1346922
Associate Professor
Michael Cholette
Faculty of Engineering,
School of Mech., Medical & Process Engineering
Biography
Michael E. Cholette obtained his B.S. degree from the University of Michigan in 2007 and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2012, where his research focused on fault detection and diagnosis for complex systems, with applications in automotive systems and semiconductor manufacturing. He joined the CRC for Infrastructure and Engineering Asset Management (CIEAM) in Brisbane, Australia as a postdoctoral research fellow, focusing on reliability modelling and asset management. He joined QUT as a Lecturer in 2013 and became an Associate Professor in 2021. In 2026 he was appointed CEO of the Asset Institute, a national not-for-profit that continues the legacy of CIEAM, developing and disseminating industry-ready asset management research, tools, and methodologies for public benefit.Michael has broad experience across a number of engineering disciplines related to dynamic systems, reliability, and applied optimisation. His primary expertise lies in asset management, particularly reliability modelling, Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM), and maintenance optimisation. He has also contributed to fields including condition monitoring, control, autonomous vehicles, and building optimisation. His research has been supported by a variety of industrial and government bodies, including Queensland Rail, Wilmar Sugar, the Australian Research Council, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, and the US Department of Energy. He is a Fellow of the International Society of Engineering Asset Management and co-chaired the Scientific Committee for the 2017 World Congress on Engineering Asset Management.
Personal details
Positions
- Associate Professor
Faculty of Engineering,
School of Mech., Medical & Process Engineering
Keywords
Reliability Engineering, Maintenance Optimisation, Predictive Control, Renewable Energy, Engineering Optimisation
Research field
Mechanical engineering, Other engineering
Field of Research code, Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC), 2020
Qualifications
- PhD (University of Texas at Austin)
Professional memberships and associations
International Society of Engineering Asset Management (Fellow)
Engineers Australia (Member)
Teaching
EGB432 Engineering Asset Management and Maintenance
EGH421 Vibration & Control
EGH413 Advanced Dynamics
Publications
- Truong-Ba, H., Rebello, S., Cholette, M., Reddy, V. & Borghesani, P. (2026). Bayesian multivariate track geometry degradation modeling and its use in condition-based inspection. Railway Engineering Science, 34(2), 217–241. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/260663
- Khalaj, S., Truong-Ba, H., Cholette, M., Rebello, S. & Chan, T. (2026). Rail surface defect prediction and inspection planning using limited maintenance data - a hierarchical Bayesian approach. International Journal of Rail Transportation, 14(2), 221–244. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/257771
- Lupi, C., Anderson, C., Picotti, G., Cholette, M. & Manzolini, G. (2025). Design of solar fields for Concentrated Solar Power plants considering operation and maintenance activities. Solar Energy, 297, Article 113564. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/257826
- Truong-Ba, H., Cholette, M., Rebello, S. & Kent, G. (2024). Joint planning of inspection, replacement, and component decommissioning for a series system with non-identically degrading components. Reliability Engineering and System Safety, 241, Article 109701. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/243964
- Anderson, C., Picotti, G., Cholette, M., Leslie, B., Steinberg, T. & Manzolini, G. (2023). Heliostat-field soiling predictions and cleaning resource optimization for solar tower plants. Applied Energy, 352, Article 121963. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/243865
- Picotti, G., Cholette, M., Anderson, C., Steinberg, T. & Manzolini, G. (2023). Stochastic soiling loss models for heliostats in Concentrating Solar Power plants. Solar Energy, 263, Article 111945. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/242504
- Cholette, M., Liu, L., Jeddi, B. & Mishra, Y. (2022). Battery Dispatching for End Users With On-Site Renewables and Peak Demand Charges--An Approximate Dynamic Programming Approach. IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, 30(5), 2100–2114. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/227233
- Picotti, G., Moretti, L., Cholette, M., Binotti, M., Simonetti, R., Martelli, E., Steinberg, T. & Manzolini, G. (2020). Optimization of cleaning strategies for heliostat fields in solar tower plants. Solar Energy, 204, 501–514. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/201838
- Cholette, M., Yu, H., Borghesani, P., Ma, L. & Kent, G. (2019). Degradation modeling and condition-based maintenance of boiler heat exchangers using gamma processes. Reliability Engineering and System Safety, 183, 184–196. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/123284
- Zhou, Y., Cholette, M., Bhaskar, A. & Chung, E. (2019). Optimal vehicle trajectory planning with control constraints and recursive implementation for automated on-ramp merging. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, 20(9), 3409–3420. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/122623
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Michael, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).
