Zhong-Ping Jiang Named a Fellow of the International Federation of Automatic Control

Brooklyn, N.Y.—Zhong-Ping Jiang, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly), has been named a fellow of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) in recognition of his fundamental contributions to nonlinear control theory and design and applications to underactuated mechanical, communications and biological systems.

Jiang has recently shifted his research on the mathematics and feedback mechanisms behind control systems to emerging fields such as the smart electrical grid, intelligent transportation systems, social networks, and the smartest and most complex control system of all: the human brain. Working with neuroscientists and his students, he hopes to use the knowledge gained in researching mechanical systems to explain and relieve neurological diseases in which feedback is problematic, such as Parkinson’s and schizophrenia. The National Science Foundation has been among the sponsors of his research into the broad scope of nonlinear dynamical systems and feedback control.

Only a handful of IFAC fellows are elected each year, and Jiang is one of the younger scientists to have received the honor. NYU-Poly President Katepalli Sreenivasan said, “Zhong-Ping Jiang has made seminal contributions to the vital field of automatic control, which has practical applications in so many realms, and he has provided guidance and inspiration to his students. This honor is an affirmation that he is regarded highly by his community. He is a credit to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and to the Institute as a whole, and I look forward to even greater things emerging from him.”

Jiang holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Wuhan, in China; a master’s degree in statistics from the University of Paris; and a doctoral degree in automatic control and mathematics from the Ecole des Mines de Paris. His many other honors include a prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship from the Australian Research Council, a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), and an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellowship. He has been affiliated with NYU-Poly since 1999.

IFAC’s mission is to promote the science and technology of automatic control for the benefit of society. It was founded in 1957 and now encompasses some 50 national member organizations.