I'm an experienced academic with over years of experience in higher education & scientific research. I'm currently pursuing my PhD in Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology under the guidance of Dr. Kyriakos Vamvoudakis in the Intelligent Cyber-Physical Systems Lab.

My research interests are at the captivating intersection of Robotics, System Identification, Control Theory, Game Theory, Cyber-physical Systems, Autonomy, and Reinforcement Learning.

Feel free to get in touch!

Publications

Teaching

As an Instructor, my teaching experience spanned a broad range of undergraduate and graduate courses in Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering. I was responsible for instruction, curriculum development, and laboratory management in fundamental areas including Dynamics, Control Systems, Robotics, Finite Element Analysis, and Engineering Design.

Academic Courses Taught

I delivered instruction for the following undergraduate and graduate courses, recitations and laboratories:

  • MCE216L - Intro. to Engineering Drawing and Workshop
  • MCE220 - Engineering Statics
  • MCE222 - Engineering Dynamics
  • MCE226L - Comp. Applications in Mech. Engineering I
  • MCE236L - Solid Modeling
  • MCE311L - Intro. to Engineering Instrumentation
  • MCE326L - Comp. Applications in Mech. Engineering II
  • MCE345L - Thermofluids Laboratory
  • MCE410L - Control Systems
  • MCE473L - Finite Element Analysis
  • MTR550L - Introduction to Robotics
  • MTR650 - Linear Estimation

Curriculum and Program Development

A key focus of my work has been modernizing engineering education. I played an integral role in curriculum redesign, including developing teaching materials and revamping courses. This culminated in contributing to the proposal and accreditation of new programs launched in 2024, including the B.S. in Intelligent Systems and Mechatronics Engineering. I also actively supported student capstone projects and theses by assisting with hardware selection and experimental setups.

Executive Education and Outreach

Beyond formal academic programs, I have designed and delivered executive education and certification programs for diverse audiences, from governmental bodies to high school students. Notable initiatives include:

  • Dubai Municipality Robotic 3D Printing
  • AUS Drones Academy
  • MCE Explore, Design and Build Bootcamp
  • AUS Engineering Day

Curriculum Vitae

If the embedded version of my CV does not work, or if it is not showing properly (on smaller screens), you can download a copy here

Biography

Ali Wadi received his B.Sc. (cum laude) and M.Sc. (magna cum laude) degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, in 2015 and 2017, respectively. He earned a second M.Sc. (summa cum laude) degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA, in 2026, where he is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering.

He is currently a Graduate Research Assistant with the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. From 2018 to 2024, he worked as an Instructor with the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the American University of Sharjah. His research interests are at the intersection of robotics, system identification, control theory, game theory, cyber-physical systems, autonomy, and reinforcement learning. He published over 30 papers in leading refereed journals and conference proceedings.

Education

Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 2028
Honors: suma cum laude.

M.Sc., Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 2025
Honors: suma cum laude.

M.Sc., Mechanical Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE, 2017
Thesis: Modeling and Guidance of an Underactuated Autonomous Underwater Vehicle.
Honors: magna cum laude.

B.Sc., Mechanical Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE, 2015
Honors: cum laude.

Awards & Honors

  • [2023] Team shortlisted as a finalist in the Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport 2023.
  • [2023] Awarded the American University of Sharjah Outstanding Interdisciplinary Research Team Award.
  • [2020] Team won 3rd place developing a mobile robot solution for Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) smelter inspection.
  • [2016] Awarded full studentship to pursue graduate studies at the American University of Sharjah.
  • [2015] Finalist in the poster competition at the ISMA’ 15 conference held at the American University of Sharjah.
  • [2011 - 2015] Made it to the Dean's and Chancellor's academic excellence honors lists, 7 and 3 times respectively.
  • [2011] Awarded merit Scholarship upon joining the American University of Sharjah.

Service

  • Journal Reviewer: Automatica, Nature Communications, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, Journal of the Franklin Institute, European Journal of Control, Asian Journal of Control, IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, IEEE Access, IEEE Sensors Journal, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, Elsevier Ocean Engineering, Journal of Energy Storage, Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, Elsevier Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Springer Nature Scientific Reports, Springer Nature Discover Artificial Intelligence, Springer Nature Electrical Engineering, Springer Nature Sustainable Futures, Springer Nature Discover Electronics, Springer Nature Nonlinear Dynamics, Elsevier Energy and AI, Elsevier Sustainable Futures.
  • Conference Reviewer: Conference on Decision and Control, American Control Conference, Learning for Dynamics and Control Conference, Conference on Control Technology and Applications.
  • Judge: "20th First Lego League (FLL)," UAE, 2023
  • Judge: "Lockheed Martin-sponsored First Tech Challenge (FTC)," UAE, 2019
  • Mentor: "Lockheed Martin-sponsored First Tech Challenge (FTC)," UAE, 2019