Mathias Foo

Dr. Mathias Foo is an Associate Professor in Control and Engineering Biology (Teaching Focused) and Course Leader of the Biomedical Systems Engineering program at the School of Engineering, University of Warwick, UK. He holds a PhD in Electronics & Electrical Engineering from the University of Melbourne (2012) and has held roles including Assistant Professor at Coventry University and Research Fellow at Warwick Integrative Synthetic Biology Centre (WISB). His research focuses on dynamical systems modeling, control of biological systems, and synthetic biology applications to enhance crop productivity. He has collaborated on projects in Korea, including a UK-Korea Biohealth International Collaborative Research Grant, and leads teaching in advanced control systems and biomedical engineering. His work spans interdisciplinary areas such as smart farming, sensor technology, and educational tools for engineering education.

• Education: PhD in Electronics & Electrical Engineering (University of Melbourne, 2012)
• Key Roles: Associate Professor at University of Warwick (2018–present), Research Fellow at WISB (2015–2018)
• Grants: Over £450k in funding, including Co-I roles in UK-Korea collaborations and smart farming initiatives

Research Interests: Dynamical systems modeling, synthetic biology applications, plant gene regulatory networks, and control engineering in biological systems. Recent work includes designing controllers for biological networks and optimizing light quality for plant growth through computational models.

Recent Articles Trends: Focus on kernel-based system identification, biological controller design, and interdisciplinary applications in smart farming and engine test cells. Collaborations with institutions like POSTECH (Korea), LSU (USA), and SNU (South Korea) highlight global engagement.

• Awards: None explicitly mentioned
• Advising: Supervised 9 PhD students, including Tea Clark (Warwick) and Colin McGirk (Coventry)

Labs/Teams: Active in Warwick’s Engineering department, collaborating on projects like ribocomputing systems and nucleic acid feedback controllers. Engaged with interdisciplinary groups in synthetic biology and mechatronics.