Craig Woolsey

As a sophomore, I was invited to join an experimental research program in which a laser interferometer was being used to characterize a piezoelectric transducer for use in nondestructive evaluation. After three months of research, I had learned basic sampling theory, how to use Matlab to build and train a neural network, and how to identify a linear system from input-output measurements – all before I knew the definition of the Laplace transform. That early opportunity to stretch beyond my training had a tremendous influence on the evolution of my career. As a member of the AOE faculty, I enthusiastically promote similar “extracurricular engineering” opportunities for our own students, including engineering design competitions, undergraduate research, and internships or cooperative employment.

Courses I have taught at Virginia Tech include

• AOE 3034 System Dynamics and Control
• AOE 3104 Aircraft Performance
• AOE 3134 Air Vehicle Dynamics
• AOE 3234 Ocean Vehicle Dynamics
• AOE 4004 State-Space Control
• AOE 4224/5224G Aerospace and Ocean Vehicle Model Identification
• AOE 4804 Special Topics in Dynamics, Control and Estimation:
  • Ethics and Autonomy
  • Navigation and Guidance
• AOE 5774 Nonlinear Systems Theory
• AOE 6744 Linear Control Theory
• AOE 6984 Geometric Mechanics and Control

• My research interests are in the nonlinear dynamics and control of ocean and atmospheric vehicles. A unifying theme of my group's research is the development of energy-based nonlinear guidance and control methods that enable effective vehicle operation over a broader performance envelope than conventional, linear methods allow. 
• Disciplinary areas of expertise include: Lyapunov-based nonlinear control; nonlinear guidance; path/motion planning; vision-based control; biomimetic locomotion; multi-body dynamics; and autonomous system reliability.
• Application areas of expertise include:  fixed-wing and multi-rotor aircraft, ocean surface vessels, and subsurface ocean vessels at all scales; vehicle autonomy for unmanned aircraft, unmanned surface vessels, and unmanned underwater vehicles; and in-situ sensing of ocean and atmospheric phenomena.

• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
  • Atmospheric Flight Mechanics Technical Committee: Member, 2017-present
    • Chair, 2023-present; Vice-Chair, 2021-2023
• Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
  • Control Systems Society: Member, 1995-present
  • Oceanic Engineering Society: Member, 1995-present
• International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC)
  • Technical Committee on Marine Systems: Member, 2017-present
• Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI)
  • Ridge & Valley Chapter: Member, 2016-present
    • Treasurer, 2022-present; President, 2019-2021

• Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
• Senior Member, Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• Virginia Tech College of Engineering Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research, 2017
• Virginia Tech Student Engineers Council Undergraduate Research Advisor of the Year, 2015
• SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award, 2008
• NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, 2002
• ONR Young Investigator Program Award, 2002

• 2001-present, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
  • 2014-present, Professor, Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering
  • 2008-2014, Associate Professor and Assistant Department Head for Graduate Studies, Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering
  • 2006-2008, Associate Professor, Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering
  • 2001-2006, Assistant Professor, Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering