Naira Hovakimyan

Naira Hovakimyan
Naira Hovakimyan she/her/hers
W. Grafton and Lillian B. Wilkins Professor, MechSE | University Scholar, Schaller Faculty Scholar, Mechanical Science and Engineering
(217) 244-1672
2011 Mechanical Engineering Lab

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Education

  • Ph.D., Physics and Mathematics, Russian Academy of Sciences, 1992
  • M. S. Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Mechanics Yerevan State University 1988

Biography

Naira Hovakimyan received her MS degree in Theoretical Mechanics and Applied Mathematics in 1988 from Yerevan State University in Armenia. She got her Ph.D. in Physics and Mathematics in 1992 from the Institute of Applied Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, majoring in optimal control and differential games. Before joining the faculty of UIUC in 2008, she spent time as a research scientist at Stuttgart University in Germany, French Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation (INRIA) in France, Georgia Institute of Technology, and she was on the faculty of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering of Virginia Tech during 2003-2008. She is currently a W. Grafton and Lillian B. Wilkins Professor of Mechanical Science and Engineering at UIUC. In 2015 she was named inaugural director for Intelligent Robotics Lab of Coordinated Science Laboratory at UIUC. She has co-authored two books, eleven patents, and more than 450 refereed publications. She was the recipient of the SICE International scholarship for the best paper of a young investigator in the VII ISDG Symposium (Japan, 1996), the 2011 recipient of the AIAA Mechanics and Control of Flight Award, 2015 recipient of SWE Achievement Award, the 2017 recipient of IEEE CSS Award for Technical Excellence in Aerospace Controls, and the 2019 recipient of the AIAA Pendray Aerospace Literature Award. In 2014 she was awarded the Humboldt prize for her lifetime achievements. In 2015 she was awarded the UIUC Engineering Council Award for Excellence in Advising. She is a Fellow and a life member of AIAA, a Fellow of IEEE, and a member of SIAM, AMS, SWE, ASME, and ISDG. She is a co-founder and chief scientist of IntelinAir. Her work in robotics for elderly care was featured in the New York Times, on Fox TV, and CNBC. Her research interests are in control and optimization, autonomous systems, machine learning, neural networks, game theory, and their applications in aerospace, robotics, mechanical, agricultural, electrical, petroleum, biomedical engineering, and elderly care.

Academic Positions

  • Director, AVIATE Center, MechSE, UIUC, 2022 - date
  • Director of Intelligent Robotics Lab, Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, 2015-2017
  • W. Grafton and Lillian B. Wilkins professor of MechSE, UIUC, 2015-date
  • Professor, Beckman Institute of Science and Technology, UIUC, 2013-date
  • University Scholar, 2011-2014
  • Professor, Information Trust Institute, UIUC, 2009-date
  • Department Affiliate, Electrical and Computer Engineering, UIUC, 2009-date
  • Professor, Coordinated Science Labs, UIUC, 2008-date
  • Department Affiliate, Aerospace Engineering, UIUC, 2008-date
  • Professor and Schaller Faculty Scholar, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, UIUC, August 16, 2008-date
  • Professor, Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, VA, 2007-2008
  • Associate Professor, Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, VA, 2003-2007
  • Research Scientist II, School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 2001-2003
  • Postdoctoral fellow, School of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 1998- 2001
  • Visiting Professor, Santa Clara University, California, 2000
  • Visiting Professor, Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria, 1999
  • Visiting Professor, Technion, Haifa, Israel, 1998
  • Postdoctoral Scholar, INRIA (French National Research Institute for Computer Science and Control), Sophia Antipolis, France 1997
  • DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) scholar, Institute for Computer Applications, Stuttgart University, Germany, 1994-1995
  • Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Mechanics, National Academy of Sciences, Yerevan, Armenia, 1992-1994

Major Consulting Activities

  • Robomart Adviser, 2018-present
  • SWARM Engineering Adviser, 2018-present
  • Member of Advisory Board of Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology, 2017 - present
  • United Technologies Aerospace Corporation, 2016
  • Cofounder and Chief Scientific Officer of IntelinAir, Inc., 2014 - present
  • Raymarine, 2012-2013
  • Raytheon, 2010
  • MUSAA (WP AFRL, Barrons Associates, AeroMech, iRACE), 2010-2013
  • Founded iRACE Technologies, LLC., 2008
  • NextGenAero Corporation, 2007-2008
  • StatOilHydro Research Centre, Porsgrunn, Norway, 2007-2009, 2012-2014
  • NASA/NIA, 2006-2007, 2011-2013

Undergraduate Research Opportunities

Research Interests

  • machine learning
  • human-robot interaction for elderly care
  • Broad area of robotics
  • safety critical systems in aerospace, electrical, mechanical, biomedical and petroleum engineering
  • multi-vehicle unmanned systems
  • cyber-physical systems
  • energy systems
  • human-robotic space exploration
  • applications in control of anesthesia
  • hard disk drive control
  • drilling problems in oil production
  • aerospace applications
  • robust adaptive control and estimation, control in the presence of limited information, networks of autonomous systems, game theory, certification protocols

