Brief Biography
Ph.D., California Institute of Technology
Communications, Control, and Signal Processing group: Robust control theory; connection between models and experimental data; control system applications.
Professor Smith joined the faculty at UCSB in 1990, coming from a background in both industrial and government laboratory research. Known as an experimentalist and design engineer as well as a theorist, Dr. Smith's research is broadly based upon feedback control systems. His current interests focus on the identification and control of uncertain systems, particularly the relationship between experimental data and theoretical models; design methodologies for uncertain constrained nonlinear systems; and distributed estimation, communication and control systems. On the applications side, he has applied these ideas to a variety of experimental testbeds including, process control, automotive and marine engine systems, flexible space structures, aeromaneuvering Mars entry vehicles, formation flying of spacecraft, magnetically levitated bearings, and semiconductor fabrication facilities. He has been a long time consultant to the Jet Propulsion laboratory on guidance, navigation and control aspects of interplanetary and deep space science spacecraft. He a fellow of the IEEE, an associate fellow of the AIAA and a member of SIAM and NZAC.
In January 2011, Dr. Smith took up a position in the Institute for Automation (IfA) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH, Zurich).
Initiative for Engineering Partnerships with Emerging Regions
Roy Smith also directs the UCSB College of Engineering's Initiative for Engineering Partnerships with Emerging Regions which provides students with a variety of activities giving them perspective on engineering problems in a global context.
He is also the faculty advisor the UCSB Chapter of Engineers without Borders and acts as a mentor for their Kenya project. The Kenya project team is designing a solar photovoltaic power system and a rainwater collection system for a rural health clinic on the shores of Lake Victoria.
Recognitions and Honors:
* National Science Foundation Research Initiation Award
* NASA Certificate of Recognition (1992)
* Editor: International Journal of Adaptive Control and Signal Processing
(1993 - 1998)
* Member: IFAC Technical
Committee on Modeling, Identification and Signal Processing
* General Chair: IFAC System Identification Symposium; SYSID 2000
* Associate Fellow; American Instititue of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
* Fellow; Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.
