Maria Serra Prat

Maria Serra Prat is an Associate Professor in the Automatic Control Department at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), where she has been a faculty member since 2008. She leads the Automatic Control Group at the Institut de Robòtica i Informàtica Industrial (IRI), a joint research center of UPC and CSIC, focusing on advanced control systems for energy applications.

Research Interests: Her work centers on the modeling and control of complex energy systems, with a strong emphasis on fuel-cell technologies and vanadium redox flow batteries. She investigates optimal strategies for hydrogen production, storage, and integration with renewable sources, particularly in transport and grid applications. Her research bridges theoretical control methods with real-world energy system implementation.

Recent Research Trends: Her recent publications (2023–2024) reflect a consistent focus on energy storage and conversion systems. Key themes include real-time monitoring of fuel cells, optimal control of hydrogen refueling stations, and advanced strategies for mitigating capacity loss in flow batteries. The work combines nonlinear control theory, system identification, and experimental validation in hybrid energy systems.

• Scientific Awards:

While no specific awards are listed in the provided text, her leadership in national research projects and publication record in high-impact journals indicate significant recognition in her field.

Advising and Grants: She supervises PhD research, including Pol Cardona Rubio’s work on optimization-based control of renewable hydrogen systems. She leads the MAFALDA project on vanadium flow battery integration and contributes to the MASHED project on hybrid energy storage management, both national-level initiatives demonstrating sustained grant funding.

Labs and Teams: She heads the Automatic Control Group at IRI, a multidisciplinary team engaged in cutting-edge research on energy system automation, control algorithm development, and experimental validation of fuel cell and battery technologies.