Selected Articles in Journals

  • Zhao, P., S. Snyder, N. Hovakimyan, C. Cao, Robust Adaptive Control of Linear Parameter-Varying Systems with Unmatched Uncertainties, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 48, 2025.
  • Wan, N., D. Li, N. Hovakimyan, P. Voulgaris, An Information-Theoretic Analysis of Discrete-Time Control and Filtering Limitations by the I-MMSE Relationships, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. 70, 2025.
  • Bansal, A., H. Kim, S. Yu, B. Li, N. Hovakimyan, M. Caccamo, L. Sha, Perception Simplex: Verifiable Collision Avoidance in Autonomous Vehicles Amidst Obstacle Detection Faults, Software: Testing, Verification and Reliability, vol. 34, 2024.
  • Wan, N., D. Li, L. Song, N. Hovakimyan, Generalization of Filtering Sensitivity Tradeoffs in Continuous and Discrete-Time Systems: A Simplified Approach, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. 69, No. 3, pp. 1728-1735, 2024.
  • Tao, R., H. Kim, H.-J. Yoon, W. Wan, N. Hovakimyan, L. Sha, P. Voulgaris, Backup Plan Constrained Model Predictive Control with Guaranteed Stability, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, Vol. 47, 2024.
  • Zhao, P., I. Kolmanovsky, N. Hovakimyan, Integrated Adaptive Control and Reference Governors for Constrained Systems with State-Dependent Uncertainties, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. 69, 2024.
  • Widdowson, C., H.-J. Yoon, N. Hovakimyan, R. Wang, A Novel Measure of Human Safety Perception in Response to Flight Characteristics of Collocated UAVs in Virtual Reality, IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems, vol. 54, No. 1, pp. 1-10, 2024.
  • Mao, Y., N. Hovakimyan, T. Abdelzaher, E. Theodorou, Social System Inference from Noisy Observations, IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems, vol. 11, No.1, pp. 639-651, 2024.
  • Mao, Y., J. Li, N. Hovakimyan, T. Abdelzaher, C. Lebiere, Cost-Function Learning in Memorized Social Networks with Cognitive Behavioral Asymmetry, IEEE Transactions on Computational Social Systems, vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 418-430, 2024.
  • Zhao, P., R. Ghabcheloo, Y. Cheng, H. Abdi, N. Hovakimyan, Convex Synthesis of Control Barrier Functions under Input Constraints, IEEE Control Systems Letters, vol. 7, pp. 3102-3107, 2023.
  • Kim, H., W. Wan, N. Hovakimyan, L. Sha, P. Voulgaris, Robust Vehicle Lane Keeping Control with Networked Proactive Adaptation, Artificial Intelligence, Elsevier, vol. 325, article # 104020, 2023.
  • Chen, Q., S. Cheng, N. Hovakimyan, Simultaneous Spatial and Temporal Assignment for Fast UAV Trajectory Optimization using Bi-level Optimization, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 8, No. 6, pp. 3860-3867, 2023.
  • Wu, J., D. Pichler, D. Marley, N. Hovakimyan, D. Wilson, J. Hobbs, Extended Agriculture-Vision: An Extension of a Large Aerial Image Dataset for Agricultural Pattern Analysis, Transactions of Machine Learning Research, 2023.
  • Song, L., N. Wan, A. Gahlawat, C. Tao, N. Hovakimyan, E. Theodorou, Generalization of Safe Optimal Control Actions on Networked Multi-Agent Systems, IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems, vol. 10, No.1, pp. 491-502, 2023.
  • Mao, Y., Y. Gu, N. Hovakimyan, L. Sha, P. Voulgaris, SL1-Simplex: Safe Velocity Regulation of Self-Driving Vehicles in Dynamic and Unforeseen Environments, ACM Transactions on Cyber-Physical Systems: Special Issue on Automotive CPS Safety & Security, Vol. 7, No. 1, article #2, 2023.
  • Cichella, V., I. Kaminer, C. Walton, N. Hovakimyan, A. Pascoal, Optimal Multi-Vehicle Motion Planning using Bernstein Approximants, Consistency of Approximation of Bernstein Polynomial-based Direct Methods for Optimal Control, MDPI Machines, MDPI Machines, vol. 10, article #1132, 2022. 2022.
  • Zhao, P., Z. Guo, N. Hovakimyan, Robust Nonlinear Tracking with Exponential Convergence using Contraction Metrics and Disturbance Estimation, Special Issue "Motion Optimization and Control of Single and Multiple Autonomous Aerial, Land, and Marine Robots", Sensors, vol. 22, No. 13, article #4743, 2022.
  • Snyder, S., P. Zhao, N. Hovakimyan, L1 Adaptive Control with Switched Reference Models: Application to Learn-to-Fly, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, vol. 45, No. 12, pp. 2229-2242, 2022.
  • Cheng, Y., P. Zhao, F. Wang, D. Block, N. Hovakimyan, Improving Robustness of Reinforcement Learning Policies with L1 Adaptive Control, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 6574-6581, 2022.
  • Zhao, P., A. Lakshmanan, K. Ackerman, A. Gahlawat, M. Pavone, N. Hovakimyan, Tube-Certified Trajectory Tracking for Nonlinear Systems with Robust Control Contraction Metrics, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 5528-5535, 2022.
  • Ma, C., D. Sun, N. Hovakimyan, Modeling, and Adaptive Control Law Design for a Bi-tiltrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, ASCE Journal of Aerospace Engineering, vol. 34, No. 6, article #04021090, 2021.
