XIBILIA Maria Gabriella

ACTUAL POSITION
Since 29/12/06 she is associate professor of Automation (ssd ING-INF/04).
Since 7/3/06 she is at "Dipartimento di Ingegneria" of the University of Messina, Italy.

PAST POSITIONS
-From 15/03/1995 to 15/02/1996: CNR grant on behalf of the Robotic Project ”Applications of the quaternionic algebra to robotics”.
-From 10/04/1996 to 9/04/1998: post-doc grant at the Dipartimento Elettrico Elettronico e Sistemistico of the University of Catania.
-Since 15/05/98 she has been assistant professor of the ssd ING-INF 04, "Automation".

EDUCATION
-17/7/91 Laurea Degree in Electronic Engineering at the University of Catania.
-23/11/95 PhD in Electric Engineering at the University of Catania, defending the final dissertation entitled "Learning algorithms in ipercomplex algebra and prediction of chaotic phenomena in circuits and dynamical systems".

ACTIVITIES
Scientific interests
- Innovative topologies for neural networks and cellular neural networks: methodological aspects and applications to control and identifications of nonlinear systems;
- Soft-sensors and industrial processes identification;
- Hybrid strategies for modellistics, identification, control and optimization;
- Soft Computing and machine-learning;
- Supervision and control for complex plants.

Institutional didactic activity
She teached Systems Theory, Automatic Control and Robotics at the Engineering Faculty of the University of Messina
Currently she teaches Automatic Control at the Laurea triennale in Ingegneria Elettronica ed informatica and Industrial Automation and Robotics at the Corso di Laurea magistrale in Engineering and Computer Science

Other didactic activities
She has been professor at the following high-education courses:
-“Sintesi U.E.T.P. , Short training course on Neural Networks and Applications”, 2-4 May 1994, University of Catania.
-“Progetto EUROFORM, Corso di Modellistica Industriale”, 29 March-20 October 1994, Fuzzy logic models and fuzzy control, University of Catania.
-“C.R.E.F.T.A. Corso per tecnici esperti di gestione sistemi automatizzati”, April-November 1994, Fundamentals on sensors and actuators, Consorzio C.R.E.F.T.A., Catania.
-Post Diploma Course 'Tecnico di Strumentazione Elettronica ed Automazione Industriale', Module M6 Control Systems, February-March 1995, ITIS E. Fermi, Siracusa.
-Education Course SINTESI 'Metodi computazionali per la simulazione numerica di fenomeni ambientali' 2/5-4/8 1995, University of Catania.
-“C.R.E.F.T.A. Corso per Progettisti Software Neurale, Fuzzy, Genetico”, March 1996: Genetic Algorithms, theory and implementation, Consorzio C.R.E.F.T.A., Catania.
-Master in “Gestione delle Acque e Tutela dell’Ambiente”, at the “Istituto Superiore di Catania per la formazione di eccellenza”, Catania, 17/01/2000 – 17/01/01.
-Corso AIDIC “Le moderne tecniche di controllo di Processo”, 12-14/6/2001 Stabilimento ENICHEM Priolo Gargallo (SR).
-2008/09 Fundamentals of Automation, I degree Master in Mechatronics, University of Messina.
-2013 BCI human-machine interaction, II degree Master in Tecnologie della salute e bioingegneria, Reggio Calabria
-2014 Course in ‘Design Tools. Process simulation, device simulation, data processing. Project “Elettronica su Plastica per Sistemi Smart disposable - PLAST_Ics”, University of Catania

Istitutional roles
-Since 2017 she is member of the Professors Board of the PhD Course in “Cyber Physical Systems" – Dipartimento di Ingegneria – University of Messina
-From 1999 to 2005 she has been member of the Professors Board of the PhD Course in “Advanced technologies for information engineering” at the University of Messina, where she has been tutor of two PhD students.
-she was member of the Professors Board of the PhD Course in “Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale e della Sicurezza" DICEAM "Mediterranea di REGGIO CALABRIA", Dipartimento di Ingegneria Università di Messina.

