Dr Mehdi Rakhtala (PhD, MSc, BSc, PGCert, FHEA) is currently an Associate Professor in Mechatronics Systems at ASU London and as the Programme Leader for the Mechatronics Engineering Programme, with expertise in Mechatronics System Design, intelligent control, data-driven and advanced learning control, with applications in rehabilitation robotics, wearable technologies, soft robotic gloves, electric vehicles (EVs), fuel cell systems, FCEVs, and hydrogen-powered powertrains.
Mehdi is an experienced academic and researcher with more than 27 years of international experience across higher education, research, and industrial environments, including 17 years in academia and 10 years in industry. Prior to joining ASU London, Dr Mehdi was the Leadership of the ISAAC (Intelligent Systems and Adaptive Control) Research Theme and Senior Lecturer at the University of the West of England, Bristol.
He served as Dean/Head of the Electrical Engineering Department at Golestan University (State University) from 2017 to 2021 and as an Assistant Professor at Golestan University from 2013 to 2022. His programme leadership experience includes serving as MSc Mechatronics Programme Leader at Golestan University and Mechatronics for Industry 4.0 Programme Developer at Queen’s University Belfast, contributing to undergraduate and postgraduate programme development.
He received his PhD in Control and Automation Engineering in 2013 from Babol Noshirvani University of Technology (BNTU) and was a Visiting PhD Student at the Università di Cagliari, Automatic Control Laboratory, Italy. With more than 17 years of teaching and academic leadership experience, he has taught and led over 18 engineering modules in control, mechatronics, embedded systems, sensors, power electronics, and PLC programming. He has led large engineering modules with cohorts of up to 500 students, supporting student engagement, progression.
In terms of research, he has authored 70+ peer-reviewed publications, secured several research grants, contributed to 22 industrial projects, and supervised postgraduate researchers, including the successful co-supervision of 3 PhD students and supervision of 26 MSc students. He was a Research Fellow at the University of Warwick – WMG (2016). His previous academic and industrial appointments include Guest Lecturer at Babol University of Technology (2005–2009), Head of the Control Group at the Fuel Cell Research Centre, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology (2004–2008), and Senior Electronics Engineer in the battery industry (1998–2004).
