Embedded Systems & Control Engineering

Maxime Balança

Systems Engineer at Airbus | MSc ENSEEIHT, Toulouse

Real-time embedded systems, control architecture and system integration for aerospace and robotics.
Driven by physics-driven innovation, autonomous systems and emerging technologies.

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01About Me

Systems engineer with a background in electrical engineering, electronics, control systems and embedded technologies. Graduate of ENSEEIHT (Top 10% French Engineering Institute), currently working at Airbus as a Systems Engineer on Integrated Modular Avionics.

My experience focuses on complex embedded systems: distributed avionics architectures, system integration, hardware/software interfaces, real-time simulation and validation. I have also applied this systems engineering approach to hybrid energy and distributed electric propulsion architectures, and robotics research.

I am particularly interested in embedded and autonomous systems, where reliability depends on strong architecture, robust integration, control, communication and validation.

Core Expertise

Systems Engineering Embedded Systems Avionics Integration Control Engineering HW/SW Integration Real-Time Simulation

Avionics & Embedded Platforms

IMA CPIOM / CRDC AFDX Network CAN Bus Analog & Discrete I/O Avionics Computers

Tools & Software

MATLAB / Simulink RT ROS / RViz Python C / C++ PLECS Quartus Arduino LaTeX React / Next.js

Domains

Aircraft Systems Distributed Avionics (IMA) Electronics Robotics Energy Management Systems Electric / Hybrid Architectures

02Education

2021 - 2024

Master of Science (MSc)

ENSEEIHT, National Polytechnical Institute, Toulouse

Real-Time Automatic Systems, Control Architecture and Embedded Systems

Estimation & Filtering Robust & Optimal Control Adaptive & Predictive Control Hybrid Dynamical Systems Aeronautical Systems Optimization Algorithms Multidimensional Systems Discrete Systems Modeling
2022 - 2023

Gap Year

Industry and Research Internships

Aerospace energy optimization (France) and robotics/computer vision (USA)

2020 - 2021

Bachelor of Science (BSc)

ENSEEIHT, National Polytechnical Institute, Toulouse

Electronics, Electrical Energy and Automation

Computer Science & Digital Systems Electromagnetism Static Conversion & Control Automation & Non-linear Systems Numerical Analysis & Statistics Electrical Circuits & Systems
2018 - 2020

Preparatory Classes (CPGE)

Competitive Entrance Exams Preparation

Intensive undergraduate courses in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science and Industrial Engineering at a highly selective institution. Admitted to ENSEEIHT (Top 10% French Engineering Institute).

03Professional Experience

September 2023 - 2024 Work-Study

R&T Project Coordinator / System Engineer

AIRBUS Research & Technology, Aircraft of Tomorrow Division

Contributed to Airbus R&T activities within Clean Sky 2, a €600M European research program developing next-generation propulsion, energy systems and aircraft configurations for cleaner aviation.

  • Led the technical synthesis of 16 demonstrators covering propulsion, energy management and aircraft architecture
  • Consolidated inputs from 30+ European partners and produced a 600-page final report for the Clean Sky Joint Undertaking
  • Contributed to system-level design of a 1:8.5 scale Distributed Electric Propulsion demonstrator: aero-propulsive interactions, electrical system architecture, batteries, power distribution (Iron Bird testing), control law architecture including lateral and longitudinal controllers and DEP thrust-mixing logic

Stream 1: Engine N+1

  • UltraFan Demonstrator: Validate performance of Rolls-Royce UltraFan engine (geared turbofan with 15:1 bypass ratio and 140-inch diameter)
  • SAFARI: Address UHBR engine integration challenges by analyzing noise generation, aerodynamic efficiency, and structural dynamics
  • Non Propulsive Energy: Optimize fuel efficiency using APU to supply energy during ground and descent phases
  • Active Vibration Control: Reduce cockpit/cabin noise through controlled engine noise and fuselage vibrations

Stream 2: Engine N+2

  • Open Rotor & Stator: Explore new engine concepts and enhance eco-viability of Open Rotors
  • Active Flow Control: Recover lift lost due to larger engine diameters, reducing mass flow requirements by over 50%
  • Boundary Layer Ingestion: Capture energy from boundary layer to reduce thrust requirements
  • Techno-Bricks: Develop essential technologies for future propulsion systems
  • Numerical Cross Demo: Develop numerical tools to predict aerodynamic, acoustic, and elastic behaviors

Stream 3: Laminarity

  • HLFC Tails Plane: Implement Hybrid Laminar Flow Control on high-sweep profiles above Mach 0.82
  • NLF Bizjets HTP: Design Natural Laminar Flow architecture for business jet horizontal tail plane
  • HLFC Wing: Develop simplified HLFC concept for long-range wings to reduce CO2 emissions