  • Tabasso, C., V. Cichella, S. B. Mehdi, T. Marinho, N. Hovakimyan, Time Coordination and Collision Avoidance Using Leader-Follower Strategies in Multi-Vehicle Missions, Robotics, vol. 10, article #34, 2021.
  • Snyder, S., P. Zhao, N. Hovakimyan, Adaptive Control for Linear Parameter-Varying Systems with Application to a VTOL Aircraft, Aerospace Science and Technology, vol. 112, article #106621, 2021.
  • Mao, Y., E. Akyol, N. Hovakimyan, Impact of Confirmation Bias on Competitive Information Spread in Social Networks, IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems, vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 816-827, June 2021.
  • Sun, D., H. Jafarnejadsani, N. Hovakimyan, Command Limiting for Aerial Vehicles with Rate Control Augmentation Systems, IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, vol. 57, pp. 1702-1712, 2021.
  • Sun, D., N. Hovakimyan, H. Jafarnejadsani, Design of Command Limiting Control Law using Exponential Potential Functions, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, vol. 44, No.2, pp. 441-448, 2021.
  • Cichella, V., I. Kaminer, C. Walton, N. Hovakimyan, A. Pascoal, Optimal Multi-Vehicle Motion Planning using Bernstein Approximants, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. 66, No.4, pp. 1453-1467, 2021.
  • Lee, H., V. Cichella, N. Hovakimyan, L1 Adaptive Output Feedback for Non-square Systems with Arbitrary Relative Degree, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. 66, No. 2, pp. 895-901, 2021.
  • Mao, Y., H. Jafarnejadsani, P. Zhao, E. Akyol, N. Hovakimyan, Novel Stealthy Attack and Defense Strategies for Networked Control Systems, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. 65, No.9, pp. 3847 - 3862, 2020.
  • Tabasso, C., V. Cichella, S. B. Mehdi, T. Marinho, N. Hovakimyan, Guaranteed Collision Avoidance in Multi-Vehicle Cooperative Missions using Speed Adjustment, AIAA Journal of Aerospace Information Systems, vol. 17, No. 18, pp. 1-18, 2020.
  • Barbosa, A., N. Hovakimyan, N. Martin, Risk-Averse Optimization of Crop Inputs Using a Deep Ensemble of Convolutional Neural Networks, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, vol. 178, article #105785, 2020.
  • Barbosa, A., R. Trevisan, N. Martin, N. Hovakimyan, Modeling Yield Response to Crop Management Using Convolutional Neural Networks, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, vol. 170, article #105197, 2020.
  • Wan, N., D. Li, N. Hovakimyan, A Simplified Approach to Analyze Complementary Sensitivity Trade-offs in Continuous-Time and Discrete-Time Systems, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. 65, No. 4, pp. 1697-1703, 2020.
  • Jafarnejadsani, H., N. Wan, N. Hovakimyan, P. Voulgaris, A Multi-Level Sampled-Data Approach for Resilient Navigation and Control of Autonomous Systems, International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, vol. 29, 2020.
  • Wan, N., D. Li, N. Hovakimyan, Sensitivity Analysis of Continuous-Time Linear Control Systems subject to Control and Measurement Noise: An Information-Theoretic Approach, Systems and Control Letters, vol. 133, 2019.
  • Jafarnejadsani, H., H. Lee, N. Hovakimyan, An Adaptive Output Feedback Control for Sampled-Data Systems, Automatica, vol. 103, No.5, pp. 346-353, 2019.
  • Yoon, H.-J., C. Widdowson, T. Marinho, R. Wang, N. Hovakimyan, Socially-Aware Path Planning for a Flying Robot in Close Proximity of Humans, ACM Transactions on Cyber-Physical Systems, Special issue on Human-Interaction-Aware Data Analytics for Cyber-Physical Systems, vol. 3, No. 4, Article No. 41 (24 pages), 2019.
  • Mehdi, S.B., R. Choe, N. Hovakimyan, Bezier Surfaces for Avoiding Collisions during Multi-Vehicle Coordinated Missions with Uncertainties in Speed Profiles, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, vol. 42, No. 8, pp. 1779-1796, 2019.
  • Wang, X., N. Hovakimyan, L. Sha, RSimplex: A Robust Control Architecture against Cyber and Physical Failures, ACM Transactions on Cyber-Physical Systems, vol. 2, No. 4, 2018
  • Lee, H., S. Snyder, and N. Hovakimyan, L1 Adaptive Output Feedback Augmentation for Missile Systems, IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, vol. 54, No. 2, pp. 680-692, 2018.
  • Cichella, V., I. Kaminer, C. Walton, N. Hovakimyan, Optimal Motion Planning for Differentially Flat Systems using Bernstein Approximation, IEEE Control Systems Letters, vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 181-186, 2018.
  • Cichella, V., T. Marinho, D. Stipanovic, N. Hovakimyan, I. Kaminer, and A. Trujillo, "Collision Avoidance Based on Line-of-Sight Angle: Guaranteed Safety using Low-Cost Sensors," Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems, No.89, pp. 139-153, 2018.
  • Lee, H., S. Snyder, N. Hovakimyan, L1 Adaptive Control within a Flight Envelope Protection System, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, vol. 40, No. 4, pp. 1013-1026, 2017.
