Annual Zaborsky Lecture Series

The Annual Zaborszky Distinguished Lecture Series was created in 1990 to honor Professor John Zaborszky, the founder and first chairman of the Department of Systems Science & Mathematics (now the Preston M. Green Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering). Professor John Zaborszky passed away in 2008. Each year, a distinguished scholar is invited to present a series of three lectures in his or her field of expertise.

John Zaborszky received the Diploma of Engineering in 1937 and the DSc degree, with special honors, in 1943 from the Royal Hungarian Technological University. He joined Washington University in St. Louis in 1954, where he developed the Department of Systems Science & Mathematics. John Zaborszky had extensive service to both national and international organizations. He was a member of a panel in 1965 at the National Academy of Science to advise on the implications of the Northeast Power Blackout. He also was instrumental in the formation of the IEEE Control Systems Society, for whom he served as its president in 1970. Throughout his life, John Zaborszky was active in research. He published two books and over 200 technical papers related to theoretical and practical aspects of power systems and their dynamics. He chaired the Systems Science & Mathematics Department from 1974-1989. He continues to be missed by many of his colleagues.

2012
Richard Murray, California Institute of Technology

• Specification, Design and Verification of Networked Control Systems
• Bioplausible Approaches to Control using Highly Distributed, Slow Computing
• Feedback and Control in Biological Circuit Design

2010
Francis J. Doyle III, University of California, Santa Barbara

• Robustness in Nature: Challenges and Opportunities for the Systems Biology Community
• Model-based Control Design of an Artificial Pancreas for Subjects with Type 1 Diabetes
• Systems Analysis of Robust Timekeeping in Circadian Clock Networks

2009
Andrew R. Teel, University of California, Santa Barbara
Hybrid Dynamical Systems: Modeling, Stability, and Control

2008
Alberto Isidori, University of Rome

• Robust Stabilization via Measured State Feedback
• Asymptotic Tracking and Disturbance Rejection
• Current Research and Open Problems

2007
Graham C. Goodwin, University of Newcastle, Australia
Sampling and Quantization in Signals and Systems

• Convex Optimization: Recent Advances and Applications
• Disciplined Convex Programming
• Convex Optimization of Graph Laplacian Eigenvalues

2005
Alan Willsky, MIT
Multi-resolution Markov Models, Graphical Model; Sensor Networks 

2004
Roger Brockett, Harvard University
Combinatorial Optimization, Neural Networks; Adaptive Control

2003
Allen R. Tannenbaum, Georgia Institute of Technology
Lectures on Active Vision 

2002
A. Steve Morse, Yale University
Control Using Logic Switching

2001
Panos J. Antsaklis, University of Notre Dame
Discrete Event Systems in Autonomous Intelligent Control 2000

2000
Anders Lindquist (Royal Institute of Technology)
Analytic Interpolation with Degree Constraint with Applications to Systems and Control Signal Processing

1999
Tamer Basar (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Paradigms for Robustness in Controller & Filter Designs 

1998
Leon O. Chua (University of California at Berkeley)
A Paradigm for Complexity 

1997
Jürgen Ackermann (German Aerospace Research Establishment)
Robust Control Supports Car Drivers & Pilots 

1996
Pravin Varaiya (University of California at Berkeley)
Intelligent Highway Transportation Systems 

1995
Y.C. Ho (Harvard University)
Discrete Event Dynamic Systems & a New Paradigm for Performance Analysis

1993
Jan Willems (University of Groningen)
The Behavioral Approach to Systems & Control

1992
Karl Astrom (Lund University)
Automatic Tuning and Adaptation

1990
Roger Brockett (Harvard University)
Combinatorial Optimization, Neural Networks & Adaptive Control