Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Dynamics and Controls

Dynamics and Controls represents a broad multi-disciplinary area of research. The general aim is to model, analyze and regulate the behavior of dynamical systems. These systems may be physical such as mechanical, electrical, and biological; or economic, social and so forth. The salient feature of the task at hand is to cope with modeling errors, perturbations and disturbances, while ensuring a level of optimality in carrying out a sought objective. Additional challenges are introduced when the task is to be carried out by a collection of autonomous systems in a distributed, decentralized manner. Estimating parameters and learning while carrying out assigned tasks is yet another layer of increasingly more powerful capabilities becoming available with new technologies and availability of computational resources. Specific areas of interest include:

  • Control Theory and Algorithms
  • Autonomous and Distributed systems
  • Navigation and Flight systems
  • Machine Learning


Participating Faculty
 

David Copp

David Copp, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Teaching in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Research Interests: Optimal control and estimation, hybrid dynamical systems, energy storage, pedagogy
Email: dcopp@uci.edu

Tryphon Georgiou

Tryphon Georgiou, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Research Interests: Dynamical systems and control, mathematical physics, applied mathematics, stochastic control, geometry of optimal mass transport, inverse problems in physics and signal analysis, control of fluids, networks and thermodynamic systems
Email: tryphon@uci.edu
Research Lab

Faryar Jabbari

Faryar Jabbari, Ph.D.

Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Research Interests: Optimal control theory, distributed parameter systems, parameter identification
Email: fjabbari@uci.edu
Research Lab

Magnus Egerstedt, Ph.D.

Stacey Nicholas Dean of Engineering, Dean's Office 
Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science 
Professor (Joint Appointment), Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 
Email: magnus@uci.edu

Solmaz Kia

Solmaz Kia, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Research Interests: Systems and control, decentralized/distributed algorithm design for multi-agent systems, cooperative robotics
Email: solmaz@uci.edu
Research Lab

Athanasios Sideris

Athanasios Sideris, Ph.D.

Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Research Interests: Control systems, neural networks
Email: asideris@uci.edu
Research Lab

Haithem Taha

Haithem Taha, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Research Interests: Geometric nonlinear nontrol theory; unsteady aerodynamics and aeroelasticity; optimization, calculus of variations and optimal control; flight dynamics and autopilot design; airplane performance and configuration aerodynamics
Email: hetaha@uci.edu
Research Lab