Dear DISC member,
We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Prof. Huibert Kwakernaak, the first scientific director of DISC and one of the founding members of Netwerk Systeem- en Regeltheorie — the predecessor of DISC. Prof. Kwakernaak taught the inaugural edition of the DISC course Design Methods for Control Systems, a course that continues to be a cornerstone of our program. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of Automatica for nearly a decade, from 1994 to 2003. His remarkable and lasting contributions to the Systems and Control community, both in the Netherlands and internationally, will always be remembered and deeply appreciated by all of us. Prof. Henk Nijmeijer, Prof. Jan Willem Polderman, Prof. Arjan van der Schaft, Prof. Hans Zwart and Dr.ir. Gjerrit Meinsma have contributed In Memoriam of Prof. Kwakernaak in this newsletter.
Last month, we were delighted to reconnect with many DISC members and students at the Benelux Meeting on Systems and Control, held in Egmond aan Zee. The sunny weather, combined with an outstanding lineup of plenary speakers and a high-quality program, energized all participants in conducting world-class research in systems & control for the coming year. Among the plenary speakers, Prof. Dabbene gave special recognition to the DISC community, highlighting it as a model institution that fosters collaboration and offers top-tier graduate programs. We sincerely thank all of you for your continued dedication to DISC, and extend our special gratitude to the organizers of the Benelux Meeting 2025: Raffaella Carloni, Javier Alonso-Mora, Janset Dasdemir, and Erjen Lefeber, along with Maaike Kraeger-Holland and Kay Stavenuiter, whose tireless efforts over the past six months ensured a smooth and successful event.
As widely announced during the Benelux Meeting, we are excited to present this year’s DISC Summer School on Estimation and Control with Coarse Information. Full details can be found on the official website: https://sites.google.com/rug.nl/discsummerschool2025.
This year’s distinguished lecturers include Daniel Liberzon (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Dragan Nešić and Girish Nair (University of Melbourne), and Bahman Gharesifard (Queen’s University). We strongly encourage you to enrol and stay at the venue — NH Leeuwenhorst in Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands — to fully benefit from close interaction and engagement with the speakers and fellow participants. Alternatively, day-only participation option is available at a reduced rate of €600. Importantly, don’t forget to enroll — we look forward to welcoming you to NH Leeuwenhorst on June 3rd!
Best regards,
Bayu Jayawardhana, scientific director
Maaike Kraeger-Holland, office manager
Please note: the DISC office is closed from 18 April-6 May 2025.
We are moved by the sad news that recently Professor Huibert Kwakernaak (Huib) passed away at the age of 87 years.
The impact of Huib as a professor in Applied Mathematics cannot be over estimated. Huib completed his doctoral thesis Optimal Control with random Inputs in 1963 at the University of California in Berkeley. Thereafter he worked as an Associate Professor at the Technical University Delft. Huib came from Delft, to Twente in 1970 , together with Rens Strijbos, where he founded the research group Systems and Control, nowadays MAST. His initial appointment was Professor Stochastic Mathematical Physics. With Arun Bagchi, Geert Jan Olsder (till 1982), Arjan van der Schaft, Henk Nijmeijer, Jan Willem Polderman, Hans Zwart, and, later, his former PhD student Gjerrit Meinsma, the group grew in scientific reputation to the point that it belonged to the top of the world in S&C. What counted for Huib was ‘quality’. Indeed, all of these appointments were not necessarily in line with his own research interests. In fact, Huib made it very clear that a newly appointed staff member should develop his/her own research line. This emphasis on quality was also expressed in his view on teaching: you can only be a good teacher if you fully understand the subject.
Huib was a nationally and internationally leading control scientist. He was a Fellow of the IEEE, a Fellow of IFAC, and held the Distinguished Service Award of IFAC.
His book with Ravi Sivan on linear optimal control theory, written in his early days in Twente and published in 1972, has been for many years the leading international reference on this subject. Huib also served as the director of the national research school on systems and control (DISC).
In a sense Huib was a pragmatic engineer. At the same time, he did not have the slightest fear for abstract mathematics as long as he could use it in his own research. At such occasions he could evolve from an ignorant beginner to a leading expert within weeks.
