Giorgio Rizzoni
Ford Motor Company Chair in ElectroMechanical Systems
Professor
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
College of Engineering
An internationally recognized scholar in dynamic systems and control, Giorgio Rizzoni advances the modeling, control and diagnosis of complex engineering systems, driving improvements in vehicle efficiency, safety and sustainability. His scholarship spans the interactions of electrical, mechanical, thermal, fluid and chemical subsystems, with long‑standing contributions to propulsion‑system design, control and health monitoring for conventional, hybrid and electric vehicles.
Through his work, he established system‑theoretic approaches to automotive control and diagnostics and later moved the field forward in electrified powertrains and energy storage. By developing methods to optimize how energy flows through a vehicle and to detect and predict component degradation, his research helps make electrified transportation cleaner, more dependable and more cost‑effective. He is widely cited for foundational work in optimal control for hybrid‑electric vehicle energy management and for research that connects physics‑based modeling with data‑driven methods to estimate and prognose battery state of health. These contributions support lower‑emissions transportation and more reliable electrified mobility at scale.
Rizzoni joined the Ohio State faculty in 1990. He is known for mentorship that supports long‑term careers, alongside high‑impact undergraduate and graduate teaching. He has also extended Ohio State’s reach through continuing and professional education programs that prepare practicing engineers for rapidly evolving transportation technologies. He was honored with the college’s Faculty Mentoring Award in 2021 and the Clara M. and Peter L. Scott Faculty Award for Excellence in Engineering Education in 2017.
Since 1999, he has led the Center for Automotive Research, expanding its role in collaborative research, workforce development and engagement with partners in government and industry. His achievements include elevation to Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, as well as election as a Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. His record of achievement, mentoring and service reflects sustained impact across electrical, automotive and mechanical engineering.
