Soumya Ranjan Sahoo

Soumya Ranjan Sahoo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. His academic career at IIT Kanpur began with a contract position as Assistant Professor in 2014, progressing to Assistant Professor in 2016, and currently holding the position of Associate Professor since December 2020. Prior to joining IIT Kanpur, he worked as a Scientist Fellow at the National Aerospace Laboratories in Bangalore.

• PhD in Systems and Control Engineering from IIT Bombay (2013)
• Thesis Title: Coordination problems with minimal sensing and coarse actuation
• Thesis Supervisors: Prof. Ravi N. Banavar and Dr. Arpita Sinha
• B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from University College of Engineering, Burla, Odisha (2008)

Dr. Sahoo's research spans the complex intersection of control theory and practical engineering applications. His work primarily focuses on nonlinear dynamical systems, with significant contributions to the control of unmanned vehicles and coordinated control systems. His research has evolved to address modern power system challenges, particularly in the domain of AC and DC microgrids, where he has developed innovative control strategies for improved performance. His work on discontinuous systems demonstrates his ability to tackle mathematically challenging control problems with practical implications.

Analysis of Dr. Sahoo's publication record reveals a clear evolution from fundamental control theory to applied research with significant practical impact. His early work focused on theoretical aspects of multi-agent systems and network control, which has progressively shifted toward power systems applications, particularly microgrids. The consistent theme across his publications is the development of robust control strategies that work effectively under realistic constraints such as communication delays, incomplete information, and system heterogeneity. His research bridges theoretical control concepts with practical engineering implementations, particularly in the domains of autonomous systems and modern power grids.

Dr. Sahoo teaches several key courses in the Electrical Engineering curriculum including Introduction to Electrical Engineering, Control Systems Analysis, Basics of Modern Control Systems, Nonlinear Systems, Adaptive Control Theory, and advanced topics in Nonlinear Systems. His teaching portfolio reflects his deep expertise in control theory and its applications.

His laboratory work, particularly through the DiSCo Lab (as referenced in his homepage), focuses on practical implementations of control algorithms for various applications including unmanned vehicle coordination and microgrid management. This laboratory work bridges the gap between theoretical control design and real-world implementation challenges.