Huib was a dedicated teacher, deeply respected by the students. He acted as responsible professor for more than 130 students and quite a few graduate students. If the daily supervision was done by one of the other group members, then Huib confined himself to his legal duties as a full professor and made sure that all credits went to the actual supervisor. Huib introduced a special way of determining the graduation grade. The discussion about the grade was done in the presence of the student, a very transparent procedure. At one occasion, the student was awarded a seven, a nice grade, but the student objected. He pointed out that the central theorem, including its nontrivial proof, was completely his work. Huib asked the supervisor whether that was true and the supervisor confirmed the claim made by the student. In his reaction, Huib was just happy to change the grade into an eight. Huib took his responsibility as a thesis advisor very seriously. His PhD students invariably experienced his punctuality and reliability. He would always meticulously read the drafts of his PhD students. In a sense, Huib was a classical professor, his PhD students were not expected to approach him on a first name basis. On the other hand, one PhD student remembered that Huib called him on the day after his defence that now that he was a doctor, he could call him Huib. One other PhD student who was externally supervised explained that at his thesis defence Huib, being the official promotor, had to read the laudatio. After having fulfilled his duty Huib publicly added that his only contribution was indeed reading the laudatio after which he expressed his sincere appreciation to the actual supervisor.
Huib was what we would now call an early adapter. He could not wait to apply and use new technologies. In that spirit he regularly took the stroll to the computer science building to use their modern laser printers long before the existence of such printers was considered relevant at the Applied Mathematics department. He contributed himself by introducing a sophisticated, yet user friendly paper upload system, which he baptised Paper Plaza, initially for the journal Automatica. Later Paper Plaza was adopted by many conference organisations. Huib, together with Pradeep Misra (Emeritus Wright State University), continued to maintain and further develop Paper Plaza until last year.
We remember Huib as a very dedicated scholar with great impact on the local, national and international level.
Henk Nijmeijer, UT 1983-2000
Jan Willem Polderman, UT 1987-2023
Arjan van der Schaft, UT 1982-2005
Hans Zwart, UT 1988-present
Gjerrit Meinsma, former PhD student of Huib, UT 1997-present
Reflections on the 44th Benelux Meeting on Systems and Control – 2025
We recently gathered in Egmond aan Zee, the Netherlands, for the 44th Benelux Meeting on Systems and Control. This three-day event brought together PhD researchers, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty members from the Netherlands, Belgium, and beyond, fostering collaboration and innovation within our community. We were honored to host four distinguished plenary speakers:
Kristin Pettersen (NTNU, Norway), Tom Oomen (TU/e, the Netherlands), Antonis Papachristodoulou (University of Oxford, UK), and Fabrizio Dabbene (CNR, Italy). Their insightful talks and the engaging discussions that followed inspired and motivated us all.
A highlight was the presentation of the DISC Best Thesis Award to Leontine Aarnoudse (1st prize), Max Bolderman (2nd prize) and Lizan Kivits (3rd prize), and the Best Junior Presentation Award to Amir Shahhosseini. The (other) finalists from the Best Junior Presentation Award 2025 were: Timo de Groot, Finn Vehlhaber, Mischa Huisman, Stefan van Dijk and Radu Cimpean. We also celebrated PhD students who earned their DISC Certificates, marking significant
milestones in their academic journeys. The conference provided a warm and supportive platform for PhD students to share their work, receive feedback, and connect with peers. The energy, curiosity, and openness of the participants made the event truly memorable, from the sessions to the coffee breaks and evening dinners.
Special thanks to DISC Scientific Director Bayu Jayawardhana, Office Manager Maaike Kraeger-Holland, and Student Assistant Kay Stavenuiter for their exceptional support in organizing the event. We look forward to next year’s edition in Belgium and many more years of connection and inspiration. Warm thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of this event.
Organizing Committee
Javier Alonso-Mora, Raffaella Carloni, Janset Dasdemir and Erjen Lefeber
Best Thesis Award 2024 – winner Leontine Aarnoudse (1st prize):
I am honored to receive the DISC Best Thesis Award and would like to take this opportunity to thank once again my supervisors, colleagues and collaborators who contributed to the PhD process. I would also like to thank DISC, not only for the award but more importantly for the highly valuable courses and Benelux meetings I was able to attend during my PhD. During the award ceremony it was mentioned that my thesis addressed the development of new learning-based control strategies as well as the implementation of those strategies on real systems. For me, research is most interesting at this crossroads of theory and application, and I hope that that is indeed reflected in my thesis on “Data-driven randomized and nonlinear learning for control,” which I can recommend to anyone interested in the possibilities of learning-based control for complex systems.
