Dear DISC member,
The new academic year of DISC graduate program has just started with the course on Numerical Optimal Control coordinated and taught by Dinesh Krishnamoorthy. The DISC program 2024-2025 was kicked off with the first lecture by Dinesh on Monday October 7, 2024 in Domstad, Utrecht. The second course in line is Data-Driven Control given by Henk van Waarde, Kanat Camlibel and Valentina Breschi. Course registration for Data-Driven Control is still open and if you have not registered yet, we encourage you to do that as soon as possible.
DISC office has started planning for the DISC Summer School 2025. While we have received few proposals for the upcoming summer school, the DISC office is still accepting proposals for the DISC Summer School 2025. If you are interested in organizing one, please contact the DISC office. Together with DISC board, we will make a decision in mid-November 2024. We are also accepting proposals for the DISC Winter Course for the academic year 2025-2026 and please contact us if you plan to submit one.
Finally, we congratulate all DISC graduates who have defended their thesis this year along with the DISC logo that shows their achievement in completing the DISC graduate program. In the coming months, the DISC Best Thesis Award committee will be formed and start their work. It has been decided in the previous DISC board meeting that in addition to the DISC Best Thesis Award, DISC will give prizes to all top three nominees during the next Benelux meeting on Systems & Control. Stay tuned for the next DISC newsletter about the call for the DISC Best Thesis Award!
Bayu Jayawardhana, scientific director DISC
Maaike Kraeger-Holland, office manager DISC
New DISC Board member
Dear DISC colleagues,
My name is Simon van Mourik, and I am excited to be in the DISC board to represent Wageningen University and Research, starting from 1 September 2024.
My interest and expertise is in modelling and control for agricultural biosystems, and particularly in connecting technology with biology. Examples are crop based greenhouse control, biological pest control, animal based feed control, and mixed crop systems.
I did my Masters in Groningen on computational fluid dynamics, and systems and control. I obtained my PhD in Twente on control for fluid systems under supervision of Prof. Hans Zwart and Prof. Karel Keesman (who just now retired from the board. It’s a small world). After that I did a postdoc on Systems Biology at Wageningen University, and currently I am assistant prof at the Agricultural Biosystems Engineering group, also at Wageningen University.
My personal mission is to connect the (deep) control expertise within the DISC community with the myriad of possibilities that biosystems have to offer.
Delft University of Technology
Name: Daniel Talegon
Starting: 1 October 2024
Function: postdoc
Email: d.feliutalegon@tudelft.nl
University and Department/Group: TUD/CoR/LAC
Supervisor: Cosimo Della Santina
My research at TU Delft focuses on the dynamic robotic manipulation of slender and soft objects. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, going to the gym, reading, and practicing sports.
Name: Yuxuan Hu
Starting: 1 October 2024
Function: PhD
Email: y.hu-3@tudelft.nl
University and Department/Group: TUD/CoR/HRI
Supervisor: Micah Prendergast
I did my master’s degree in the Switzerland and my bachelor’s degree in the US. In my freetime, I like to cook, play football and badminton, and go into the mountains to take pictures.
Name: Xiaoyu Liu
Starting: 15 October 2024
Function: postdoc
Email: x.liu-20@tudelft.nl
University and Department/Group: TUD/CoR/IV
Supervisor: Georgios Papaioannou
My research interests include model predictive control, hybrid systems, machine learning, intelligent vehicles, and intelligent transportation systems. In my free time, I enjoy playing volleyball, table tennis, and board games.
Name: Li Zou
Starting: 15 October 2024
Function: postdoc
Email: l.zou@tudelft.nlUniversity and Department/Group: TUD/CoR/HRI
Supervisor: Yasemin Vardar
Hello, I am Li Zou, specializing in explainable machine learning for texture perception at HITLab. Prior to this role, I completed my PhD studies in Computer Science at TUdelft. In my free time, I enjoy activities like running half-marathons, playing badminton, fitness training, cycling, and reading books.
