Data, Vibration and Uncertainty Group
Data, Vibration and Uncertainty Group (2017 - present)
The Data, Vibration and Uncertainty (DVU) Group (officially started on 18/09/17 at the Oxford University Engineering Science Department) is the research team of Dr Alice Cicirello and it has the ambition to tackle fundamental scientific questions and pressing scientific challenges in Engineering for guiding decision making on critical components, structures and systems.
We believe that advancing only physics-based models, or experiments or data-driven techniques in isolation, would not be enough to tackle these problems. Our research strategy is based on developing and integrating state-of-the-art physics-based models, laboratory experiments, monitoring, data-driven techniques, system identification, physics-enhanced machine learning, and uncertainty quantification approaches.
Most of our research interests focus on the investigation of the dynamic performance of complex engineering systems, critical structures, and important functional components, when subjected to manufacturing variability, uncertainty, nonlinearity and sparse and limited information. Our aim is to support decision making on such systems at the design-stage and in operating conditions to avoid unexpected failures and/or performance issues.
Our drive is enabling solutions which are applicable in practice in a broad range of scientific fields and industries, including renewable energy, aerospace, automotive, construction and oil & gas. Some specific examples include: engines, wind turbines, bridges, monitoring systems, frictional contacts. Moreover, we enjoy working in cross-disciplinary environments investigating broader applications.
The Data, Vibration and Uncertainty Group currently includes members at the University of Cambridge, TU Delft, University of Sheffield, and University of Florence. The DVU group is part of the Dynamics and Vibration Research Group, and has strong ties with the Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction, and with the Centre for Climate Repair.
The DVU group has moved over the years. The first DVU laboratory was the Dynamics, Vibration and Uncertainty (DVU) Lab @ Oxford University Engineering Science Department (2017-2021). Later small lab experiments were carried out in the Monitoring, Vibration and Uncertainty (MVU) Lab @ TU Delft (2020 - 2023). Since 2024, the Data, Vibration and Uncertainty lab (2024-present) has been setup at the Cambridge Universtiy Engineering Department.
Our research aims to:
Extract and integrate the most useful and accurate information (measurements; experts opinions; failure investigations; images; physics understanding;… ) to improve models (Data-driven; Physics-based; Combined) and to improve the fundamental understanding on the behavior of components/structures/systems
Predict the performance of innovative solutions to enable the design that:
are relatively insensitive to manufacturing variability, uncertainty and nonlinearity
can reliably withstand operating loading
Assesses the component/structure/system performance and residual life in operating conditions to guiding decision making under:
limited, heterogeneous, multifidelity and sparse data
uncertainty
partial system knowledge
To achieve this, we recognize the need to develop techniques:
Integrating physics-based models and knowledge with data-driven techniques for Structural Health Monitoring, Maintenance planning and Digital Twin Developments
For Uncertainty Quantification and Manufacturing Variability assessment
For nonlinear dynamical systems modelling, testing and identification
For extracting and combining information from different sources: measurements, text, images, domain knowledge, and so on.
First version of the friction investigation setup (2018). Picture Credit: L. Marino
on Machine Learning strategies for Marine Cloud Brightening (2023 - present)
Cross-disciplinary research interests: Animal Vibration (2019-present)
One recent example is the collaboration with the Oxford University Zoology Department on the investigation of the vibration generation mechanism in planthoppers, and the ongoing work on spider dynamics in collaboration with the Animal Vibration Lab in the Oxford University Biology Department.
Spider dynamics, Picture taken from https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsif.2023.0365
Wu J., Miller T. E., Cicirello A., Mortimer B., Spider dynamics under vertical vibration and its implications for biological vibration sensing, Royal Society Interface, 2023.
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2023.0365Davranoglou L-R., Cicirello A., Taylor G.K., Mortimer B., Planthopper bugs use a fast, cyclic elastic recoil mechanism for effective vibrational communication at small body size. PLoS Biology, 2019.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3000155
Work with us!
The DVU group is a creative, positive and stimulating research group. We nurture your talent with 1-2-1 weekly or fortnightly meetings, regular fortnightly group meetings (where each member presents what they did, what went wrong, and what they are planning to do), quarterly review group meetings and dedicated technical and soft skills training opportunities. We celebrate diversity, success, and most importantly, we openly chat about setbacks and learn from things that inevitably do not go as planned. We provide flexible working patterns and direct access to a network of international collaborators. We value your time off, your personal space, and your technical contribution.
The DVU group's core values are: curiosity, innovation, integrity and well-being.
We are always looking for brilliant and motivated new additions to the DVU Group!
Open positions
EPSRC ICASE studentship with Siemens Digital Industry Software
Fusion of Multi-Modal Data in Nonlinear System Modelling by using Machine Learning techniques
Closing date: 31 January 2025
Find out more in the dedicated tab: work with us