Best Thesis Award 2024 – winner Max Bolderman (2nd prize):
I am honored to have won second price for the DISC PhD thesis award 2024 for my thesis entitled: “Physics-guided neural networks for high-precision mechatronics”. Within this work, we investigated the use of artificial intelligence, and in particular neural networks, in combination with prior physics-based knowledge to accurately model system dynamics from data. Using the resulting models for feedforward control and commutation resulted in improved performance for high-precision mechatronic systems. Special thanks to my supervisors Mircea Lazar and Hans Butler. In addition, it was with great pleasure to again join the DISC Benelux meeting on Systems and Control and meet former colleagues and friends, now from the perspective of my new role as system engineer at IBS Precision Engineering.
Best Thesis Award 2024 – winner Lizan Kivits (3rd prize):
My PhD thesis is entitled modelling and identification of physical linear networks. In this thesis, physical networks are described in terms of individual elements that are interconnected with each other. By exploiting the symmetry property of the linear physical elements, the requirements for identification of the dynamics of (a part of) the network become rather simple, leading to simple and cheap experiments. Further, it is often challenging to find the cause of an error in such a complex system. The developed network description in terms of interacting symmetric elements makes it easy to locate faulty elements, leading to faster repairs.
Winning this award is a tremendous recognition of the quality of my work. It boosts my confidence in my research capabilities and motivates me to proceed with research.
Best Junior Presentation Award 2025 –
winner Amir Shahhosseini (KU Leuven)
I am honored to receive this award, and I would like to express my gratitude for this recognition. Beyond the personal honor, I am especially heartened by what this award represents more broadly—the growing attention being paid to neuromorphic systems within the control community. I am hopeful that continued dialogue and collaboration within our field will further enrich the foundations of neuromorphic theory.
Thank you once again. It is a privilege to be part of such a forward-looking community.
Please register at your earliest convenience for the DISC Summer School 2025
Estimation and control with coarse information.
3-6 June 2025 in NH Leeuwenhorst, Noordwijkerhout NL
You can register with or without accommodation at the Leeuwenhorst hotel.
More information and the registration link can be found on
TU Delft DISC_online
The topic of the DISC Winter School has been selected and more information on this winter course will follow soon. Please keep an eye on the DISC website and the DISC Newsletter.
Dear all,
You can now register to the following course of the Graduate School in Systems, Optimization, Control and Networks (SOCN). This mini-course will start on May 5, 2025
Title: An Introduction to Sparse Identification of Nonlinear Dynamics | SOCN Graduate School
Lecturer: Cassio Oishi, Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Brazil
Dates: May 05-06, 2025
The course will take place at UCLouvain.
Registration is open via our On-line form Registration | SOCN Graduate School
Pascale Premereur
pascale.premereur@uclouvain.be
______________________________________________
Dear DISC members,
We are pleased to invite you to the upcoming workshop:
Scientific Machine Learning in Academia and Beyond: From Theory to Real-World Impact
Date: Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Time: 12:30–18:00
Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Utrecht
Organized by Computational Science NL in close collaboration with 4TU.AMI SRI on Bridging Numerical Analysis and Machine Learning and the national initiative AI and Mathematics (AIM), this workshop will bring together leading researchers and industry experts to explore the growing impact of Scientific Machine Learning (SciML) on real-world applications across sectors such as climate science, engineering, and infrastructure.
The program will include talks and discussions on practical and theoretical advances in SciML, with a focus on making tools robust and scalable for deployment.
Confirmed speakers:
Participation is free of charge, but space is limited. To register, please email bureau@platformwiskunde.nl by May 15. A confirmation (including a short discussion document) will be sent after the deadline.
Further information can be found on the website: https://www.computationalsciencenl.nl/en/scientific-machine-learning-in-academia-and-beyond/
We hope to see many of you there for an exciting afternoon of exchange and networking.
On behalf of the organizing team,
Wil Schilders (TU/e), Victorita Dolean (TU/e), Alexander Heinlein (TU Delft), Silke Glas (University of Twente)
————————————–
Dr. Silke M. Glas
Assistant Professor
University of Twente
Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics & Computer Science
________________________________________________
If you are traveling to the ECC25, it is my pleasure to advertise the two workshops below:
The talks feature top-notch speakers and are open to all – no expertise on those topics is needed.
All relevant info is in the websites, including financial support via the EUCA Student Travel Support Program.
Thank you for your kind consideration.