Name: Anil Alan
Starting: 1-8-2024
Function: Postdoc
Email: a.alan@tudelft.nl
University and Department/Group: TU Delft, ME-DCSC Team De Schutter
Supervisor: Prof.dr.ir. Bart De Schutter
Project: ERC Adv CLaRiNet
Hello everyone, my name is Anil Alan. I am privileged to join the DCSC family as a part of Bart’s team. I finished my PhD at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, USA, where I worked on techniques to increase the resilience of safety-critical controllers against unmodeled dynamics. In particular, my research interest lied in mitigating the conservativeness inherent in the worst-case type of robustfying approaches often utilized in Control Barrier Function-based safety-critical controllers. Currently I am working on ways to integrate predictive methods into the setup to ensure the feasibility of the controller. Send me a message if you want to know more about my research!
In my free time I like reading non-fictional (mostly boring) books. Recently I grew an interest in traditional folk songs. I also like watching movies in Filmhuis Lumen–Let me know if you are interested in seeing a movie!
Name: Pradyumna Paruchuri
Starting: 1-8-2024
Function: Postdoc
Email: p.paruchuri@tudelft.nl
University and Department/Group: TU Delft, ME-DCSC Team Mohajerin
Supervisor: Dr. Peyman Mohajerin Esfahani
Project: NWO Digital Twin/EU ERC Trust
Name: Kirti Prakash
Starting: 15-8-2024
Function: Postdoc
Email: k.prakash@tudelft.nl
University and Department/Group: TU Delft, ME-DCSC Team Smith
Supervisor: Dr. Carlas Smith
Project: PIC-PATT
Kirti Prakash is a computer scientist by training but a biologist at heart. He earned his master’s in computer science from Aalto University (Finland) and a PhD in Biology from Heidelberg University (Germany). During his PhD, Kirti pioneered a new method for imaging DNA, which produced the first high-resolution images of the epigenetic landscape of meiotic chromosomes and uncovered the mechanisms behind chromosome condensation. His research earned him several awards, including the Springer Best PhD Thesis Prize. Following his PhD, Kirti worked at leading institutes across the UK, US, and Europe, where his research highlights included development of laser-free superresolution microscopy and structure-based modelling to assess the performance of emerging light-based Angstrom-resolution techniques like MINFLUX. For his contributions to microscopy, Kirti was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Microscopical Society. Kirti aspires to be an inventor and tool developer, integrating biological insights with engineering precision to create cutting-edge technologies for the life sciences.
Name: Lalit Kumar
Starting: 1-9-2024
Function: Postdoc
Email: l.kumar-1@tudelft.nl
University and Department/Group: TU Delft, ME-DCSC Team Mulders + MTT-ODE
Supervisor: Dr. Sebastiaan Mulders/Dr. Said Alhaddad
Project: Interaction of hydraulic polymetallic-module collectors with the seabed sediment
Name: Leendert Starink
Starting: 15-9-2024
Function: PhD
Email: l.starink@tudelft.nl
University and Department/Group: TU Delft, ME-DCSC Team Van Wingerden
Supervisor: Prof.dr.ir. Jan-Willem van Wingerden
Project: FLOAT-Farm
Name: Mahshad Keshtiarast Esfahani
Starting: 01-10-2024
Function: PhD
Email: m.keshtiarastesfahani@tudelft.nl
University and Department/Group: TU Delft, ME-DCSC Team Mazo
Supervisor: Dr. Manuel Mazo
Project: NWO Plant-XR
Hi everyone! This is Mahshad and I have joined DCSC group very recently. My PhD studies are focused on gene regulatory networks of plants, their modelling, and verification. I have done my bachelors and masters degree in mechanical engineering in University of Tehran, Politecnico di Milao and Lappeenranta university of technology and I am very thrilled to continue my journey in TU Delft! In my spare time, I like lifting weights and walking around to explore different places. I hope to meet you all in person!
Name: Dr. Carlo Cenedese
Starting: 01-10-2024
Function: UD
Email:c.cenedese@tudelft.nl
University and Department/Group: ME-DCSC
Hi, I’m Carlo Cenedese, and I am thrilled to join the DCSC group as an Assistant Professor (making the Italian community grow). I also hold a partial appointment as a Senior Scientist at the Automatic Control Laboratory at ETH Zürich, where I’ve been part of the team since 2021. I’m passionate about leveraging game theory, distributed optimization, and data-driven control to tackle real-world challenges with a particular focus to traffic management and smart infrastructure. I’m also co-founder of “unjam,” an ETH Spin-off that created the first IDE to interact with digital twins in a simple and reproducible way. I am looking forward to meet all of you and do great work together, do not hesitate to contact me or knock at my door for a chat or just a cup of coffee.
