Professor
Mechanical, Electrical & Computer Engineering

Brad Paden

Research

Professor Paden's research is directed at understanding the dynamics and control of electromechanical systems. Applications of interest are biomedical systems, precision machine control, control of flexible robots, MEMS, and magnetic bearings. A substantial fraction of his research deals with theoretical developments in nonlinear tracking control. Nonlinear control of periodic motions by methods known as repetitive controllers and learning controllers is one current topic. Applied research is focused on robust design and control of MEMS oscillators, and the control of artificial hearts, and biomedical systems, is an emerging research activity in Professor Paden's group.

Affiliations

Center for Energy Efficient Design, Member
Center for Control, Dynamical Systems and Computation, Member

Biography

Paden is currently a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the Mechanical Engineering Department with a joint appointment in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. His research interests focus on nonlinear control theory and its application to electromechanical systems. He was a visiting fellow at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Western Australia in 1988.  He has consulted for industry on the design and control of magnetic bearings, design of medical devices, and has served as an associate editor for the Journal of Robotic Systems. He is co-founder and president of LaunchPoint Technologies - a systems firm specializing in venture engineering.

Honors

2001 James Yorke Red Sock Award, SIAM Conference on Applications of Dynamical Systems
2001 IEEE Control System Society Technology Award
1993 Best Paper award, ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement and Control
2004 IEEE Fellow
2007 AIMBE Fellow

Education

PhD: Electrical Engineering, UC Berkeley (1985)

Lab Websites

IEE Research Areas