 2020 - 2023
    Power Quality of Future Electricity Networks (GIL project led by Uni Wollongong)
    University of Wollongong
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2021
    Pilot project to trial Solar F2D2
    Australian Renewable Energy Agency
    Open grant
  • 2019
    Optical Equipment for Advanced Thermofluid Measurements
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2022
    High Quality and Robust Energy Conversion Systems for Distribution Networks
    ARC Linkage Projects
    Open grant
  • 2017
    Advanced Pulsed Power: an emerging technology for science and engineering systems
    UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
    Open grant
  • 2015
    Model-based control as a tool for advanced management of battery storage in electricity distribution grid and vehicle applications
    UQ Early Career Researcher
    Open grant
  • 2012 - 2013
    Development of advanced model-based controllers for wind-turbines in weak grids
    UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
    Open grant

Availability

Associate Professor Rahul Sharma is:
Available for supervision

Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.

Supervision history

Current supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Control algorithms for the grid forming inverters to enhance stability and performance

    Principal Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Tapan Saha

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Evaluation and Management of Photovoltaic (PV) Waste for Renewable Energy Sustainability

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Wayes Tushar

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Implementing digital -twin technology for power system asset management

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Chandima Ekanayake

  • Doctor Philosophy

    New Electricity Market Mechanism for Electric Vehicles to Address Emerging Distribution Network Operational Challenges

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Tapan Saha, Dr Wayes Tushar

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Non-equilibrium atmospheric plasma for sterilisation and wound healing

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Professor Nidhi Bansal, Dr Abbas Shafiee, Dr Negareh Ghasemi, Dr Carolyn Jacobs

  • Doctor Philosophy

    Developing Advanced Non-Thermal Processing Technique for Sustainable Food Production

    Associate Advisor

    Other advisors: Dr Negareh Ghasemi, Professor Nidhi Bansal

Completed supervision

Enquiries

Contact Associate Professor Rahul Sharma directly for media enquiries about:

  • Automotive modelling and control
  • Fault diagnosis
  • Model predictive control
  • Systems and control theory

Need help?

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communications@uq.edu.au