Adeel Ahsan
Aerospace and Electrical Engineer
Hi, I’m Adeel—an aerospace and electrical engineer currently pursuing an MEng in Electrical Engineering at the Intelligent Systems Lab, Memorial University of Newfoundland. My research focuses on optimal nonlinear, model-based, disturbance-aware predictive control and trajectory generation for aerospace systems navigating complex, cluttered environments. When I’m not in the lab or at my workspace, you’ll find me exploring St. John’s on foot, flying my FPV drone, cooking, working out at the gym, playing soccer or cricket, or enjoying a scenic hike.
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and you are the easiest person to fool.”
— Richard Feynman
Professional Experience
Memorial University
Graduate Research & Teaching Assistant
- ▸Nonlinear model predictive control design of a quadrotor
- ▸Extended state extended Kalman filter based NMPC control of quadrotor
- ▸Optimal waypoint navigation for a drone with dynamics and obstacle constraints
- ▸Convex safe corridor generation in cluttered obstacle environments (no-fly zones)
- ▸Convex trajectory optimization algorithm for fixed-wing UAVs and drones
- ▸Hardware-in-the-loop simulation setup for DJI M300 using ROS & OSDK
- ▸Learning quadrotor dynamics using feed‐forward neural networks with ReLU
- ▸Physics‐informed NN for quadrotor dynamics by embedding rigid‐body ODEs in training loss
Mitacs BSI Internship (Lab2Market Validate)
Market Validation & Customer Discovery Lead
- ▸Validated UAV-based sea-ice monitoring solutions through rigorous market research and customer discovery
- ▸Conducted 60+ stakeholder interviews with ship captains, coast guards, and satellite providers
- ▸Identified critical market gaps: 12-24h data latency, ≥1km spatial resolution, and inaccurate ice classification
- ▸Established fixed-wing long-endurance UAS as optimal platform for sub-meter real-time ice classification
Turkish Aerospace
Control Design Engineer
- ▸Programmatic trimming and linearization of nonlinear models
- ▸Development of longitudinal and lateral flight control design for a fighter jet aircraft
- ▸Autonomous landing system design and safe-landing region prediction
- ▸Software and hardware in loop testing
Advanced Rocket Technologies
GNC Engineer (Part Time)
- ▸Development of nonlinear 6 DOF flight simulator and control design for a sounding rocket
National Engineering & Scientific Commission
Assistant Manager
- ▸Development of 6 DOF nonlinear flight simulators for different aerospace systems
- ▸Design and development of flight control system for aerial vehicles
- ▸Software in loop testing of controllers in embedded C++ code
- ▸System identification of actuators and dynamical models of aerospace systems
- ▸Technical report writing and documentation of these projects, and testing procedures
AZoNetwork
Technical Writer
- ▸Writing technical articles on robotics, AI, sensors, and nanotechnology
- ▸Conducting observational studies to improve understanding and content
- ▸Creating customized marketing-aligned content based on client needs
National Engineering & Scientific Commission
Intern
- ▸Mathematical modeling and development of 6 DOF simulation for a quadrotor
- ▸Implemented various control strategies including loop shaping, PID, LQI, and H-infinity on a quadrotor
- ▸Implementation and flight testing for different control strategies on APM 2.8 autopilot
- ▸Calibration, pre and post flight testing of APM 2.8 based quadrotor
Teaching Experience
Mechatronics II & Instrumentation
Spring 2025 • TA
Conducted labs and tutorials, covering Quanser Cube-Servo experiments, system identification, control-system design, and amplifier circuits.
Mechatronics I & Control Systems I
Winter 2025 • TA
Conducted tutorials on control-system theory, RLC circuit analysis, and amplifier design, and led laboratory sessions on amplifier experiments.
Computer-Aided Engineering
Fall 2024 • TA
Conducted labs on mechanical system simulation and modeling, CAM processes, and fundamental image processing and segmentation techniques.
Control Systems II & Instrumentation
Summer 2024 • TA
Conducted tutorials on linear algebra and control-system fundamentals, and led labs on amplifier circuits and RPM measurement using a DAQ instrument in LabVIEW.
Mechatronics I
Winter 2024 • TA
Conducted labs covering lab instruments, and amplifiers.
Online Tutoring
2020 - Present • Independent
Providing personalized online tutoring in Mathematics, Physics, MATLAB, and Drone Modeling & Control to students worldwide, helping them master complex concepts and practical applications.