  • Ackerman, K., E. Xargay, R. Choe, N. Hovakimyan, M. C. Cotting, R. B. Jeffrey, M. P. Blackstun, T. P. Fulkerson, T. R. Lau, S. S. Stephens, Evaluation of an Flight Control Law on Calspan's Variable-Stability Learjet, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, vol. 40, No. 4, pp. 1051-1060, 2017.
  • Mehdi, S. B., R. Choe, and N. Hovakimyan, “Piecewise Bézier Curves for Avoiding Collisions during Multi-Vehicle Coordinated Missions,” AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, vol. 40, No. 7, pp. 1567-1578, 2017.
  • Jafarnejadsani, H., D. Sun, H. Lee, and N. Hovakimyan, "Optimized Adaptive Controller for Trajectory Tracking of an Indoor Quadrotor," AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, vol. 40, No. 6, pp. 1415-1427, 2017.
  • Ackerman, K., D. Talleur, R. Carbonari, E. Xargay, B. Seefeldt, A. Kirlik, N. Hovakimyan, and A. Trujillo, An Automation Situation Awareness Display for a Flight Envelope Protection System, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, vol. 40, No. 4, pp. 964-980, 2017.
  • Marinho, T., W. Christopher, A. Oetting, A. Lakshmanan, H. Cui, N. Hovakimyan, R. Wang, A. Kirlik, and D. Stipanovic, Carebots: Prolonged Elderly Independence using Small Mobile Robots, ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Magazine, Special Issue on Health Care Engineering, September 2016.
  • Tekles, N., J. Chongvisal, E. Xargay, R. Choe, D. Talleur, and N. Hovakimyan, Design of a Flight Envelope Protection System for NASA’s Transport Class Model, vol. 40, No. 4, pp. 863-877, 2017.
  • Li, Z., N. Hovakimyan, G.-O. Kaasa, and C. Cao, State Estimation and Adaptive Control for Managed Pressure Drilling Systems, International Journal of Adaptive Control and Signal Processing, vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 545-561, 2017.
  • Bhattacharya, S., T. Basar, and N. Hovakimyan, Game-Theoretic Analysis of a Visibility-based Pursuit-Evasion Game in the Presence of a Circular Obstacle, Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, vol. 171, No.3, pp. 1071-1082, 2016.
  • Mahdianfar, H., N. Hovakimyan, A. Pavlov, and O. M. Aamo, Adaptive Output Regulator Design with Application to Managed Pressure Drilling, Journal of Process Control, vol.42, pp. 1-13, 2016.
  • Cichella, V., R. Choe, S. B. Mehdi, E. Xargay, N. Hovakimyan, V. Dobrokhodov, I. Kaminer, A. Pascoal, and P. Aguiar, Safe Multi-Vehicle Cooperative Missions: A Control Framework for Multiple Multirotor UAVs, IEEE Control Systems Magazine, vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 59-82, 2016.
  • Choe, R., E. Xargay, and N. Hovakimyan, L1 Adaptive Control for a Class of Uncertain Nonaffine-in-Control Nonlinear Systems, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. 61, No.3, pp. 840-846, 2016.
  • Choe, R., J.P. Navarro, V. Cichella., E. Xargay, and N. Hovakimyan, Cooperative Trajectory Generation using Pythagorean Hodograph Bezier Curves, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, vol. 38, No. 8, pp. 1744-1763, 2016.
  • Zuo, Z., V, Cichella, M. Xu, and N. Hovakimyan, Three-Dimensional Coordinated Path-Following Control for Second-Order Multi-Agent Networks, Journal of Franklin Institute, vol. 352, No. 9, pp. 3852-3872, 2015.
  • Cichella, V., I. Kaminer, V. Dobrokhodov, E. Xargay, R. Choe, N. Hovakimyan, P. Aguiar, and A. Pascoal, Cooperative Path-Following of Multiple Multirotors over Faulty Networks, IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, vol. 12, No.3, pp. 945-957, 2015.
  • Wang, X., E. Kharisov, and N. Hovakimyan, "Real-Time Adaptive Control for Uncertain Networked Control Systems," IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, vol. 60, No. 9, pp. 2500-2505, 2015.
  • Kulkarni, V., E. Kharisov, N. Hovakimyan, and J. Kim, "Load Capacity Improvements in Nucleic Acid Based Systems Using Partially Open Feedback Control," ACS Synthetic Biology (IWBDA Special Issue), Vol. 3, No. 8, pp 617–626, 2014.
  • Kim, K.-K. and N. Hovakimyan, "Multi-Criteria Optimization for Filter Design of Adaptive Control," Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, vol. 161, No. 2, pp. 557 -581, 2014.
  • Xargay, E., R. Choe, N. Hovakimyan, and I. Kaminer, "Multi-Leader Coordination Algorithm for Networks with Switching Topology and Quantized Measurements," Automatica, Vol. 50, No. 3, pp. 841-851, 2014.
  • Kharisov, E., N. Hovakimyan, and K. Astrom, "Comparison of Architectures and Robustness of MRAC and Adaptive Controllers," International Journal of Adaptive Control and Signal Processing, vol. 28, No.7-8, pp. 633-663, 2014.
  • Ma, L. and N. Hovakimyan, "Vision-Based Cyclic Pursuit for Cooperative Target Tracking," AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, Vol. 35, No.2, pp. 617-622, 2013.
  • Li, D., and N. Hovakimyan, "Positive Invariant Set for Adaptive Controller in the Presence of Input Saturation," International Journal of Adaptive Control and Signal Processing, Vol. 27, No. 11, pp. 1012-1030, 2013.
  • Li, D. and N. Hovakimyan, "Bode-like Integral for Continuous-Time Closed-Loop Systems in the Presence of Limited Information," IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, Vol. 58, No.6, pp. 1457-1469, 2013.
