Juan J. Castillo

Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering, Full professor in Industrial Engineering. I have more than 22 years of teaching and research activity within the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Malaga. I have vast experience in developing control algorithms for vehicle active safety system controllers. In addition, evolutionary optimization techniques have been widely applied to improve the performance of such systems, being a pioneer in this field. I have also worked mainly in optimal synthesis of mechanisms and, more recently, the study of the dynamic behavior of rigid catenary power systems on railways. Scientific publications arise from my participation in projects at national and regional levels, research contracts and direction of doctoral theses. I have co-authored 31 papers in journals included in the JCR. I have contributed to the presentation of 29 communications at conferences, being 17 of them international. I have been the principal investigator in 3 competitive projects at regional and national levels and I have participated in another 8 research projects. I also collaborate regularly since 2003 with the National Accreditation Entity (ENAC) as an expert and technical auditor in the fields of vehicle approval tests for the accreditation of test laboratories, Vehicle Technical Inspection and Reform Technical Services, having participated in more than 50 audits since the beginning of the collaboration. Additionally, I have participated in more than 15 contracts with companies, being IP in some cases. My research has been disseminated through activities that include press, radio and tv, and events and scientific meetings. I am reviewer for JCR journals in the field of vehicles, intelligent systems, mechanisms, control and optimization. I have been the coordinator of the doctoral program in Mechanical Engineering and Energy Efficiency at the Doctoral School of the University of Malaga since November 2019. I have directed or co-directed five doctoral theses, three with international mention. Currently, I am participating in a European educational project ERASMUS+ called AstonRail Advanced approachS and practices for rail training and education TO in Novate Rail study programs & Improve rail higher education provision. In 1998 I carried out a stay at the Laboratory of Applied Thermodynamics in Thessaloniki, carrying out emission tests on vehicles. Between 2017-2018, I stayed in the Vehicle Dynamics Division of the KTH University in Stockholm, working on bioinspired algorithms for the control of vehicle safety systems. My teaching experience includes more than 20 years of full-time university teaching. I have positive evaluations of teaching quality and extensive teaching experience in courses specific to the area of Mechanical Engineering. I am the tutor of the UMA-Racing team, which has participated in the international competition MOTOSTUDENT in five editions, where we have obtained great results, winning the competition in the electric category in two occasions. All in all, my career is characterized by a high level of commitment and involvement from the research and educational point of view.