Education
Memorial University of Newfoundland
2023 - PresentMaster of Engineering in Electrical Engineering
GPA: 4.0/4.0
Thesis: Model Based Optimal Trajectory Generation and Disturbance Aware Predictive Control Design of a Quadrotor
Institute of Space Technology, Pakistan
2017 - 2021Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering
GPA: 3.75/4.0
Thesis: Robust Control of a Quadrotor: An ADRC Approach
Awards & Honors
Fellow of the School of Graduate Studies
October 2024
This award is made in recognition of continued academic excellence throughout the program.
Ocean Idea Challenge Award
November 2024
For winning a Ocean Idea Challenge in solving ocean-related problems.
Vice Chancellor's Gold Medal
August 2021
Awarded for the best final year project for class of 2021.
Government Fellowship Award
August 2018
Awarded a fully funded Government fellowship for Bachelor's degree at IST.
Chief Minister's Laptop Award
September 2017
Awarded for excellent performance in Matriculation examinations.
Professional Drone Services
Certified pilot with a background in aerospace and electrical engineering, offering aerial solutions for commercial and industrial applications.
Infrastructure Inspections
Detailed aerial inspections of buildings, bridges, and infrastructure with high-resolution imaging.
Aerial Videography
Cinematic 4K video production with professional stabilization and creative flight patterns.
Mapping & Surveying
Precision aerial mapping, orthomosaic generation, and topographic surveys.
FPV Racing
High-speed FPV drone racing and immersive first-person aerial experiences.
Technical Skills
Programming & Tools
Control Systems
Aerospace Engineering
Machine Learning
Optimization
Featured Projects
A selection of my recent work in control systems, trajectory optimization, and aerospace engineering.
Learning Quadrotor Dynamics with Neural Networks
Jun 2024 - PresentDeveloped a dual neural network architecture to learn translational and rotational dynamics, featuring two feedforward networks with ReLU activation implemented in MATLAB.
HITL for DJI M300
Oct 2024 - PresentHardware-in-the-Loop simulation setup using ROS for DJI Matrice 300 drone with OSDK integration.
Trajectory Optimization
Jul 2024 - PresentFramework using differential flatness and Bézier curves for real-time trajectory planning in obstacle-dense environments.
Disturbance-aware NMPC
Jul 2024 - PresentNonlinear MPC integrated with extended state observers to estimate and compensate for external disturbances.
Orthomosaic Mapping
May 2024 - Aug 2024High-quality orthomosaic maps from satellite imagery using ORB algorithm and image stitching.
Interceptor Missile Simulation
Jun 2023 - Sep 20236 DOF nonlinear simulation with proportional navigation guidance.
INDI Quadrotor Control
Aug 2023 - Sep 2023Implemented Incremental Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion (INDI) algorithm for quadrotor attitude and altitude control.
Tilt Rotor UAV Simulation
Jul 2023 - Aug 2023Detailed 6 DOF simulation model with actuator and sensor models for realistic flight conditions.
Fixed Wing UAV Simulation
Nov 2022 - Jan 2023High-fidelity nonlinear 6 DOF simulation with stability augmentation systems and autopilot.
Quadrotor ADRC Control
Oct 2021 - Apr 2022Nonlinear active disturbance rejection control strategy with comparison to traditional methods.
Supersonic Fighter Jet Design
Jan 2020 - Jul 2020Comprehensive sizing and design of a supersonic fighter jet as per Raymer's book using RDS.
High Aspect Ratio Wing Analysis
Jun 2020 - Jul 2020CFD analysis and one-way fluid-structure interaction analysis of a high aspect ratio wing.
F104 Aircraft Autopilot
Jan 2020 - Feb 2020Longitudinal and lateral autopilot systems design with control laws for various flight modes.
MiG 29 Performance Analysis
Jan 2019 - Aug 2019Detailed performance analysis as per Anderson's book.
Publications
Active Disturbance Rejection Control of a Quadrotor: A Comparative Study
M. A. Ahsan, H. Zeeshan Iqbal Khan, J. Rajput and J. Riaz
2022 19th International Bhurban Conference on Applied Sciences and Technology (IBCAST), Islamabad, Pakistan, 2022, pp. 444-450.
Apps & Tools
Online PID Tuner
Interactive PID controller analysis and tuning tool
A free, web-based application for designing and analyzing PID control systems. Features interactive Bode plots, step response analysis, and performance metrics calculation.
Get In Touch
Have a project in mind or want to discuss potential opportunities? Feel free to reach out!
Send Me a Message
Contact Information
GitHub
github.com/adeelahsaanawanLocation
St. John's, NL, Canada