about+

a bit more about MM ...

in a nutshell …

  • Professor of Aeronautics & Astronautics
  • J. Ray Bowen Endowed Professor in Engineering Education
  • Adjunct Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering
  • Adjunct Professor of Mathematics
  • Director of the Robotics, Aerospace, and Information Networks (RAIN) Lab
  • Executive Director of Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI)
  • IEEE Fellow
  • AIAA Fellow
  • Member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences

my research spans the following areas:

Distributed aerospace systems: space constellations, formations, swarms, coordinated flight, aerospace robotic networks, space-borne navigation/comm/science, collaborative space robotics, space communication networks, synchronization, delay-tolerant networks, deployment and optimization.

Networks & coordination: Coordination algorithms, synchronization, control over networks, distributed optimization/decision-making, algebraic graph theory, mixed networks, product networks, multi-time scale networks, human/bots teams, aerospace networks, network control and dynamics, state-dependent networks, uncertain/random networks, adaptive and resilient networks, system theory of networks, fundamental theory, algorithms, and applications.

Autonomy & Control: Optimization-based synthesis, guidance problems and funnels, data-driven dynamic decision-making, applied semidefinite and convex programming, applied robust and optimal control, real time motion planning, LLMs for control, computational control, distributed actuation, perception-based control, hybrid and electric air mobility, air mobility networks, transportation networks, flight systems, energy optimization, human/bots teams, cubesats.

Data-guided Decision-making: Learning for feedback control and autonomy, data-guided network control, trade-offs between identification and control, control theory and LLMs, fundamental guarantees, dimension reduction, safe learning, data-guided control, first order methods for control and games, reinforcement learning, and federated/distributed learning.

Engineering Education: Learning paradigms, effective teaching, social learning, write/code/build to-learn, online learning, inclusive teaching, teaching across disciplines and cultures; see UW Columns article, and Teaching Showcase

at JPL I contributed to the following programs :

some recognitions :

  • Fellow of AIAA, 2024
  • Member of Washington State Academy of Sciences, 2023
  • Distinguished speaker, Chinese Control and Decision Conference, 2019
  • College of Engineering Faculty Appreciation for Career Education and Training Award, 2019
  • Graduate Instructor of the Year, Aeronautics & Astronautics, 2015
  • Fellow of IEEE, 2015
  • Professor of the Year, Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2010
  • College of Engineering Innovator Award for Teaching, 2008
  • Keynote speaker, Graduation, Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2008
  • Professor of the Year, Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2006
  • Member; University of Washington Teaching Academy (since 2005)
  • Professor of the Year, Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2004
  • NASA Space Act Award, 2004
  • NSF CAREER Award, 2001
  • NASA New Technology Award, 2001
  • Shuttle Radar Topography Mission Award, JPL, Caltech, 2000
  • Achievement Award for the Cassini Program, NASA, 1998
  • Cassini Attitude and Articulation Control Subsystem Award, JPL, Caltech, 1997

videos about our work (some more historical) :

How to Land on a Planet

Controlling Robotic Swarms

What is JCATI?

Flying Smart with Autonomous Vehicles