  • Li,D. and N. Hovakimyan, "Bode-Like Integral for Stochastic Switched Systems in the Presence of Limited Information," Automatica, Vol. 49, No.1, pp. 1-8, 2013.
  • Wang, X. and N. Hovakimyan, "Distributed Control of Uncertain Networked Systems: A Decoupled Approach," IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, Vol. 58, No.10, pp. 2536-2549, 2013.
  • Dobrokhodov, V., E. Xargay N. Hovakimyan, I. Kaminer, C. Cao, I. Gregory, "Multicriteria Analysis of an L1 Adaptive Flight Control System," Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part I, Journal of Systems and Control Engineering, vol. 227, No. 4, pp.413-427, 2013.
  • Xargay, E., I. Kaminer, A. Pascoal, N. Hovakimyan, V. Dobrokhodov, V. Cichella, A. Aguiar, and R. Ghabcheloo, "Time-Critical Cooperative Path Following of Multiple UAVs over Time-Varying Networks," AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 499-516, 2013.
  • Xargay, E., V. Dobrokhodov, I. Kaminer, A. Pascoal, N. Hovakimyan, and C. Cao, "Time-Critical Cooperative Control of Multiple Autonomous Vehicles," IEEE Control Systems Magazine, pp.49-73, October, 2012.
  • Wang, X., Y. Sun, N. Hovakimyan, "Asynchronous Task Execution in Decentralized Event-Triggered Networked Control Systems," Systems and Control Letters, vol. 61, No. 9, pp. 936-944, 2012.
  • Wang, X. and N. Hovakimyan, "L1 Adaptive Controller for Nonlinear Reference Systems," Systems and Control Letters, Vol. 61, no. 4, 455-463, 2012.
  • Sun, H., N. Hovakimyan, and T. Basar, "Adaptive Controller for Uncertain Nonlinear Multi-Input Multi-Output Systems with Input Quantization," IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 565-578, 2012.
  • Xargay, E., V. Dobrokhodov, I. Kaminer, A. Pascoal, N. Hovakimyan, and C. Cao, "Time-Coordinated Path Following of Multiple Heterogeneous Vehicles over Time-Varying Networks," IEEE Control Systems Magazine, No. 3, pp. 49-73, 2012.
  • Hovakimyan, N., C. Cao, E. Kharisov, E. Xargay, and I. Gregory, "Adaptive Controller for Safety Critical Systems: Guaranteed Robustness with Fast Adaptation," IEEE Control Systems Magazine, October, No. 5, pages 54-106, 2011.
  • Dobrokhodov, V., I. Kaminer, I. Kitsios, E. Xargay, N. Hovakimyan, C. Cao, I. Gregory, and L. Valavani, "Experimental Validation of Adaptive Control: Rohrs' Counterexample in Flight," AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, Vol. 34, No. 5, pp.1311-1328, 2011.
  • Kulkarni, V., A. Paranjape, K. R. Ghusinga, and N. Hovakimyan, "Synthesis of Robust Tunable Oscillators using Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase Cascades," Systems and Synthetic Biology, vol. 4, No. 4, pp. 331-341, 2010.
  • Yoo, S.-J., N. Hovakimyan, and C. Cao, "Decentralized Adaptive Control for Large-scale Nonlinear Systems with Interconnected Unmodelled Dynamics," IET Control Theory and Applications, vol. 4, No.10, pp. 1972-1988, 2010.
  • Stipanović, D., A. Melikyan, and N. Hovakimyan, "Guaranteed Strategies for Nonlinear Multi-Player Pursuit-Evasion Games," International Game Theory Review, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 1-17, 2010.
  • Ma, L., C. Cao, N. Hovakimyan, V. Dobrokhodov, and I. Kaminer, "Adaptive Vision-Based Guidance Law with Guaranteed Performance Bounds for Tracking a Ground Target with Time-Varying Velocity," AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 33:3, 834-852, May-June 2010.
  • Kaminer, I., A. Pascoal, E. Xargay, C. Cao, N. Hovakimyan, and V. Dobrokhodov, "Path Following for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Using L1 Adaptive Augmentation of Commercial Autopilots," AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 33:2, 550-564, March-April, 2010.
  • Wang, J., N. Hovakimyan, and C. Cao, "Verifiable Adaptive Flight Control: Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle and Aerial Refueling," AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 33:1, 75-87, Jan-Feb 2010.
  • Ma, L., C. Cao, N. Hovakimyan, C. Woolsey, and W. Dixon, "Fast Estimation for Range Identification in the Presence of Unknown Motion Parameters," IMA Journal of Applied Mathematics, 1-25, 2010.
  • Cao, C. and N. Hovakimyan, “Stability Margins of L1 Adaptive Control Architecture,” IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 55:2, 480-487, 2010.
  • Cao, C., N. Hovakimyan, and J. Evers, “Active Control of Visual Sensor for Aerial Tracking,” Journal of Computational Management Science, Springer Operation Research and Decision Theory, No. 7, pp. 85-110, 2010.
  • Dippold, A., L. Ma, and N. Hovakimyan, "Vision-Based Obstacle Avoidance of Wheeled Robots Using Fast Estimataion," AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 33:6, 1931-1937, Nov-Dec, 2009.
  • Patel, V., C. Cao, N. Hovakimyan, K. Wise, and E. Lavretsky, “ Adaptive Controller for Tailless Unstable Aircraft in the Presence of Unknown Actuator Failures,” International Journal of Control, 82:4, 705-720, 2009.
