Abstract.  In this talk we present an overview of recent advances in structured and distributed control.  In particular, we consider the problem of optimal performance in systems in the presence of decentralized and distributed type of constraints in the overall control architecture.   It is well known that these type of problems can in general be extremely difficult to solve (e.g. Witsenhausen counterexample.)  Nonetheless, by taking an input-output approach, we can identify a large class of problems that result in convex formulations and thus, can be effectively solved.  Applications including control of network flows, multi-segmented telescopes and arrays of micro-cantilevers are briefly discussed.

Bio.  Petros G. Voulgaris received his Diploma of Mechanical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens in 1986, and the S.M. and Ph.D. degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, in 1988 and 1991, respectively. Since August 1991, he has been with the Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he is currently a professor. He also holds joint appointments with the Coordinated Science Laboratory and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.  His research interests are in distributed control, networks and control, and applications of advanced control and estimation methods to engineering practice with emphasis on aerospace.  Dr. Voulgaris is a recipient of the National Science Foundation Research Initiation Award (1993), the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award (1995) and is  a IEEE Fellow. He has been an Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control and for the ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control.