Gary Balas
Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Department Head

Contact Information

Professor Balas' main research interest is narrowing the gap between engineering requirements, real-time control implementation and theoretical control analysis and design techniques. He has focused on describing "real" physical systems via sets of models with the goal to develop an integrated framework for fault detection and isolation, control modeling, analysis, and synthesis, based on physically motivated assumptions, which make use of the specific characteristics of each system to be controlled. Research being pursued to achieve these goals includes: 1) development of theoretical tools for nonlinear robustness analysis, 2) theoretical extensions of nonlinear control algorithms, 3) applying these theoretical developments to real world control problems, and 4) experimentally validating results.

Dr. Balas' areas of research include: extension of receding horizon control (RHC), linear, parameter-varying (LPV) control and dynamic inversion techniques to address highly nonlinear and switched systems, development and application of a robust, multivariable control theory to flexible structures, flight and high speed underwater vehicle control and process control; development of a unifying approach to aircraft health management and control to dramatically increase flight safety. Specific topics being studied are: development of a systematic nonlinear robustness analysis tools to aid validation and verification of adaptive, flight control systems; design and experimental validation of vehicle control algorithms for a high speed, supercavitating underwater vehicle; development of a new control framework for impulse vehicle control, robustness of nonlinear inversion techniques in the presence of model error and development of an indoor, uninhabited aerial vehicle to help test and validate the theory, algorithms and real-time software being developed by his group.

Degrees

B.S., Civil and Electrical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, 1982.
M.S., Civil a Ph.D., Aeronautics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 1989.

Experience

2006 - Present; Department Head Aerospace Engineering & Mechanics, University of Minnesota
2001 - Present; Professor Aerospace Engineering & Mechanics and Control Science & Dynamical Systems Center, University of Minnesota
1996 - 2001; Associate Professor Aerospace Engineering & Mechanics and Control Science & Dynamical Systems Center, University of Minnesota
1995 - Present; Co-Director Control Science and Dynamical Systems Program, University of Minnesota
1992 - 2004; Director of Graduate Studies Control Science & Dynamical Systems Department, University of Minnesota
1990 - 1996; Assistant Professor Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota
1990 - 1991; Visiting Research Fellow Department of Electrical Engineering, California Institute of Technology
1984 - 1989; Research Assistant California Institute of Technology
1987 - 1988; Teaching Assistant California Institute of Technology 1984; Staff Engineer H R Textron, Systems Group, Irvine, CA
1982 - 1984 Research & Teaching Assistant University of California
1979-1984 Bachelor Fellowship Engineer Hughes Aircraft Company, Fullerton, CA

Five Recent Publications

• T. Keviczky and G.J. Balas, 2006, Receding horizon control of an F-16 aircraft: A comparative study, IFAC Control Engineering Practice, vol. 14, no. 9, pp. 1023-1034, (Journal Article) More Details, Request PDF
• Tamas Keviczky, Francesco Borrelli, and Gary J. Balas, 2006, Decentralized receding horizon control for large scale dynamically decoupled systems, Automatica, 42, 2105-2115, (Journal Article) More Details, Request PDF
• R. Ingvalson, H. Rotstein, T. Keviczky and G.J. Balas, 2005, Fault detection design for uninhabited aerial vehicles, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Dynamics and Control, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 1051-1060. June, (Journal Article) More Details, Request PDF
• T. Keviczky and G.J. Balas, 2005, Software-enabled receding horizon control for autonomous UAV guidance, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Dynamics and Control, vol. 29, no. 3, 2005, pp. 680-694, (Journal Article) More Details, Request PDF
• I. Sz´aszi, A. Marcos, G.J. Balas and J. Bokor, 2005, LPV detection alter design for a Boeing 747-100/200 aircraft, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Dynamics and Control, vol. 28, no. 3, 2005, pp. 461-470, (Journal Article) More Details, Request PDF

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Honors and Fellowships

Distinguished McKnight Fellowship, 2007 Background
O. Hugo Schuck Best Paper Award, 2006 Background
IEEE Control System Society 2005-2006 Fellow Background
Institute of Technology George Taylor Distinguished Research Award, 2003 Background
Outstanding Young Investigator Award, 1999 Background
McKnight-Land Grant Professorship, 1993-1995 Background
Hughes Aircraft Undergraduate Student Fellowship, 1980-82

Subjects and Courses Taught

Undergraduate

EE 4231 -- Linear Control Systems: Designed by Input/Output Methods

Graduate

EE 5235 -- Robust Control System Design

AEM 5495 -- Topics in Aerospace Systems

AEM 8400 -- Research Seminar in Dynamics and Controls

AEM 8401 -- Modern Feedback Control

AEM 8421 -- Robust Multivariable Control Design

AEM 8495 -- Selected Topics in Dynamical Systems and Controls

Curriculum Vitae

Brief Biographical Sketch