  • Cao, C. and N. Hovakimyan, “Adaptive Output Feedback Controller for Non-Strictly Positive Real Systems: Missile Longitudinal Autopilot Design,” AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 32:3, 717-726, 2009.
  • Lavretsky, E. and N. Hovakimyan, “Adaptive Dynamic Inversion for Nonaffine- in-Control Uncertain Systems via Time-Scale Separation: Part 2,” Journal of Dynamical Systems and Control, 14:1, 33-41, 2008.
  • Stepanyan, V. and N. Hovakimyan, “Visual Tracking of a Maneuvering Target,” AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 18:1, 66-80, 2008.
  • Hayakawa, T., W. Haddad, and N. Hovakimyan, “Neural Network Adaptive Control for Nonlinear Uncertain Dynamical Systems with Asymptotic Stability Guarantees,” IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks, 19:1, 80-89, 2008.
  • Wang, J., V. Patel, C. Cao, N. Hovakimyan, and E. Lavretsky, “Novel Adaptive Control Methodology for Aerial Refueling with Guaranteed Transient Performance,” AIAA Journal of Guidance Control and Dynamics, 18:1, 182-193, 2008.
  • Cao, C. and N. Hovakimyan, “Design and Analysis of a Novel Adaptive Control Architecture with Guaranteed Transient Performance,” IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 53:2, 586-591, 2008.
  • Cao, C. and N. Hovakimyan, “ Adaptive Controller for Systems with Unknown Time-varying Parameters and Disturbances in the Presence of Non-zero Trajectory Initialization Error,” International Journal of Control, 81:7, 1148-1162, 2008.
  • Cao, C. and N. Hovakimyan, “ Adaptive Output Feedback Controller for Systems of Unknown Dimension,” IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 53:3, 815-821, 2008.
  • Cao, C. and N. Hovakimyan, “Vision-based Tracking using Intelligent Excitation,” International Journal of Control, vol. 81, No.11, pp. 1763-1778, 2008.
  • Hovakimyan, N., E. Lavretsky, and C. Cao, “Adaptive Dynamic Inversion for Nonaffine-in-Control Systems via Time-Scale Separation,” IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks, vol. 19, No.10, pp. 1702-1711, 2008.
  • Hovakimyan, N., E. Lavretsky, and C. Cao, “Dynamic Inversion for Multivariable Nonaffine-in-Control Systems via Time-Scale Separation,” International Journal of Control, vol. 81, No.12, pp. 1960-1967, 2008.
  • Lavretsky, E. and N. Hovakimyan, “Stable Adaptation in the Presence of Multiple Actuator Constraints with Applications to Flight Control,” AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 30:2, 337-345, 2007.
  • Stepanyan, V. and N. Hovakimyan, “An Adaptive Disturbance Rejection Controller for Visual Tracking of a Maneuvering Target,” AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 30:4, 1090-1106, 2007.
  • Haddad, W., J. Bailey, T. Hayakawa, and N. Hovakimyan, “Neural Network Adaptive Output Feedback Control for Intensive Care Unit Sedation and Operating Room Hypnosis,” Special Issue on Feedback Control of IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks, 18:4, 1049-1066, 2007.
  • Cao, C. and N. Hovakimyan, “Novel Neural Network Adaptive Control Architecture with Guaranteed Transient Performance,” Special Issue on Feedback Control of IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks, 18:4, 1160-1171, 2007.
  • Cao, C., N. Hovakimyan, and J. Wang, “Intelligent Excitation for Adaptive Control with Unknown Parameters in Reference Input,” IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 52:8, 1525-1532, 2007.
  • Stepanyan, V. and N. Hovakimyan, “Robust Adaptive Observer Design for Uncertain Systems with Bounded Disturbances,” IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks, 18:5, 1392-1403, 2007.
  • Lavretsky, E. and N. Hovakimyan, “Positive -modification for Stable Adaptation in the Presence of Input Constraints,” Systems and Control Letters, 56:11-12, 722-729, 2007.
  • Melikyan, A., A. Akhmetzhanov, and N. Hovakimyan, “On Initial Value and Terminal Value Problems for Hamilton-Jacobi Equation,” Systems and Control Letters, 56:11-12, 714-721, 2007.
  • Young, A., C. Cao, V. Patel, N. Hovakimyan, and E. Lavretsky, “An Adaptive Approach to Nonaffine Control Design for Aircraft Applications,” AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 18:6, 1770-1782, 2007.
  • Hovakimyan, N., E. Lavretsky, and A. Sasane, “Appropriate Dynamic Inversion for Nonaffine in Control Systems via Time-Scale Separation: Part 1,” Journal of Dynamical Systems and Control, 13:4, 451-465, 2007.
  • Hovakimyan, N., B.-J. Yang, and A. Calise, “Robust Adaptive Output Feedback Control Methodology for Multivariable Non-Minimum Phase Nonlinear Systems,” Automatica, 42:4, 513-522, 2006.
  • King, B. B., N. Hovakimyan, K. Evans, and M. Buhl, “Reduced Order Controllers for Distributed Parameter Systems: LQG Balancing and an Adaptive Approach,” Special Issue of Mathematical and Computer Modeling for the 50th anniversary of AFOSR, 43:9-10, 1136-1149, 2006.
  • Hovakimyan, N., E. Lavretsky, A. Calise, and R. Sattigeri, “Decentralized Adaptive Output Feedback Control via Input/Output Inversion,” International Journal of Control, 79:12, 1538-1551, 2006.