Best,
Luca Ballotta
Name: Lowe Blom
Starting date: 01-03-2025
Function: Doctoral Candidate
Email: l.blom@tue.nl
Group: CST – DPE
Supervisor: Lennino Cacace
Project: Fabry-Pérot cavity for Smart*Light 2.0
My name is Lowe Blom and after following both my BSc and MSc in Mechanical Engineering at the TU/e on the topic of increasing angle acceptance of displacement measuring interferometers. I am now joining the CST group as a PhD candidate under the supervision of Lennino Cacace. I will be involved in the Smart*Light 2.0 project, which aims to develop a ‘tabletop synchrotron’: a reliable and optimized instrument for specific X-ray analysis techniques. In my research I will focus on the development of a Fabry-Pérot cavity, which stores laser pulses with a high stability and synchronization to increase the output of photons. In my free time I play the bass guitar and tennis. I also enjoy making wooden furniture and restoring hand tools. You can find me in the DPE lab for a chat and/or a coffee. I look forward to meeting you!
Name: Brett Klaassen van Oorschot
Starting date: 17/2/2025
Function: Post-doctoral Researcher
Email: b.klaassen.van.oorschot@tue.nl
Group: Robotics section of Mechanical Engineering
Supervisor: Femke van Beek
Project: A Drop-in Sensing Method for Smart Handling of Fresh Fruits with Soft Pneumatic Grippers
Hello! My name is Brett Klaassen van Oorschot. I am a post-doctoral researcher with a background in biology, fluid dynamics, and soft robotics. I am thrilled to be joining you all. My research at TU/e with Dr. Femke van Beek focuses on developing haptic sensing capabilities in soft robotic grippers and suction cups. My previous work spans many systems including avian aerodynamics, stress physiology, microorganism biomechanics, machine learning, nuclear physics, insect adhesion, and cuttlefish-inspired biomimetic suction cups. I am an avid cyclist, rock climber, photographer, farmer, and tinkerer. You can learn more about me at www.brettkvo.com.
Name: Michiel Wind
Starting date: 01-02-2025
Function: PhD Candidate
Email: m.wind@tue.nl
Group: CST – Group Heemels
Supervisors: Maurice Heemels, Victor Dolk
Project: COMEDI – “Cost-effective Mechatronic Design for High-Tech Systems”
Hey everyone, my name is Michiel and I recently started as a PhD candidate in the CST group at the TU/e. During my master’s Systems and Control I had the opportunity to do an internship at ETH Zurich where I worked on learning-based MPC and system identification on a model rocket. My thesis was in collaboration with ASML where the focus was on developing an adaptive feedforward scheme for one of their motion platforms. My PhD research will again be in collaboration with ASML where I will focus on creating and extending novel methods that combine data-driven (predictive) control with frequency-domain data.
In my free time I like to make music, I like to play the guitar and have recently picked up the cello. I look forward to the challenges ahead and am always open for a friendly chat.
Name: Samarth Toolhally
Starting: 13-01-2025
Function: PhD
Email: s.toolhally@tue.nl
University and Department/Group: TU/e, Control Systems
Supervisor: prof. Siep Weiland and dr. Maarten Schoukens
Short introduction: My name is Samarth Toolhally, and I hold a Master’s degree in Systems and Control from Eindhoven University of Technology, where I was part of the Control Systems group. For my master’s thesis, I focused on developing a digital twin of the thermo-fluidic process within the fixation unit of a commercial inkjet printer.
During my PhD, I will be working on “Hybrid Modeling and Sensor/Actuator Layout Optimization for Thermal Control in Lithography Applications.” My research will be conducted under the supervision of Prof. Siep Weiland and Dr. Maarten Schoukens, in collaboration with ASML.
Name: Saeed Karimzadeh
Starting: 1-4-2025
Function: Researcher
Email: s.karimzadeh@tudelft.nl
University and Department/Group: TU Delft, ME-DCSC Team McAllister
Supervisor: Dr. Koty McAllister
Project: Cohesion project with EWI – Delft Automated Agriculture Testbed (DAAT)
Short introduction:
I am a PhD candidate in Biosystems Engineering at the University of California, Davis, and I’ll be spending six months at Dr. McAllister’s lab here at TU Delft. My research focuses on applying engineering principles in greenhouses and vertical farms. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Shiraz University, Iran, and a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Italy.
During my stay, I’ll be working on the greenhouse at the Botanical Garden, where I’ll explore the use of robotics for microclimate monitoring and management. I’m very excited to be part of DCSC and am looking forward to meeting everyone!
Feel free to send me an email if you’d like to have a friendly chat. I’m also very interested in learning about your research.
Candidate: Xiupeng Chen
University and Department/Group: SMS, DTPA, RUG
Thesis title: Game theoretic coordination and control of decentralized energy systems
Promotor: Prof Nima Monshizadeh, Prof Jacquelien Scherpen
Date: 21 March
Location: Aula, Academy Building, Broerstraat 5 Groningen
Time: 11 a.m.