Eindhoven University of Technology
Name: Zhe Zang
Starting: 1 September 2024
Function: PhD
Email:
Department/Group: ME/Control Systems Technology Group
Supervisor: Prof. Micheal Reniers
Project: problem of supervisory control of discrete event systems based on time automata
Short introduction:
My name is Zhe Zhang, you can also call me Jay. I will start my PhD research in September 2024 in the CST group at TU/e. My Master research interests focus on DES analysis and control theories, encompassing Petri net, automata, and MDP. My Master’s thesis is Optimal Control Strategy for Robotic Systems Based on Reinforcement Learning. During my PhD, I will work under the supervision of Prof. Micheal Reniers on the problem of supervisory control of discrete event systems based on time automata. This is my first visit to the Netherlands and I hope to meet new people and experience the beautiful scenery during my PhD research.
Name: Rick Thijssen
Starting: 01-10-2024
Function: PhD
Email: r.e.w.l.thijssen@student.tue.nl
University and Department/Group: TU/e Faculty ME Dynamics & Control
Supervisor: Rob Fey / Nathan van de Wouw
My name is Rick Thijssen and I will start my PhD within the Dynamics & Control group, which is where I got my master’s degree as well. My project focusses on developing more versatile damping models and methods for damping parameter identification to improve the predictability of dynamical performance, leading to less conservative system designs. I will do this project in cooperation with ASML, where I will be under the supervision of Victor Dolk and Thijs Verhees. At the TU/e my supervisors are Rob Fey and Nathan van de Wouw.
Name: Maedeh Izadi Najafabadi
Starting: 15/10/2024
Function: PHd
University and Department/Group: TU/e Mechanical Engineering sectie CST
Supervisor: Dr Theo Hofman en Dr. Mauro Salazar
Project: Optimal Congestion-aware Control and Design of Charging Energy Hubs
My name is Maedeh Izadi Najafabadi, and I recently completed my Master’s degree in Systems and Control, within the CST group at TU/e, graduating in August 2024. For my Master’s thesis, I worked on “High-Performance Model Predictive Control for Quadcopters with Formal Stability Guarantees.”
In my PhD, under the supervision of Dr. T. Hofman and Dr. M. Salazar, I will be working on “Optimal Congestion-aware Control and Design of Charging Energy Hubs,” where we aim to develop a digital-twin for scenario-based analyses and optimal system design for energy charging hubs.
I am really looking forward to continuing my journey in the CST group, collaborating with all of you, and contributing to cutting-edge research in this field.
Name: Loes Jansen
Starting date: 01/07/2024
Function: PhD
Email: l.l.t.c.jansen@tue.nl
Group: CST
Supervisor: Matthijs van Berkel
Project: Core density control in a nuclear fusion reactor using a pellet injector
My name is Loes, I live in Belgium where I also got my MSc in Mechanical Engineering at the university of Leuven in 2007. After working at several companies in process automation, engineering brewery equipment, and renewable energy, I am excited to do this PhD at TU/e and DIFFER. My hobbies are playing basketball and escape rooms and spending time with my children.
Name: Gé van Otterdijk
Starting: 1 /10/2024
Function: PhD candidate
Email: g.j.e.v.otterdijk@tue.nl
University and Department/Group: TU/e, Control Systems
Supervisor: dr. Maarten Schoukens
Project: Model Augmentation
Hi everyone, I’m Gé van Otterdijk and I’m excited to start working towards my PhD. I’ve done both my Bachelor Applied Physics and Master Artificial Intelligence & Engineering Systems at the Eindhoven University of Technology, so you could say I’m a true Eindhovenaar. In my free time I spend quite a few hours rock climbing and also enjoy going on the occasional motorcycle trip.
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Name: Catalina Barcaru
Starting: 1 September 2024
Function: PhD
Email: m.c.b.barcaru@rug.nl
University and Department/Group: DTPA (RUG)
Supervisor: Prof Ming Cao and Dr Elisabeth Wilhelm
Project: Social healthcare robots
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Biochemical Engineering from Babeș-Bolyai University in Romania, where I was actively involved in bioinorganic chemistry research. My work focused on studying the interaction of anticancer drugs, specifically doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, with bovine hemoglobin and red cells. I analyzed how these medications influence the generation of oxidative oxygen and nitrogen species, contributing to our understanding of their effects on the treatment of various cancers.