  • Kutay, A., A. Calise, M. Idan, and N. Hovakimyan, “Experimental Results on Adaptive Output Feedback Control using Laboratory Model Helicopter,” IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, 13:2, 196-202, 2005.
  • Hayakawa, T., W. Haddad, N. Hovakimyan, and V. Chellaboina, “Neural Network Adaptive Control for Nonlinear Nonnegative Dynamical Systems,” IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks, 16:2, 399-413, 2005.
  • Hayakawa, T., W. Haddad, J. Bailey, and N. Hovakimyan, “Passivity-Based Neural Network Adaptive Output Feedback Control for Nonlinear Nonnegative Dynamical Systems,” IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks, 16:2, 387-398, 2005.
  • Hovakimyan, N., E. Lavretsky, B.-J. Yang, and A. Calise, “Coordinated Decentralized Adaptive Output Feedback for Control of Interconnected Systems,” IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks, 16:1, 185-194, 2005.
  • Idan, M., A. Calise, and N. Hovakimyan, “An Adaptive Output Feedback Control Methodology: Theory and Practical Implementation Aspects,” AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 27:4, 710-715, 2004.
  • Hovakimyan, N., A. Calise, and N. Kim, “Adaptive Output Feedback Control of Uncertain Multi-Input Multi-Output Systems Using Single Hidden Layer Neural Networks,” International Journal of Control, 77:15, 1318-1329, 2004.
  • Lavretsky, E., N. Hovakimyan, and A. Calise, “Upper Bounds for Approximation of Continuous-Time Dynamics Using Delayed Outputs and Feedforward Neural Networks,” IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 48:9, 1606-1610, 2003.
  • Hovakimyan, N., F. Nardi, and A. Calise, “A Novel Error Observer based Adaptive Output Feedback Approach for Control of Uncertain Systems,” IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 47:8, 1310-1314, 2002.
  • Hovakimyan, N., F. Nardi, A. Calise, and N. Kim, “Adaptive Output Feedback Control of Uncertain Systems using Single Hidden Layer Neural Networks,” IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks, 13:6, 1420-1431, 2002.
  • Kim, N., A. Calise, N. Hovakimyan, J.V.R. Prasad, and E. Corban, “Adaptive Output Feedback for High-Bandwidth Control of an Unmanned Helicopter,” AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 25:6, 993-1002, 2002.
  • Hovakimyan, N., R. Rysdyk, and A. Calise, “Dynamic Neural Networks for Output Feedback Control,” International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, 11:1, 23-39, 2001.
  • Calise, A., N. Hovakimyan, and M. Idan, “Adaptive Output Feedback Control of Nonlinear Systems using Neural Networks,” Automatica Special issue “Neural Networks for Feedback Control,” 37:8, 1201-1211, 2001.
  • Hovakimyan, N., F. Nardi, A. Calise, and H. Lee, “Adaptive Output Feedback Control of a Class of Nonlinear Systems using Neural Networks,” International Journal of Control, 74:12, 1161-1169, 2001.
  • Hovakimyan, N. and A. Melikyan, “Geometry of Pursuit-Evasion on Second-Order Rotation Surfaces,” Dynamics and Control, 10, 297-312, 2000.
  • Hovakimyan, N., “A Note on Taking Full Advantage of Feedback Linearization for Adaptive Output Feedback Control,” Abstracts Journal of American Mathematical Society, 21:4, 642, 2000.
  • Bernhard, P. and N. Hovakimyan, “Nonlinear Robust Control and Minimax Team Problems,” International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, 9, 239-257, 1999.
  • Hovakimyan, N. and L. Harutunian, “Game Problems on Rotation Surfaces,” International Journal of Mathematics, Game Theory Algebra, 9:2, 117-129, 1999.
  • Melikyan, A., N. Hovakimyan, and L. Harutiunian,”Games of Simple Pursuit and Approach on Two-Dimensional Cone,” JOTA, 98:3, 515-543, 1998.
  • Avetisyan, V. and N. Hovakimyan, “Constructing the Regions of Admissible States of Positioning for a Two-Link Manipulator with Account of Speed Constraints,” Journal of Computer and System Sciences, 4, 638-646, 1997.
  • Argyris, J., V. Belubekyan, N. Hovakimyan, and M. Minasyan, “Chaotic Vibrations of Nonlinear Viscoelastic Beam,” Chaos, Solitons and Fractals, 7:2, 151-163, 1996.
  • Avetisyan, V. and N. Hovakimyan, “Optimal Plane Motions of Two-link Manipulator,” Journal of Computer and System Sciences, 2, 161-168, 1995.
  • Melikyan, A. and N. Hovakimyan, “A Differential Game of Simple Approach in Manifolds,” Journal of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, 57:1, 47-57, 1993.
  • Melikyan, A. and N. Hovakimyan, “Singular Trajectories in the Game of Simple Pursuit in the Manifolds,” Journal of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, 55:1, 42-48, 1991.
  • Melikyan, A. and N. Hovakimyan, “Game Problem of Simple Pursuit on a Two Dimensional Cone,” Journal of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, 55:5, 607-618, 1991.
  • Hovakimyan, N., “Geometrical Properties of Optimal Trajectories in the Game Problem of Simple Pursuit in Plane in the Presence of Obstacle,” Scientific Notes of Yerevan State University, No.1, 32-39, 1991. (Erevan. Gos. Univ. Uchen. Zap. Estestv. Nauki 1991, No.1(176), as provided by American Mathematical Society)

