Arthur G Richards

Arthur G Richards serves as Professor of Robotics and Control within the Dynamics and Control department at the University of Bristol's School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology. His research specializes in trajectory optimization for aerospace applications, focusing on UAV autonomy, spacecraft rendezvous, and air traffic management through advanced optimization techniques.

His educational foundation includes an M.Eng. from the University of Cambridge and S.M./Ph.D. degrees from MIT. Research interests center on solving complex aerospace challenges through:

• Non-convex optimization for obstacle avoidance in cluttered environments
• Robust model predictive control for real-time disturbance compensation
• Distributed optimization enabling large-scale vehicle cooperation
• Scalable algorithms for high-traffic scenarios with minimal fuel consumption

Analysis of his 132 research outputs reveals evolving emphasis on reliability-aware UAV path planning, interpretable reinforcement learning for aircraft control, and swarm robotics with real-world validation. Recent work increasingly integrates machine learning with traditional control theory while addressing practical constraints like sensor noise and system failures.

Professor Richards has supervised 22 research students and secured funding for 11 projects, including the active Aerial Robotics for Search and Rescue (2022-2026) and PORTAL (2022-2024) initiatives. His industry collaborations with Thales and focus on technology transfer demonstrate strong academic-industrial integration.

He actively contributes to the Smart Networks for Sustainable Futures and Robotics research groups, developing frameworks for multi-robot systems that balance theoretical rigor with practical deployment requirements in conservation, inspection, and exploration scenarios.