I further pursued a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Groningen, where I explored the application of microfluidics during my first internship, focusing on the design of a microchip for high-speed oil-in-water droplet formation. For my Master’s thesis, I developed a robotic device aimed at inducing sensorimotor confusions to better understand the mechanisms behind auditory-verbal hallucinations. This project involved designing a system to replicate previous findings in neurological studies, with the potential to advance research in hallucination understanding and treatment.
Name: Lufeng Xu
Starting: 1 september 2024
Function: PhD
Email: lufeng.xu@rug.nl
University and Department/Group: DTPA (RUG)
Supervisor: Prof Ming Cao and Bayu Jayawardhana
Project: Collective decision making of networks of robots (NWO vici project)
My name is Lufeng Xu, and I am from China. I earned my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Control Science and Engineering from Southeast University. In the coming period, I will be conducting research in Groningen, focusing on the role of higher-order interactions in optimizing multi-robot decisions, as well as on evolutionary game theory.
Wageningen University & Research
Name: Mingxin (Mason) Wei
Starting date: 1 September 2024
Function: Visiting PhD
Email: Mingxin.wei@wur.nl
Group: Agricultural Biosystems Engineering
Supervisor: Dr. ir Congcong Sun
Project: Design and control of accurate ventilation model of pig house
Candidate: Christian Lamping
University: Wageningen University & Research
Group: Agricultural Biosystems Engineering
Thesis: to be advised
Promotor: prof. dr. ir. Groot Koerkamp
Date: 01-10-2024
Location: Omnia
Time: 10.30
Candidate: Koen Classens
Groep: TUe/ME CST, group Oomen
Thesis: Robust Fault Diagnosis for Control Systems – with Application to Precision Mechatronics
Promotor: prof.dr.ir. T.A.E. Oomen
Date: 4 October 2024
Location: TU/e, Atlas 0.710
Time: 13.30 hrs
Candidate: Yorick Broens
Group: TUe/Control Systems group
Thesis: Precision Control of Position Dependent Dynamics of Moving-Magnet Planar Actuators
Promotor: Prof.dr.ir. Roland Toth , 2nd promotor: Prof.dr.ir. Hans Butler
Date: 8 October 2024
Location: Atlas 0.710 TU/e
Time: 11.00 hr.
Candidate: Duo Xu
Group: TUe/Control Systems group
Thesis: Model predictive control of high-precision power amplifiers for nanometer positioning systems
Promotor: Dr. Mircea Lazar, 2nd promotor: Prof.dr. Siep Weiland
Date: 11 October 2024
Location: Atlas 0.710 TU/e
Time: 11.00 hrs.
Candidate: Pedro Zattoni Scroccaro
University and Department/Group: TU Delft, ME-DCSC, Team Mohajerin
Thesis title: Inverse Optimization Theory and Applications to Routing Problems
Promotor: Dr. Peyman Mohajerin Esfahani, co-promotor Dr. Bilge Atasoy
Date: 16-10-2024
Location: TU Delft, Aula, Senaatszaal
Time: 3.00 pm
Candidate: Aribowo, A.G. MSc
University and Department/Group: TU/e Faculty ME Dynamics & Control
Thesis title: Dynamic Modeling and Performance Analysis of (Rotary) Drilling Systems with a Down-Hole Passive Regulator
Promotor: Nathan van de Wouw
Date: 17-10-2024
Location: Atlas, 0.710
Time: 13:30
Candidate: Xiaoyu Liu
University and Department/Group: TU Delft, ME-DCSC, Team De Schutter
Thesis title: Distributed and Learning-based Model Predictive Control for Urban Rail Transit Networks
Promotor: Prof.dr.ir. Bart De Schutter, co-promotor Dr. Azita Dabiri
Date: 23-10-2024
Location: TU Delft, Aula, Senaatszaal
Time: 10.00 am
Candidate: Sven Nouwens
Groep: TUe/ME CST, group Heemels
Thesis: Estimation and Control for Magnetic Resonance-guided Hyperthermia Cancer therapies
Promotor: prof.dr.ir. W.P.M.H. Heemels
Date: 30 October 2024