Stream 4: Radical Aircraft Configuration

  • Advanced Rear End: Innovative rear fuselage design to reduce drag and fuel consumption
  • Scaled Flight Demonstrator: 1:8.5 scale unmanned aircraft, 4m wingspan, 6 electric propellers, M=167kg, V=185km/h
  • Hybrid Electric Propulsion: 2.5 MW hybrid system combining gas turbine with electric generator/motor
  • Distributed Electric Propulsion: Validate DEP concept using differential thrust for aircraft control

Technical Analysis: Distributed Electric Propulsion

Download Full Report (PDF)
January - July 2023 Internship

Robotics Research Engineer

Institute for Experiential Robotics, RIVeR LAB, Northeastern University, Boston

"Avatar" Project (collab. MIT & Brown University)

  • Built a ROS/RViz 3D simulation environment for teleoperation research, replicating robot behavior and operator interactions
  • Developed real-time data pipelines for AI model training and haptic feedback tuning within the Avatar project
June - December 2022 Internship

Hybrid Energy Systems Engineer

AKKODIS, Power System & Green Energy Division

  • Developed dynamic models of lithium-ion batteries and gas turbines for hybrid aircraft architectures using MATLAB/Simulink
  • Designed an ECMS-based energy management strategy to optimize energy consumption across mission scenarios
  • Built a real-time simulation interface to test EMS performance under critical flight conditions using Simulink RT
  • Analysed system-level trade-offs between energy performance, propulsion behavior and operational constraints

Optimization Problem: Minimize equivalent fuel consumption subject to battery SOC constraints and power distribution between gas turbine and battery systems

04Technical Projects

Academic Projects

Autonomous Mobile Robot Control

Developed and programmed a mobile robot with autonomous navigation capabilities using embedded processing techniques.

  • Polling mode: continuous sensor data collection for real-time control
  • Interrupt mode: instant reaction to sensor events
  • Line-following with obstacle avoidance
QuartusPLECSNIOS II

Electric Scooter Speed Regulation

Digital control system for precise speed regulation of a BLDC motor under load torque conditions.

  • BLDC motor control with autopilot table for synchronized current
  • Speed sensor with processor interrupts for closed-loop control
  • PID regulation with real-time execution validation
MATLAB/SimulinkPLECSDRV8312VHDL

Electromechanical Actuator Control

Advanced digital control laws for position regulation of a platform under varying load conditions.

  • Classical analog control (P, PI, PID) with symmetric optimum
  • State feedback with integral action (state-space model)
  • Disturbance observer for load torque estimation
MATLAB/Simulink

PV Panel Management System

Comprehensive system for photovoltaic panel integration into the electrical grid with static converter.

  • Component dimensioning and thermal analysis
  • Buck-Boost converter for PV output fluctuations
  • LF/HF filters and inverter for grid connection
PLECS

Personal Projects

Diver Safety Alert System

Embedded sound safety system on a diver's buoy that emits an alert when boats approach the designated safety zone.

  • Real-time boat detection using camera
  • Safety zone calibration in camera field of view
  • Sound alert integration with sufficient output for motorboat users
  • Flotation deployment and field testing
ArduinoRaspberry PiComputer Vision

Anti-Rolling Tank Stabilization

System that stabilizes a boat by reducing rolling motion through controlled fluid movement (W. Froude's U-tube concept).

  • Fluid dynamics analysis with counteracting torque design
  • Servo-control via Arduino-managed electrovalve
  • Phase synchronization between roll oscillations and fluid movement
ArduinoControl TheoryFluid Dynamics

05Side Projects

Arboria

Personal Knowledge Library App

Developing a web/mobile app to build a personal pocket knowledge library, with structured science sheets organized by themes, adaptive content levels, flashcards, quizzes and topic discovery suggestions.

Arboria - Landing Page
Arboria - Search
Arboria - Categories
Arboria - Suggestions
Arboria - Knowledge Sheet
Arboria - Sheet Content
Arboria - Related Topics
Arboria - Library
Landing Page 1 / 9

@aucoeurdesconcepts / @insideconcepts

Science Communication Content

Creating premium visual content on Instagram and TikTok to explain physics, engineering and scientific concepts through clear, accessible and illustrated storytelling.

Topic 1 How an Aircraft can fly?
Topic 2 The Light: wave or particle?
Topic 3 What is Electricity?

Lumis

Scientific Knowledge Sheets Marketplace

Creating a marketplace for premium illustrated LaTeX knowledge sheets, offering structured 15-20 page resources on scientific concepts with a focus on accuracy, clarity and pedagogy.

Lumis - Landing Page
Lumis - Sheet Detail
Lumis - Purchase Options
Landing Page 1 / 4
How Aircraft Fly - Locked
8 more pages Get the full sheet on Lumis

06Contact

Interested in discussing aerospace, robotics, or control engineering opportunities? Feel free to reach out.