Filter publications:
A complete list of publications is available at: https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/michael.cholette
Selected research projects
- Title
- ARC Industry Transformation Research Hub for Resilient and Intelligent Infrastructure Systems (RIIS) in Urban, Resources and Energy Sectors
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- IH210100048
- Start year
- 2022
- Keywords
- Title
- Condition-Based Maintenance Optimisation for Queensland's Railways
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- LP200100382
- Start year
- 2021
- Keywords
- Title
- Australian Solar Thermal Research Initiative (ASTRI) - Node 4
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- Start year
- 2012
- Keywords
- Energy Efficiency; Solar Chemistry; Solar Thermal; Thermal Storage; Value To The Grid
Projects listed above are funded by Australian Competitive Grants. Projects funded from other sources are not listed due to confidentiality agreements.
Supervision
Current supervisions
- Design and operation optimization of solar tower plants integrating aiming strategies with heliostats and receiver status and degradation modes
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Stuart Bell - Development of experimentally-informed predictive soiling models for solar power applications with enhanced dust characterisation
MPhil, Mentoring Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Giovanni Picotti - Feasibility Assessment and Reliability Analysis of Wind Energy Systems in Australia
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Ehsan Arzaghi, Dr Huy Truong-Ba - Machine learning modelling supported optimisation of hydrochloric acid leaching for the extraction of alumina from kaolin clay
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Sara Couperthwaite, Associate Professor Wayde Martens - Mission critical data centre energy and PUE reduction via realtime IT kW dynamic pressure independent differential temperature control to optimize cooling economization
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Adjunct Associate Professor Wendy Miller - Modelling Degradation of Key Components of Building HVAC Systems and Optimizing Maintenance Policies
PhD, Mentoring Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Huy Truong-Ba, Professor Tommy Chan - Modelling of soiling-driven scattering losses for concentrated solar collectors
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Giovanni Picotti - On-Demand Hydrogen: Electrolyser Operation and Degradation under Cycling in an Australian Context
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Associate Professor Dezso Sera - Optimising Inspection and Maintenance Policy for Track Geometry considering Data from On-service Trains
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Dr Huy Truong-Ba, Dr Ehsan Arzaghi - Prediction and Maintenance Strategies for Railway Surface Defects
PhD, Associate Supervisor
Other supervisors: Professor Tommy Chan, Dr Huy Truong-Ba
Completed supervisions (Doctorate)
- Degradation Modelling and Condition-Based Maintenance for Pressure Equipment in Sugar Mills (2026)
- Dynamics of Community Batteries: Optimal Sizing and Control (2026)
- Dispatch Optimisation for a Concentrating Solar Tower Power Plant Under Uncertainty (2025)
- Operation and Maintenance Planning of Concentrated Solar Thermal Tower Plants: Soiling Mitigation and Receiver Control (2024)
- A novel framework of leveraging large scale trajectories for route choice modelling (2023)
- Minimisation of fresh produce loss in the fresh food supply chain (2023)
- An Evaluation Method to Include Complex Fenestration Systems in the Facade Design Process (2021)
- Design to Maintenance: A New Construction Design and Building Life Cycle Management Approach (2021)
- Lean Integrated Optimisation Model of Emergency Department for Improved Patient Flow (2021)
- Modelling of Critical Components in Solar Tower Plants for Degradation Assessment and Maintenance Planning (2021)
Completed supervisions (Masters by Research)
- The implications of imperfect cleaning on optimised cleaning operations in solar power applications (2023)
- Network-Wide Traffic Congestion Visual Analytics: A Case Study for Brisbane Bluetooth MAC Scanner Data (2021)
- Failure Mode Analysis on Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Plants; A case study on solar tower power plant (2016)
Supervision topics
The supervisions listed above are only a selection.