Professor Matthew Cartmell

Emeritus Professor

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Personal statement

I completed my PhD in nonlinear structural dynamics at the University of Edinburgh in 1984 and then worked as a research fellow at Edinburgh after which I held a number of academic positions leading to a senior lectureship at Edinburgh from 1994-1998. From there I was appointed to the chair of applied dynamics at the University of Glasgow from 1998-2006, the James Watt Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Glasgow from 2006-2012, the chair of nonlinear mechanics at the University of Sheffield from 2012-2016, and from 2016 onwards the chair of nonlinear dynamics at the University of Strathclyde. My interests are principally in the modelling of nonlinear dynamical systems, methods of approximate analytical solution to ODE based models, and application of the principles of nonlinear dynamics to problems in structural vibration, energy harvesting, flexible rotors, and momentum exchange space tethers. I am actively working on new ideas for the development of the topic of symbolic computational dynamics. I am actively involved in developing new experimental work for making fundamental measurements of gravitation.

Expertise

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Qualifications

I am educated to Ph.D. level (University of Edinburgh, 1984) and am a former Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Publications

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Publications

Application of the ADAP method to model-based control of the FutureForge manipulator: Johnston D, Cartmell MP; Journal of Sound and Vibration Vol 617 (2025); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsv.2025.119302
Application of symmetrical motorised momentum exchange tethers for two-way Earth-Mars transportation: Afonso Shem Savio, Cartmell Matthew Phillip; Space: Science & Technology Vol 5 (2025); https://doi.org/10.34133/space.0325
Multiscale dynamics of a Foucault pendulum for gravitational measurements: Cartmell Matthew; International colloquium on Multiscale and Multiphysics Modelling for Advanced and Sustainable Materials (2024)
A laboratory scale Foucault pendulum for the measurement of frame-dragging: Cartmell Matthew P, Minisci Edmondo A; Advances in Nonlinear Dynamics, Volume I Third International Nonlinear Dynamics Conference NODYCON Conference Proceedings Series, pp. 735-345 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-50631-4_62
The Terrestrial Measurement of Relativistic Frame-dragging: Cartmell Matthew; (2024)
Dynamics of an omnidirectional pendulum energy harvester : a comparative analysis between numerical and experimental results: Sommermann Philipp, Cartmell Matthew P; International Journal of Non-Linear Mechanics Vol 159 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnonlinmec.2023.104588

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Teaching

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Teaching

I have taught all levels of mechanical engineering dynamics within the UK undergraduate curriculum and have also had experience of teaching differential equation theory within courses in engineering mathematics and of teaching some aspects of mechanical engineering design. I was the Director of Education in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering during session 2016/2017. I currently teach ME528 Control Systems Design.

Research

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Research Interests

I have a deep interest in the mathematical modelling of the dynamics of mechanical systems, with particular emphasis on theoretical oscillators, momentum exchange space tethers, mechanical vibration, and gravitational physics.

Projects

HGSP Awards - SYMBOLIC COMPUTATIONAL DYNAMICS (HGSP OQ): Cartmell, Matthew (Principal Investigator); 06-Jan-2026 - 30-Jan-2027
Symbolic Computational Dynamics: Cartmell, Matthew (Principal Investigator); 19-Jan-2026 - 30-Jan-2026
Symbolic Computation for Differential Equation Based Systems: Cartmell, Matthew (Principal Investigator) Minisci, Edmondo (Co-investigator) Wynne, Bradley (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2022 - 31-Jan-2026
DTP 2224 University of Strathclyde | Downie, Jenna: Cartmell, Matthew (Principal Investigator) Minisci, Edmondo (Co-investigator) Downie, Jenna (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2022 - 01-Jan-2026
Terrestrial measurement of frame-dragging: Cartmell, Matthew (Principal Investigator); 01-Jan-2022 - 28-Jan-2023
CORES - COllaborative REcycling of SPS: Vasile, Massimiliano (Principal Investigator) Cartmell, Matthew (Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2022 - 31-Jan-2025