John T. Wen

John T. Wen is a Russell Sage Professor and Head of the Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering (ECSE) Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), with joint appointments in Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering and Industrial and Systems Engineering. He has held leadership roles including Director of the Center for Automation Technologies and Systems (CATS) and Interim Director of the NSF Smart Lighting ERC. His research focuses on control theory and applications in robotics, thermal management, lighting systems, and automation. Wen earned B.Eng. (McGill), M.S. (UIUC), and Ph.D. (RPI) in Electrical Engineering.

Education:

• B.Eng., Electrical Engineering, McGill University, 1979
• M.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1981
• Ph.D., Computer and Systems Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1985

Research Interests:

• Control systems for precision motion, robotics, and thermal/lighting systems
• Robotics applications in manufacturing, assistive technologies, and space systems
• Multi-disciplinary challenges in thermal management, material processing, and circadian rhythm modeling

Notable Achievements:

• Co-inventor of the Adaptive Scanning Optical Microscope (ASOM)
• Recipient of IEEE Control Systems Society Transition to Practice Award (2013) and Rensselaer's William H. Wiley Award (2020)
• Leader in multi-robot systems, automation, and smart building control

Labs/Teams:

• Center for Automation Technologies and Systems (CATS)
• Lighting Enabled Systems and Applications (LESA) Center
• Collaborations with industry partners in robotics and manufacturing