Umberto Montanaro

Dr. Umberto Montanaro is a Senior Lecturer in Autonomous Systems and Control Engineering at the University of Surrey's School of Mechanical Engineering Sciences, within the Centre for Automotive Engineering. He holds PhDs in Control Engineering (2009) and Mechanical Engineering (2016) from the University of Naples Federico II, Italy. His research focuses on adaptive control algorithms for automotive and mechatronic systems, including vehicle platooning, autonomous driving, and nonlinear control strategies.

He has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications and led projects like the Innovate UK-funded GPR for Localisation (2018–2019) and the EPSRC/JLR-funded CARMA initiative (2016–2021). His work spans control of multiagent systems, optimal control, and enhanced model reference adaptive control (MRAC) applications. Dr. Montanaro has supervised multiple PhD and MEng students, including co-supervision of Shilp Dixit's research on autonomous overtaking.

• Research Interests: Adaptive Control, Autonomous Vehicles, Vehicle Platooning, Nonlinear Systems, Model Reference Adaptive Control
• Grants: CARMA (EPSRC/JLR), GPR Localisation (Innovate UK)
• Teaching: Control and Dynamics (ENG3611), Engine Speed Control labs
• Labs/Teams: Active in automotive control systems and connected autonomous vehicle research