Professor James Taylor PhD, FIET

Professor of Control Engineering

Profile

Professor James Taylor, Impact Champion for the School of Engineering and lead for Robotics & Control, conducts research in data-driven modelling and robust control, translating complex real-world data into predictive and decision-support tools for energy, healthcare, robotics, and environmental applications. He previously directed the Nuclear Science & Engineering Research Group (2019-2024) and has held senior departmental roles over an extended period, including Director of Teaching and Deputy Head of Engineering.

Across his career, he has contributed to a portfolio of externally funded research projects with a combined value exceeding £20 million. These have included responsive manufacturing (EP/V051059), decommissioning robotics (EP/V026941/1), wave-energy conversion (EP/V040561/1), and adaptive medical treatment (EP/M015637/1). He currently leads Lancaster’s involvement in major collaborative initiatives, including the STAND-UP Doctoral Focal Award, and previously served as Lancaster lead for the National Centre for Nuclear Robotics (EP/R02572X/1).

He co-develops the CAPTAIN Toolbox (MATLAB), a widely used suite for system identification, time series analysis, forecasting, and control. An IET Fellow, he serves on the IET Academic Accreditation Committee, the UK Automatic Control Council Executive, and editorial boards of several Elsevier journals.

A Lancaster alumnus (BSc 1992, PhD 1996 in Environmental Science), Professor Taylor began his career as a research associate in the Lancaster Environment Centre before moving to Engineering in 2000.

Further information is available on his personal web page.

He welcomes PhD candidates interested in applying data-driven modelling and automatic control to real-world, uncertain systems.

Selected Publications

A responsive integrated dry route for uranium hexafluoride conversion using machine intelligence
Bandala, M., Chard, P., Cockbain, N., Dunphy, D., Eaves, D., Hutchinson, D., Lee, D., Leech, G., Ma, X., Marshall, S., Murray, P., Parker, A., Stirzaker, P., Taylor, C.J., Zabalza, J., Joyce, M.J. 31/10/2025 In: Energy Conversion and Management: X. 28
Journal article

Data-Driven Insights: Boosting Algorithms to Uncover Electricity Theft Patterns in AMI
Khan, I.U., Ali, A., Taylor, C.J., Ma, X. 2025 In: IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement. 74, p. 1-12. 12 p.
Journal article

Hyperspectral imaging suggests potential for rapid quantification of fission products in spent nuclear fuel
Dunphy, R.D., Parker, A.J., Bandala, M., Bennet, S., Boxall, C., Chard, P., Cockbain, N., Eaves, D., Goddard, D., Ma, X., Taylor, C.J., Wilbraham, R., Zabalza, J., Murray, P., Joyce, M.J. 13/02/2025 In: Scientific Reports. 15, 1
Journal article

Digital twin challenges and opportunities for nuclear fuel manufacturing applications
Bandala Sanchez, M., Chard, P., Cockbain, N., Dunphy, D., Eaves, D., Hutchinson, D., Lee, D., Ma, X., Marshall, S., Murray, P., Parker, A., Stirzaker, P., Taylor, C.J., Zabalza, J., Joyce, M. 15/04/2024
Review article

Robust Data Driven Analysis for Electricity Theft Attack-Resilient Power Grid
Khan, I.U., Javaid, N., Taylor, C.J., Ma, X. 31/01/2023 In: IEEE Transactions on Power Systems. 38, 1, p. 537-548. 12 p.
Journal article

Adaptive treatment and robust control
Clairon, Q., Henderson, R., Young, N., Wilson, E., Taylor, C.J. 30/03/2021 In: Biometrics. 77, 1, p. 223-236. 14 p.
Journal article

True digital control: statistical modelling and non–minimal state space design
Taylor, C.J., Young, P., Chotai, A. 08/2013 Chichester : John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 360 p. ISBN: 978-1-118-52121-2. Electronic ISBN: 978-1-118-53551-6.
Book

Robust and adaptive anticoagulant control
Avery, P., Clairon, Q., Henderson, R., Taylor, C.J., Wilson, E. 1/06/2020 In: Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series C (Applied Statistics). 69, 3, p. 503-524. 22 p.
Journal article

Dealing with observational data in control
Wilson, E.D., Clairon, Q., Henderson, R., Taylor, C.J. 2018 In: Annual Reviews in Control. 46, p. 94-106. 13 p.
Journal article

State-dependent control of a hydraulically-actuated nuclear decommissioning robot
Taylor, C.J., Robertson, D. 12/2013 In: Control Engineering Practice. 21, 12, p. 1716-1725. 10 p.
Journal article

The Microphenotron: a robotic miniaturized plant phenotyping platform with diverse applications in chemical biology
Burrell, T.I., Fozard, S., Holroyd, G.H., French, A.P., Pound, M.P., Bigley, C., Taylor, C.J., Forde, B.G. 1/03/2017 In: Plant Methods. 13, 20 p.
Journal article

Development of a grow-cell test facility for research into sustainable controlled-environment agriculture
Tsitsimpelis, I., Wolfenden, I., Taylor, C.J. 10/2016 In: Biosystems Engineering. 150, p. 40-53. 14 p.
Journal article

James Kennedy

James Kennedy

PhD student

  • AIRS-NFM
  • Doctorate Centre in Nuclear Engineering
  • DSAIL - Foundations
  • Energy Lancaster
  • Lancaster Intelligent, Robotic and Autonomous Systems Centre
  • LIRA - Environmental Modelling
  • LIRA - Extreme Environments
  • LIRA - Fundamentals
  • Robotics and Control
  • TALOS