Location: TU/e, Atlas 0.710
Time: 16.00 hrs
Candidate: Giovanni Franzese
University and Department/Group: TUD/ME/CoR/LAC
Thesis title: Uncertainty-Aware Iinteractive Imitation Learning for Robot Manipulation
Promotor:
Date: 4 November 2024
Location: Aula TUD
Time: 15.00 hrs
Candidate: Prasoon Garg
Groep: TUe/ME CST, group Willems
Thesis: Intelligent Data-driven Control Calibration for Automotive Powertrains
Promotor: F.P.T. Willems
Date: 6 November 2024
Location: TU/e, Atlas 0.710
Time: 16.00 hrs
Candidate: Koen Scheres
Groep: TUe/ME CST, group Heemels
Thesis: To send or not to send. Networked Communication and Control
Promotor: prof.dr.ir. W.P.M.H. Heemels
Date: 8 November 2024
Location: TU/e, Atlas 0.710
Time: 16.00 hrs
Candidate: ir. M.J. (Maarten) Jongeneel
Group: TUe/Robotics
Thesis: Impact-Aware Robotics: Model-Based Motion Prediction in Logistics Applications
Promotors: Dr.ir. A. Saccon, Prof.dr.ir. N. van de Wouw
Date: 12 November 2024
Location: TU/e Atlas 0.710
Time: 13.30 hrs
Candidate: Frida Viset
University and Department/Group: TU Delft, ME-DCSC, Team Kok
Thesis title:
Promotor: Prof.dr.ir. Jan-Willem van Wingerden, co-promotor Dr. Manon Kok
Date: 25-11-2024
Location: TU Delft, Aula, Senaatszaal
Time: 12.30 pm
Candidate: Zhao Fu
University and Department/Group: DTPA, RUG
Thesis title: Design and analysis of distributed control systems: theory and application to DC microgrids
Promotor: Prof Jacquelien Scherpen en prof Michele Cucuzzella
Date: 3 December 2024
Location: Aula, Academy Building, Broerstraat 5, Groningen
Time: 16.15 hrs
Candidate : Jihane el Mahdi
University: Wageningen University & Research
Group: Agricultural Biosystems Engineering
Thesis: to be advised
Promotor: prof. dr. ir. Eldert van Henten
Date: 04-12-2024
Location: Omnia
Time: 10.30
Candidate: Fabio Paparella
Groep: Groep: TUe/ME CST, group Hofman
Thesis: Electric Autonomous Mobility- on-demand: Models and Algorithms for Ride-pooling and Fleet Design
Promotor: dr.ir. T. Hofman
Date: 5 December 2024
Location: TU/e, Atlas 0.710
Time: 13.30 hrs
Course Reinforcement learning and its implementation in Julia
You can now register to the following course of the Graduate School in Systems, Optimization, Control and Networks (SOCN): Reinforcement learning and its implementation in Julia
The course will start on November 18, 2024
Lecturers: Clemens Heitzinger, TU Wien (Technical University Vienna)
Dates: November 18-22, 2024
The course will take place at UCLouvain
Registration is open via our On-line form
You can find the DISC course program 2024-2025 and the course descriptions on DISC Course Program 2024-2025. You are most welcome to register for these course(s) as registration is now possible! The first course (Numerical Optimal Control) started on Monday 7 October 2024. Please keep a close eye on the DISC website for further detailed information on the courses, the lecturers, the timetable and way of registration. Thank you for registering in time! The courses of the DISC course program 2024-2025 are:
2024_Numerical Optimal Control (registration closed)
2025_Data Driven Control
2025_Mathematical Models of Systems
2025_Nonlinear Control Systems
2025_Model Predictive Control
2025_Design Methods for Control Systems
2025_DISC_OptimalControl
The DISC courses will be lectured in the city of Utrecht, at only 10 minutes walking distance from Utrecht Central Station:
Cursus- en Vergadercentrum Domstad
Koningsbergerstraat 9
3531 AJ Utrecht
Route description: Routebeschrijving – Cursus- en vergadercentrum Domstad (accommodatiedomstad.nl)
The next issue of this Newsletter will appear in November 2024.
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.
