Curriculum Vitae

 

Past positions and education

  • 2006-2013: Professor, ESAT-SCD, K.U. Leuven, and PI of OPTEC
  • 2001-2006: Scientific assistant (C1) at IWR, Heidelberg University
  • spring 2005: research stay at Univ. Paul Sabatier, Toulouse
  • spring 2003: Long term fellow at IMA, University of Minnesota, USA
  • spring 2002: research stay at INRIA Rocquencourt
  • 1999-2001: PhD at IWR, Heidelberg University (summa cum laude)
  • 1993-99: Diploma of Physics at Heidelberg University (with distinction)
  • 1995-96: Mathematical Tripos Part IIB at Cambridge University, UK (equiv. first class pass)
  • 1992-93: Hamburg University of Fine Arts: one semester studies of Industrial Design
  • Civil Service, Umweltbehörde Hamburg: Environmental consulting.
  • Grammar School Gymnasium Lerchenfeld, Hamburg

 

Awards and Honours

  • Awarded a 5 year Starting Grant by the European Research Council (ERC), on “Simulation, Optimization and Control of High-Altitude Wind Power Generators”, 2011-2016

  • Two “Gouden Krijtje” awards by VTK, the Flemish engineering student organization, for the best lecture and the best professor in the master of mathematical engineering, 2011-2012

  • One “Gouden Krijtje” award for the best lecture manuscript in the master of mathematical engineering, 2009-2010

  • winner of “Klaus Georg and Sigrid Hengstberger Prize” (Euro 15.000, with K. Mombaur) to organize the 1st Ruperto Carola Symposium in Heidelberg, 2004/5

  • outstanding reviewer of “IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control” in 2004

  • winner of “Prix Dodu” for best presentation at “Journees MODE”, Montpellier, 2002

  • Cambridge exchange scholar of Heidelberg University 1995 (university wide competition for three places each year)

 

Invited Keynotes, Plenary Talks, and Honorary Lectures

  • Invited Plenary talk at GAMM Jahrestagung 2015 in Lecce on “Nonlinear optimal control for airborne wind energy systems” 

  • Invited Keynote Lecture at ADCHEM 2012 (IFAC’s triennial International Symposium on Advanced Control of Chemical Processes), Singapore, July 2012

  • Invited Keynote Lecture at “IFAC Workshop on Nonlinear Model Predictive Control”, Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands, August 2012

  • Invited Guest Lecture at Yearly Get-Together of RWTH Aachen’s Master in Computational Engineering Science (CES), May 2012

  • Invited Plenary Talk at IPAM Workshop “Applications of Optimization in Science and Engineering”, Institute for pure and applied mathematics, UC Los Angeles, Dec 2010

  • Invited Plenary Talk at “JBHU2010: Analyse Variationelle, Optimisation et Applications” (60th Birthday of Jean-Baptiste Hiriart-Urruty), Bayonne, Oct 2010

  • Invited Plenary Talk at “MODE 2010 : Conférence de la SMAI sur l'optimisation et la decision”, Limoges, France, March 2010

  • Invited Plenary Talk at “International Workshop on Advanced Methods and Perspectives in Nonlinear Optimization and Control”, Toulouse, France, February 2010

  • Invited Plenary Talk at “7th Conference on Computer Methods and Systems”, Krakow, Poland, November 2009

  • Invited Plenary Talk at “Symposium on Modelling, Optimization and Control of Renewable Energy Systems”, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, US, April 2009

  • Invited Keynote Lecture at “International Workshop on Nonlinear Model Predictive Control”, Pavia, Italy, Sep 2008

  • Invited Keynote Lecture at “SIGOPT International Conference on Optimization”, Lambrecht, Germany, Feb 2008

  • Invited Plenary Lecture at “26th Benelux Meeting on Systems and Control”, Lommel, Belgium, March 2007

  • Invited Keynote Lecture at “IFAC Workshop on Nonlinear Model Predictive Control for Fast Systems”, Grenoble, France, Sept 2006

  • Invited Keynote Lecture at “German Polish Conference on Optimization”, Bedlewo, Poland, Nov. 2005

  • invited lecture at official Ph.D. celebration ceremony for the natural sciences in Heidelberg university in autumn 2001

 

Editorial board memberships

 

Organization of Conferences

 

Organization of International Workshops and Symposia

 

Organization of Regular Lectures and Events

  • Simon Stevin Lecture Series on Optimization in Engineering 

  • K.U. Leuven Seminars on Optimization in Engineering and other OPTEC events

 

Languages

German, English, Italian, French, Dutch