Low-Gain Integral Control for Nonlinear Systems
Provides stability certificates and design methods for integral control applied to stable nonlinear systems.
Professor John W. Simpson-Porco
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John W. Simpson-Porco, Ph.D. Edward S. Rogers Sr. Chair in Engineering Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Email: jw.simpson [at] utoronto [dot] ca |
I study feedback control theory, control engineering, and applications of control in modernized energy systems. We develop rigorous approaches for designing reliable controllers for complex, uncertain systems under tight performance constraints.
Research Themes
Control Theory and Engineering
Analysis and design tools for feedback systems, with emphasis on stability, robustness, performance, and practicality.
linear, nonlinear, and stochastic control · robust stability · low-gain design
Optimization-Based Control
Control architectures that optimize the dynamic, steady-state, and economic operation of an engineering system.
feedback-based optimization · predictive control · optimal steady-state control
Advanced Power System Control
From fast control of bulk power systems with IBRs, to optimal DER coordination in distribution systems, to remote microgrids.
frequency/voltage control · inverter-based resources · power system operations · hierarchical control
Data-Driven Control
Methods that use data directly for prediction, optimization, and control when models are uncertain or unavailable.
data-driven control · stochastic MPC · tuning regulators
Recent News
October 2026: New paper on distributionally robust system identification.
October 2026: I am honoured to be appointed as the new Edward S. Rogers Sr. Chair in Engineering.
September 2026: John-Paolo Casasanta defends his MASc and begins his PhD at UCSB.
June 2026: Our PES task force report PES-TR106, Trends in Microgrid Modeling for Stability Analysis has won the IEEE PES Working Group Recognition Award for Outstanding Technical Report.
Selected Contributions
Microgrid Stability Definitions, Analysis, and Examples
A widely used task-force reference organizing stability concepts and modeling issues for modern microgrids.
A Theory of Solvability for Lossless Power Flow Equations
A deep dive into the power flow equation solution space, including solvability conditions and numerical algorithms with guarantees.
Linear-Convex Optimal Steady-State Control
Connects control design and steady-state optimization, giving a framework for controllers that regulate while optimizing.
Feedback-Based Optimization for Distribution Grids
A multi-area hierarchical control architecture to coordinate and optimize DERs in distribution grids, scalable to thousands of devices.
Data-Driven Fast Frequency Control with Inverter-Based Resources
Fast frequency controller designs to capitalize on the speed of inverter-based resources; no models, just data.
News Archive
Older announcements and travel notes are available in the news archive.