Professional Societies

  • Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2023
  • Senior Member, National Academy of Inventors, 2023
  • Member of Association for Computing Machinery, 2020- up to date
  • Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2018
  • Member of Society of Women Engineers, 2015 - up to date
  • Member of Aerospace Control and Guidance Systems Committee (ACGSC), 2013 - up to date
  • Member, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2013 - up to date
  • Member, Advisory Board for SPACE Center, CalState University of Los Angeles, CA, 2011
  • Member, Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) , 2008 - up to date
  • Member, International Society of Dynamic Games (ISDG), 1996 - up to date
  • Member, American Mathematical Society, (AMS), 1998 - up to date
  • Member, Guidance Navigation, Control Technical Committee, 2004-2007
  • Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), 2017
  • Member, CSS Technical Committee on System Identification and Adaptive Control, 2008-up to date
  • Member, CSS Technical Committee on Intelligent Control, 2007-up to date
  • Member, CSS Technical Committee on Aerospace Control, 2006-up to date

Honors

  • College Award for Excellence in Translational Research, UIUC (2024)
  • ASME Fellow (2023)
  • Senior Member, National Academy of Inventors (2023)
  • Fulbright Scholar Award, Department of State, Washington DC (2021)
  • AIAA Pendray Aerospace Literature Award (2019)
  • IEEE Fellow (2018)
  • IEEE CSS award for Technical Excellence in Aerospace Controls (2017)
  • AIAA Fellow (2017)
  • Grafton and Wilkins professorship of Mechanical Science and Engineering, UIUC (2015)
  • Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award (2015)
  • Engineering Council Outstanding Advising Award, UIUC (2015)
  • Humboldt Prize (2014)
  • AIAA Mechanics and Control of Flight Award (2011)

Teaching Honors

  • Listed in the Daily Illini “Incomplete List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students,” for Spring 2009, 2013, Fall 2016, 2018.
  • Golden Screw Award, bestowed by Virginia Tech aerospace and ocean engineering outgoing seniors, 2008

Research Honors

  • Engineering Council Outstanding Advising Award, UIUC, 2023
  • Keynote speaker, 4th Asia Conference on Automation Engineering, China, 2023
  • Keynote speaker in International Conference on Advanced Control, Automation and Robotics, Beijing, China, 2023
  • Outstanding reviewer for AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 2022
  • Keynote speaker, 13th Asia Conference on Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Chengdu, China, 2022
  • Invited Speaker in KAUST Research Conference on Robotics and Autonomy, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, 2022
  • Keynote speaker in 3rd IEEE International Conference on Cognitive Machine Intelligence, 2021
  • TEDxYerevan Speaker, Yerevan, Armenia 2021
  • Keynote Speaker in 3rd International Conference on Computing and Data Science, Stanford, CA, 2021
  • Invited Speaker in Professional Development Conference "Shifting Gears Thriving through Transitions" of the Coalition of Minority Professional Engineering Societies, 2021
  • Official Nominator for the 2021 VinFuture Prize, 2021
  • Invited speaker, KAUST Research Conference on Robotics and Autonomy, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, 2021
  • Invited Speaker, Google Machine Learning and Robot Safety Workshop, 2021
  • Distinguished Lecturer, Decision and Control Laboratory, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, 2021
  • Invited speaker, DoD Human-Machine Interactive Control Workshop, JHU, Baltimore, MD, 2020
  • Science Talk, Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology, Yerevan, Armenia, 2020
  • Distinguished Speaker for Facebook Feed and Story (FAST) seminars, Palo Alto, CA, 2019
  • Keynote speaker at MathWorks Annual Research Summit, Boston, MA, 2019
  • Keynote speaker, Skolkovo Robotics Forum, Skolkovo Technopark, Moscow, Russia, 2019
  • Plenary speaker, 3rd International Conference on Control Engineering and Artificial Intelligence, Los Angeles, CA, 2019
  • Plenary speaker, AIAA SciTech Forum, Guidance, Navigation and Control Conference, San Diego, CA 2019
  • NSF CPS startup companies panelist, NSF CPS review meeting, Washington DC, 2018
  • Keynote speaker, Cyber-Physical Systems Workshop 2018, Porto, Portugal
  • Keynote speaker, 5th International Conference on Control, Dynamic Systems and Robotics, Niagara Falls, Canada, 2018
  • Distinguished Lecture at University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, 2017
  • Commencement speaker for American University of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia, 2017
  • Keynote speaker, Aging2.0 Optimize, San Francisco, CA, 2016
  • Plenary speaker, ICNPAA World Congress, 11th International Conference on Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Aerospace and Sciences, La Rochelle, France, 2016
  • Technical Achievement Award, ICNPAA World Congress, 11th International Conference on Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Aerospace and Sciences, La Rochelle, France, 2016
  • Plenary speaker, 55th Israel Annual Conference on Aerospace Sciences, Tel-Aviv, Israel, 2015
  • Invited speaker, KAUST-NSF Conference on Electronic Materials, Devices and Systems for a Sustainable Future, KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, 2015
  • TUM-IAS honorary Hans Fischer senior fellow, Technical University of Munich, Germany, 2014-2015
  • Keynote speaker, International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Orlando, FL, 2014
  • Keynote speaker, ICNPAA World Congress: Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Sciences and Aerospace, Vienna, Austria, 2012
  • Technical Achievement Award, World Congress, 9th International Conference on Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Aerospace and Sciences, 2012
  • University Scholar, 2011-2014
  • Semiplenary speaker in Chinese Control and Decision Conference, Mianyang, China, 2011
  • Keynote speaker for ICNPAA World Congress, São José dos Campos (SP), Brazil, 2010
  • Plenary Speaker for 3rd International Symposium on Systems and Control for Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2010
  • Invited speaker, Workshop on Adaptation and Learning in Autonomous Systems, Lund University, Sweden, 2010
  • Plenary Speaker for IASTED Conference on Identification and Control, 2009
  • Dean’s Award for Research Excellence, Virginia Tech, 2008
  • Plenary Speaker, SIAM Conference on Control and Its Applications (CT07), San Francisco, CA, 2007
  • College of Engineering Faculty Fellow, Virginia Tech, 2006
  • Best Presentation Award, American Control Conference, 2000, 2006, 2007
  • Pride @ Boeing, certificate of Appreciation 2004, 2007 (2004, 2005, 2007)
  • Best Paper, SICE International Award, VII International Symposium on Dynamic Games and Applications, Japan, 1996

Public Service Honors

  • Outstanding Reviewer, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, 2008, 2009, 2022 (2008)
  • Certificate of Distinguished Service, AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control Technical Committee, 2008 (2008)

Other Honors

  • Engineering Faculty Leadership Forum (2011)

Recent Courses Taught

  • ME 460 - Industrial Control Systems
  • ME 562 - Robust Adaptive Control

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