January 11, 2017
Maruthi Akella, a professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin, was selected as an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Distinguished Lecturer to represent the Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society (AESS) for the class of 2017.
The IEEE Distinguished Lecturer is a lifelong title given to “engineering professionals who help lead their fields in new technical developments that shape the global community.” Distinguished Lecturers are ambassadors of the IEEE, who serve as an important demonstration of the value of membership in IEEE and AESS in particular. These subject-area experts receive all-expenses paid travel invitations from various technical and regional groups such as IEEE society chapters to lecture at events.
Akella’s research thrusts include multi-agent systems, uncertainty, nonlinear controls, and time-delay systems. His work encompasses theoretic investigations and experimental validation of complex engineering systems including mobile robots and autonomous space vehicles. Other research includes miniature robots navigating inside GPS denied environments and collaborative sensing/cooperative control in swarm robots.
Akella holds the Myron L. Begeman Fellowship in Engineering. He is an IEEE Senior Member, Fellow of the American Astronautical Society, and Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and has received several prestigious awards including the 2015 Judith A. Resnik Space Award from the IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society and the 2013 Mechanics and Control of Flight Award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).
