Our research is primarily in optimization and control theory and their applications to processes  of industrial relevance and systems biology.

Switched systems represent a class of hybrid dynamical systems wherein occurrence of a discrete event causes the evolution of the continuous states to switch from one operating mode to another. Switched system dynamics appear in manufacturing systems during start-up/ shut-down, grade transitions, decision-making, and manipulation of on-off valves.

In this area, we use optimization and control tools to obtain strategies for operation of industrial processes. Some of the processes currently under study include a solar thermal power plant, a bio-refinery and a simulated moving bed chromatography process.

Multiparametric (mp) programming pre-computes optimal solutions off-line which are functions of parameters, whose values become apparent online. In explicit MPC, mp-programming is used to compute optimal solutions offline and the online computation is reduced to the simple evaluation of an explicitly defined piecewise linear functions.

Biological systems represent some of the most complex dynamic systems. We have been working closely with Prof. Venkatesh to analyze and understand the systems principles recruited by nature that enable manifestation of the rich phenotypic behaviour. Some of the systems that we have studied include the tryptophan system in Escherichia coli, the galacotse uptake and osmotic remediation systems in Saccharomyces cerevisiae  and the cell cycle regulation in Schizsaccharomyces pombe.