Scientific collaborations
-From 2011 to 2013 she was responsible for the DICIEAMA of the research activity with the DIEEI (University of Catania) in the Project POR SICILIA 'Verichim', on virtual sensors for waste water plant (100.000 EUR grant).
- From 1999 to 2006 she was responsible of the research activities with ERG Petroli - Raffineria ISAB, Priolo Gargallo (SR): ”Virtual sensors for monitoring and control of petrochemical industrial companies”


She has been responsible for the following projects at the University of Messina:
-1999: ‘Non conventional techniques for the modellistics and fault detection of petrochemical industrial companies’
-2000: ‘Techniques for the identification and fault diagnosis of sensors in industrial automation processes in petrochemical and nuclear fusion plants’
-2001: ‘Modellistics and control of thermofludodynamical systems with natural circulation’
-2002: ‘Control of underwater vehicles’
-2003: ‘Design techniques for finite horizon predictors in the industrial area’
-2004: ‘Nonlinear methods for virtual sensors stacking’

She has collaborated for the University of Messina to the project SINAVE (2002-2004) (“An Innovative System for the Intermodal Transport based on the use of rapid ships”) founded within the framework of the DM 488 law.

In 2011 she collaborated to the European Project Tempus CD_JEP-41112-2006 - University of Nis (Serbia) “Development of Master Study Programmes in Telecommunications and Control”.

In 2013 she collaborated to the Progetto Sistema Integrato per il MONitoraggio della produzione di Energia elettrica, DICIEAMA, Università di Messina, Linea di intervento 4.1.1.1 del POR FESR Sicilia 2007-2013

She has also collaborated with the Automation Group at the “Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica Elettronica e dei Sistemi” of the University of Catania to the following projects:
-MURST 40% 92/95 Research unit of Catania, “Model identification, control systems, signal processing”
-MURST 98/99 Research unit of Catania, “Algorithms and architectures for the identification and control of industrial systems”
-ASI project “Intelligent modular systems” (1997-99)
-CRUI-British Council 2000 project, “Intelligent control of buildings with natural ventilation”, University of Catania - University of Portsmouth (U.K.),
-MURST 00/01 Research unit of Catania “Identification and fault diagnosis, supervision and control retuning in processes of industrial automation”
-Thematic research networks Brite-Euram CLAWAR (Climbing and Walking Robot) 98/02
-Research project PON (Art 12 DM 593 8-8-00) TECSIS TEChnologies for the diagnosis and Intelligent Systems for the development of archeological parks in the South Italy (2002-2005)
-PRIN 2004 Research Unit of Catania “Control of motion in innovative locomotion and navigation systems in unstructured environments”
-PRIN 2005 Research Unit of Catania “Neurons at the Edge of chaos: analysis and applications to the neuromorphic processing”
-PRIN 2008 Research Unit of Catania "Analitic models of electromechanical trasduction in polymeric IP2C transductor"

She collaborated along with the Automation Group of the “Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica Elettronica e dei Sistemi” of the University of Catania with:
-Joint European Torus (EURATOM), Abington, U.K.: “Validation of stress sensors measurements in Tokamak” (1999).
-ENEA Frascati (Roma): “Techniques based on artificial intelligence for the diagnosis of FTU” (Frascati Tokamak Upgrade) (1999-2003).
-ST Microelectronics – Fuzzy Logic and Soft Computing Group: “Complex dynamics and nonlinear circuits: application aspects towards industrial intelligent control” (1998/99), “Innovative techniques for sensors in unstructured environments: modellistics, robust control and actuations towards motion control” (1999/00).

Scientific/organizing committees she was member of:
-6th International Conference on Climbing and Walking Robots, Catania, 17-19 September 2003.
-IEEE Central and South Italy Chapters of ‘Circuits and Systems Society, Nuclear and Plasma Science Society’, ‘Models of complex systems in industrial companies and in the research’, University of Catania, 21/6/2002.
-Workshop CLAWAR “Climbing Robots for Maintenance and Inspections: Barriers to exploitation”, 20/06/01 University of Catania.
-“6th IEEE Int. Workshop on Cellular Neural Networks and their applications”, CNNA 2000, Catania,23-25/5/2000.
-“NDES 2000, IEEE Workshop on Nonlinear Dynamics of Electronic System”, Catania, 18-20/5/00
-ICNSC 2017 14th IEEE International Conference on Networking, Sensing and Control, May 16-18, 2017, Calabria
-European Conference on Circuit Theory and Design 2017 (ECCTD2017), Catania, Italy, 4-6 september 2017

Editorial activities:
Guest editor of the special issue of Sensors MDPI ‘Soft Sensors and Intelligent Algorithms for Data Fusion"
Editorial Board of the American Journal of Engineering and Applied Science.
She serves as Referee for the several international Journal, indexed by WoS and Scopus, including:
-Chaos Solitons and Fractals;
-International Journal on Bifurcation and Chaos;
-IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks;
-IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering;
-Control Engineering Practice.