Welcome to SYSOS

SySOS: Systems using Sum of Squares

We develop tools and algorithms for the scalable analysis of nonlinear system descriptions and the design of control laws using computational tools based on the Sum of Squares decomposition and Semidefinite Programming. In particular, our group concentrates on:

• Nonlinear systems analysis, Sum of Squares optimization and Lyapunov techniques. In this spirit, we have developed methods for stability analysis of systems described by Ordinary, Delay and Partial Differential Equations, with applications in Systems Biology, Population Dynamics and Engineering.

• Software Development (SOSTOOLS). This can be found here. A new version is currently under development with many more examples.

• Large-scale Networked Systems analysis with communication and structural constraints. Examples in this field come from synchronization phenomena in oscillator Networks with applications to Kuramoto couplings and synchronization of cardiac cells and Network Congestion Control for the Internet. We are looking at multi-agent systems consensus under communication and structural constraints such as the effect of time delays and switching topologies.

• Fluid mechanics and Heat transfer, from a control perspective. We are taking a control engineering approach to understand questions in Hydrodynamic Stability and mechanisms for background noise energy amplification and subsequent reduction.

News

Upcoming Events:

• RoSBNet First Year Workshop: 14-16 September 2009, St. Annes' College, University of Oxford, U.K.
• ARCC Workshop on Convex Algebraic Geometry, Optimization and Applications: 21-25 September, 2009, Palo Alto, California, USA.
• NE{S|T}COC: Symposium on Recent Trends in Networked Systems and Cooperative Control & Workshop on Network Induced Constraints in Control, 28-29 September, 2009, University of Stuttgart, Germany
• Lund Center for Control of Complex Engineering Systems: Multi-agent coordination and estimation (Jan 18 - Feb 19: Workshop Feb 3-5, 2010)

Previous Events:

• RoSBNet Launch Meeting: A Network in Synthetic Biology, 6 July 2009, University of Oxford, U.K.
• IMA Thematic Year on Mathematics of Molecular and Cellular Biology
  • Organization of Biological Networks, 3-7 March, 2008
  • Design Principles in Biological Systems, 21-25 April, 2008
• IMA Thematic Year on Applications of Algebraic Geometry
  • Software for Algebraic Geometry, 23-27 October, 2006
  • Optimization and Control, 16-20 January, 2007
• Banff Workshop: Positive Polynomials and Optimization, 7-12 October, 2006, Banff International Research Station, Banff, Canada
• ARCC Workshop: Theory and Algorithms of Linear Matrix Inequalities, 1-5 August 2005, American Institute of Mathematics, Palo Alto, California.

Projects

• Control Theory Tools for Elucidating the Phosphotransfer Network in Rhodobacter sphaeroides: A Feasibility Study

• RoSBNet: Network in Synthetic Biology.

• Oxford-Princeton Collaboration on Network Science with Professor Mung Chiang.

• European Space Agency project with GMV (Spain), NGC (Canada) and the University of Leicester, "Worst-Case and Safety Analysis Tools for Autonomous Rendezvous Systems".

Current Collaborations

• A Control Engineering approach for modelling high-shear flows

Current Members

• Dr Antonis Papachristodoulou

• Mr Abdullah Hamadeh, March 2009-

• Mr Christoph Maier, April 2009-

• Mr Yo-Cheng (Mark) Chang - DPhil candidate co-supervised with Professor Judith Armitage, Department of Biochemistry, January 2007-

• Mr Bence Melykuti, DPhil candidate co-supervised with Professor Alison Etheridge, Department of Statistics, January 2008-

• Mr James Anderson - Probationary Research Student, October 2008-

Previous Members

• Dr Mark Roberts, October 2007 - December 2008

• Dr Elias August, October 2007 - December 2008

Useful Links

• Engineering Science Control Group

• Oxford Centre for Integrative Systems Biology

• Doctoral Training Centres