Candidate: Asala Mahajna
University and Department/Group: DTPA, RUG
Thesis title: Demystifying water microbiomes in engineered ecosystems: from drinking water distribution systems to saline activated sludge
Promotor: Prof Bayu Jayawardhan, Prof Gert-Jan Euverink, Prof K. Keesman
Date: 8 April
Location: Aula, Academy Building, Broerstraat 5 Groningen
Time: 2.30 p.m.
Candidate: Lidong Li
University and Department/Group: SMS, RUG
Thesis title: Data-driven controller learning in noisy environments
Promotor: Prof Nima Monshizadeh, Prof Claudio De Persis
Date: 22 April
Location: Aula, Academy Building, Broerstraat 5 Groningen
Time: 2.30 p.m.
Candidate: Vinod Bajaj
University and Department/Group: TU Delft ME-DCSC
Thesis title: Digital signal processing for fiber optic communication systems
Promotor: Prof.dr.ing. S. Wahls, Dr.ing. R. Van de Plas
Date: 25-4-2025
Location: TU Delft, Aula Senaatszaal
Time: 12.30
Candidate: Xiaoyan Dai
University and Department/Group: SMS, RUG
Thesis title: Nonlinear data-driven control. Output Feedback and Online Methods
Promotor: Prof Claudio De Persis, Prof Nima Monshizadeh
Date: 29 April
Location: Aula, Academy Building, Broerstraat 5 Groningen
Time: 9 a.m.
Candidate: Emilio Benenati
University and Department/Group: TU Delft ME-DCSC
Thesis title:
Promotor: Dr.ir. S. Grammatico, Prof.dr.ir. B De Schutter
Date: 7-5-2025
Location: TU Delft, Aula Senaatszaal
Time: 17.30
Candidate: Pascal de Koster
University and Department/Group: TU Delft ME-DCSC
Thesis title:
Promotor: Dr. M. Kok, prof.dr.ing. S. Wahls
Date: 2-6-2025
Location: TU Delft, Aula Senaatszaal
Time: 12.30
Candidate: Athina Ilioudi
University and Department/Group: TU Delft ME-DCSC
Thesis title:
Promotor: Prof.dr.ir. B. De Schutter, Dr. A. Dabiri
Date: 4-6-2025
Location: TU Delft, Aula Senaatszaal
Time: 17.30
The next issue of this Newsletter will appear in June 2025.
We encourage everyone involved in Systems and Control to provide newsworthy information. In principle, we intend to publish any message offered. However, we reserve the right to edit certain parts of a submission.
Please send your contributions to:
secr-DISC-ME@tudelft.nl.
You receive this newsletter because you are a member of DISC. If you want to be removed from the mailing list, please let us know by sending an email to
Secr-DISC-ME@tudelft.nl.
Professor Sarthak Misra Awarded Prestigious NWO Vici Grant for Groundbreaking Research in Robotic Microsurgery
The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded Professor Sarthak Misra the highly prestigious Vici grant to support his pioneering research in minimally invasive surgery (MIS), with a focus on medical microrobotics. This significant funding will further propel the Surgical Robotics Laboratory (SRL) in advancing innovative technologies that redefine the future of surgical interventions.
( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7fQan-5hCA)
Professor Misra’s team at the SRL has made significant breakthroughs in medical microrobotics. His Vici-funded project, MERCURY (Magnetically-actuated sensorizEd pRobes for robotic miCro-sURgerY), aims to revolutionize MIS by developing a magnetically-actuated robotic system for the precise delivery of diagnostic instruments and therapeutic micro-agents. By integrating ultrasound and fluorescence imaging for real-time feedback, the project seeks to pioneer novel clinical interventions, including on-site diagnosis and targeted drug delivery. By leveraging magnetic actuation, smart materials, and miniaturized sensing technologies, MERCURY will introduce next-generation intelligent medical devices with the potential to reshape the future of surgical robotics.
The NWO Vici grant further strengthens Professor Misra’s distinguished track record of research excellence. He has previously been awarded the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant (2014), multiple ERC Proof of Concept Grants (2017, 2020, 2024), and the ERC Consolidator Grant (2019). Additionally, he received the NWO VENI (2010) and VIDI (2015) grants, underscoring his sustained contributions to the advancement of surgical robotics.
With the support of the NWO Vici grant, Professor Misra and his team will push the frontiers of minimally invasive surgical technology, with the potential to transform patient care and expand treatment possibilities.
We are currently working on the DISC programme for 2025-2026. In the next edition of the DISC Newsletter we will inform you further!
The DISC office is closed from 18 April-6 May 2025.
